Metallica: Some kind of Monster. Bass players.

[SteveXFR]

I think Cliff would have been amazing in a stoner metal band. Who knows, maybe he'd have lead them in that direction if he'd lived long enough to hear Kyuss or Fu Manchu

[Jackroadkill]

3 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

I think Cliff would have been amazing in a stoner metal band. Who knows, maybe he'd have lead them in that direction if he'd lived long enough to hear Kyuss or Fu Manchu

 

Oh, now you're talking....  Kyuss with Cliff would have been amazing.

[SteveXFR]

34 minutes ago, Jackroadkill said:

 

Oh, now you're talking....  Kyuss with Cliff would have been amazing.

 

Scott Reader from Kyuss did audition with Metallica. I think Scott was too good for Metallica as well. 

[Wolverinebass]

In truth, there are so many hilarious things about that film and so many awful ones. All of them (Newsted excepted) come across as awful people. Kirk especially comes over as a passive aggressive tosser. Plus, he can't write lyrics either.

 

Frankly, they're an awful band. They've had some great material, but in every case it's mainly been ruined by crap production decisions and ludicrous egotism. 

 

I run a book with some fellow producers as to "How will Metallica ruin their next album." I won for Death Magnetic as since they're generally 8-10 years behind trends (plus they got Rick Rubin in) it was always going to be brickwalled and digitally distorted.

 

The best one was Lulu when one of my fellow producers said, "it'll just be awful." He won that one.

 

72 seasons has the whole "stupidly attacky drum samples." Nobody needs that amount of 10kHz on a kick drum. It's so obviously samples. How very 2011. They're so far behind the times.

[uk_lefty]

55 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

In truth, there are so many hilarious things about that film and so many awful ones. All of them (Newsted excepted) come across as awful people. Kirk especially comes over as a passive aggressive tosser. Plus, he can't write lyrics either.

Interesting, I felt sorry for Kirk but thought he whined a lot. And his lyrics were utterly dreadful. The therapist guy though... What was he playing at?! 

 

The whole thing is an interesting watch. It's interesting to see the bass auditions and how some of the bassists are just awful, would sound bad in a pub covers band, Trujillo is the only one who seems like a professional musician and he is seriously good. I get the impression the others are impressed and a little intimidated by his musicianship and calm manner/ lack of ego. 

[Cato]

Trujillo is a phenomenal player, one of those guys who can and has played any genre at the absolute top level.

 

Outside of Metallica he's jazzy, he's done punk/hardcore and he can be funky as hell 

 

I've been a fan since I first heard and saw him with Suicidal Tendencies in the 1980s.

 

I've said it before I don't begrudge him the paycheck but, creatively, he's wasted in Metallica.

[asingardenof]

35 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

Interesting, I felt sorry for Kirk but thought he whined a lot. And his lyrics were utterly dreadful. The therapist guy though... What was he playing at?!

Playing at "I'm getting paid a shitload of cash so let's see how far I can push them" I suspect.

 

36 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

The whole thing is an interesting watch. It's interesting to see the bass auditions and how some of the bassists are just awful, would sound bad in a pub covers band, Trujillo is the only one who seems like a professional musician and he is seriously good. I get the impression the others are impressed and a little intimidated by his musicianship and calm manner/ lack of ego. 

The bit where he's playing the flamenco guitar part and James is like "oh shit, he's this good at guitar as well" was hilarious.

[Vin Venal]

1 hour ago, Wolverinebass said:

In truth, there are so many hilarious things about that film and so many awful ones. All of them (Newsted excepted) come across as awful people. Kirk especially comes over as a passive aggressive tosser. Plus, he can't write lyrics either.

 

Frankly, they're an awful band. They've had some great material, but in every case it's mainly been ruined by crap production decisions and ludicrous egotism. 

 

I run a book with some fellow producers as to "How will Metallica ruin their next album." I won for Death Magnetic as since they're generally 8-10 years behind trends (plus they got Rick Rubin in) it was always going to be brickwalled and digitally distorted.

 

The best one was Lulu when one of my fellow producers said, "it'll just be awful." He won that one.

 

72 seasons has the whole "stupidly attacky drum samples." Nobody needs that amount of 10kHz on a kick drum. It's so obviously samples. How very 2011. They're so far behind the times.

They were great in 1992, when I was 10. By the time I was 12 I was well and truly over Metallica, and it's only gone downhill since.

 

If you watch early interviews with them, it's clear they were awful people from the get go really, but I was a pretty awful person in my early 20s too, and I think what's happened is, being millionaire rockstars meant they didn't have opportunities to grow and mature in the same way most people do, so like the music, they just got worse.

 

Hetfield is a big thick bully, Lars is his smarmy little mate, Kirk is a braindead stoner - none of them have evolved beyond high school.

[Vin Venal]

They were all also huge racists back in the day, which is fun. All of them except for Kirk have been pictured giving Nazi salutes (including Newsted, despite his modern day nice guy reputation), and Hetfield apparently once said he didn't wanna tour with Ice T cuz he wouldn't share a stage with a n*****. Hilariously he apparently said that in front of Slash, who he was on tour with at the time.

[SteveXFR]

I love some of the early Metallica stuff but Black onwards is all bad. On the odd occasion they wrote good music, they ruined it with dreadful production. I honestly don't understand why they're still huge when there's so many other bands making much better metal music. It's about time Mastadon or Baroness too their place as hard rock/metal giants

[Cato]

31 minutes ago, Vin Venal said:

They were all also huge racists back in the day, which is fun. All of them except for Kirk have been pictured giving Nazi salutes

 

I'd need to see those pictures in context.

 

It was normal back in the 80s and 90s for metal fans to 'airpunch' enmasse during a gig and it was normal for the bands to do it back.

