Creativity Quote by Gary Cherone

A throwaway line that doubles as an autopsy of rock fan psychology. Gary Cherone isn’t really litigating Sammy Hagar’s talent; he’s naming the stubborn loyalty test that turns bands into identity groups. “They” is doing the heavy lifting here: not critics, not the industry, but the self-appointed jury of purists who treat any lineup change as a moral failing. The timing matters. Hagar spent twelve years in Van Halen, longer than many “classic” eras of other bands, yet Cherone frames the resentment as permanent, almost hereditary. That exaggeration is the point: in legacy rock, the verdict arrives early and doesn’t get overturned by evidence.

The subtext is defensive, even if it’s delivered with a shrug. Cherone, who stepped into Van Halen after Hagar, is implicitly explaining why his own stint was doomed before it began. If fans could hate a singer who helped deliver massive hits and sold-out tours, what chance did the new guy have? The line is also a quiet critique of nostalgia as a business model: audiences say they want “something new,” but often only within the narrow boundaries of the version of the band they first fell in love with.

What makes it work is its blunt, unromantic math. Twelve years should be long enough to become “real.” The fact that it isn’t exposes the genre’s core tension: rock sells rebellion, but its fandom can be fiercely conservative about who gets to wear the crown.