Van Halen [ tickets ] frontman Sammy Hagar [ tickets ] talked to morning-radio host Howard Stern on Friday (3/26) about his return to the band, and discussed some of the new material that the group has written and recorded during the past few months.

Stern had his producer phone the singer after word surfaced on Friday that the group had nailed down plans for a reunion tour.

Known for his no-holds-barred interviewing style, Stern put the screws to Hagar by playing clips of some of Hagar's late-'90s appearances on Stern's show after his acrimonious split with the band, during which Hagar badmouthed his former-and-once-again bandmates and discounted the possibility of a reunion.

"Alright, explain," Stern demanded of Hagar after playing the clips. "How did it come about that you had a complete change of heart?"

"Howard, I'm gonna kill you," Hagar shot back. "That was way back then. That was the way I felt then. Things change. People wake up one morning and feel different. I was being honest back then. ... I have no explanation [for] anything. It's like, it's a rock-and-roll band. Let's start right there, OK? Like the Rolling Stones, or anybody else. Mick and Keith are always gonna kill each other ... and then they go out and tour and do great."

Hagar then recounted for Stern how he and the Van Halen brothers--Eddie (guitar) and Alex (drums)--reconnected late last year, and how that turn of events blossomed into a reunion.

"Ed says, 'Man, wait till you hear this stuff I've been working on; I've been jamming with Al every day,'" Hagar said. "And, so, I was interested. I love music. There's no question about the brilliance of the music of Van Halen from the beginning till the day they die. So, when I heard the music, it was just extremely inspiring. I started writing lyrics. We started jamming. We just jammed. That's what it was."

"Now wait a second," Stern pressed. "... Is it not uncomfortable when you're in a room with a bunch of guys that summarily fired you with, like, just a quick phone call on Father's Day morning? I mean, how do you get past that? Like, all of a sudden, 'Hey, we're bros.' I mean, to be in a band together, you gotta be tight. There's gotta be a weird vibe."

"We've been jamming and playing music for about three months, so we've gotten past all kinds of stuff," Hagar responded. "Believe me, the first time I started trying to play music with these guys, I was nervous until the music started playing. The music is why I joined the band to begin with way back in 1985. I didn't plan on joining Van Halen; I was doing fine out there with my solo career. I started playing music with these guys and just I go, 'Wow. You gotta do this. This is good. This is great.'"

Though he did not specifically address the group's recording plans (rumor has it that the plan is to release a greatest-hits package featuring some new tunes with Hagar), the singer did talk about one new track that the group recorded since reuniting.

"The first song's called 'It's About Time,'" Hagar said. "It's strictly about the whole [breakup and reunion], and when you hear that song, and you hear the other songs, you're gonna go, 'No wonder they're doing this.'

Hagar also said that Eddie Van Halen--a notorious smoker who, three years ago, confirmed that he was battling some form of oral cancer--is in good health.

"Eddie's fine," Hagar said. "He's great. He's playin' better than ever."

Hagar said that he's confident that the group's reunion outing will be a success, and will silence critics who question the band's motives for reuniting.

"You know what's gonna happen, Howard? The shows are gonna go out. They're gonna sell out in five minutes, we're gonna go out and be the greatest rock-n-roll band in the world, and everybody's just gonna go, 'Wow. No wonder they're doing it. It's great.'"