 

In hindsight I can see how that would look like a Nazi rally, all I can say is that I never heard those sentiments being openly expressed by a metal band on stage during that period .

 

I can't say that nobody in the crowds or on those stages believed that nonesense, but none of it was ever obvious to me.

 

I remember G&Rs 'One in a million' being incredibly controversial back in the day for it's use of the N word in the most negative possible way but, while I'm sure there were others that weren't as mainstream that were openly racist, that's the only recorded bit of metal racism I remember from the whole era.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by Cato

[markbunney]

I’ve not watched this documentary since it was released, I’ll have to try and watch it this week.

 

I saw Jason Newsted with Metallica a few times, he was brilliant and still one of my favourite players.

 

His bass playing on Load & Reload is great.

[Vin Venal]

11 minutes ago, Cato said:

 

I'd need to see those pictures in context.

 

It was normal back in the 80s and 90s for metal fans to 'airpunch' enmasse during a gig and it was normal for the bands to do it back.

 

In hindsight I can see how that would look like a Nazi rally, all I can say is that I never heard those sentiments being openly expressed by a metal band on stage during that period .

 

I can't say that nobody in the crowds or on those stages believed that nonesense, but none of it was ever obvious to me.

 

I remember G&Rs 'One in a million' being incredibly controversial back in the day for it's use of the N word in the most negative possible way but, while I'm sure there were others that weren't as mainstream that were openly racist, that's the only recorded bit of metal racism I remember from the whole era.

 

 

 

 

That's pretty unambiguous... 😬

[Cato]

2 minutes ago, Vin Venal said:

That's pretty unambiguous... 😬

Fair enough.

 

[Vin Venal]

This one is less so, but people who've watched the dvd have said its clear Jason was goosestepping about giving the nazi salute.

 

The thing about Hetfield describing Ice T as a n***** is an account from a backing singer.

[Cato]

1 minute ago, Vin Venal said:

This one is less so, but people who've watched the dvd have said its clear Jason was goosestepping about giving the nazi salute.

 

The thing about Hetfield describing Ice T as a n***** is an account from a backing singer.

 

That's more the sort of thing I was thinking of.

 

While I was looking for a clip to support my earlier 'context' comment I found this one of a gig I was actually at.

 

 

I can totally see how these days that could look like a Nazi rally.

 

Looking back we danced like electrocuted Nazis.

 

I'm frankly astonished I had the energy.

 

(That's not to detract from the entirely valid point and subsequent evidence you made earlier though).

 

[TimR]

Are you guys expecting members of a Thrash Metal band to own kittens and spend their time shopping for soft furnishings?

[tauzero]

18 minutes ago, Vin Venal said:

That's pretty unambiguous... 😬

 

Reminds me of something...

 

[Doctor J]

Metallica aren't racists, FFS. Hugh Tanner, the original guitarist, is black. He and Hetfield were in Leather Charm together before they joined Metallica. Kirk is Filipino. Trujillo is latino. They wouldn't be the first and won't be the last dopes to make that gesture in a poor effort at humour, especially in the past when enlightenment wasn't as easy to come by as it is now. Humans start as idiots, but we learn, some quicker thank others. Thankfully, most of us don't have every indiscretion photographed, ready to be dredged up out of context for some ill-guided outrage.
 

Let's not forget this guy married a black lady, much to the delight of his family.

[Cato]

2 minutes ago, TimR said:

Are you guys expecting members of a Thrash Metal band to own kittens and spend their time shopping for soft furnishings?

 

Anthrax always seemed like nice young men.

[Doctor J]

Oh, and anyone who wants to actually watch "the DVD" in question and see Newsted in context, it's from the 1989 Seattle concert during the intro of... wait for it... Am I Evil! 
 

Clumsy theatrics? Yes I am! Nazi rally? No it isn't.
 

He also wrote this song for Flotsam And Jetsam but, sure, I suppose one frame from a 2.5 hour concert shows where his heart truly lies?

 

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/flotsamjetsam/derfuhrer.html

Edited January 30 by Doctor J

[Vin Venal]

32 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Metallica aren't racists, FFS. Hugh Tanner, the original guitarist, is black. He and Hetfield were in Leather Charm together before they joined Metallica. Kirk is Filipino. Trujillo is latino. They wouldn't be the first and won't be the last dopes to make that gesture in a poor effort at humour, especially in the past when enlightenment wasn't as easy to come by as it is now. Humans start as idiots, but we learn, some quicker thank others. Thankfully, most of us don't have every indiscretion photographed, ready to be dredged up out of context for some ill-guided outrage.
 

Let's not forget this guy married a black lady, much to the delight of his family.

Lol its wild to me that there's still people about who think having black friends proves you're not a racist. 😅

[Vin Venal]

Another thing I thought was nuts was I saw an interview with Hetfield post-sobriety where he did that "I've been to therapy for the first time in my life at 50 something" thing of just casually revealing personal shit to people you've never met before, and he starts talking about how people wouldn't like him if they knew about all the terrible things he's done, like really heinous shit apparently, and I was thinking jesus James, if the stuff everybody knows about you isn't even the bad stuff, what have you been up to? Lol.

 

Also he thinks people like him. 😅

[Doctor J]

4 minutes ago, Vin Venal said:

Lol its wild to me that there's still people about who think having black friends proves you're not a racist. 😅

 

It's mega wild to me that people are so quick to judge and libel people they've never met with no foundation 😉

[Bolo]

50 minutes ago, Vin Venal said:

Jason was goosestepping about giving the nazi salute

That's obviously just the metal 'horns up' 🤘 but think what you want of it.

 

I'm not getting paid to defend some millionaires I've never met.