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/ M /Metallica / THE METALLICA FAQ(xxxx)
1. Who are all the former and current members of the band? James, Lars, Kirk, Jason all current. Cliff Burton died 9-27-86. Dave Mustaine lead guitar, Ron McGovney bass, both 'removed'. Damien Philips, one appearance, in concert as a second guitarist, Lloyd Grant not really a member, but recorded some lead work to the first demo for "Hit The Lights". 2. What is the Metallica Club? Metallica finally formed a Club worthy of their fans. This club is completely owned and operated by the band, it is any members "connection" to the band! Metallica Club produces an annual T-shirt and prints their own magazine called "So What!" along with that, the club is THE place to get merchandise, tickets and maybe even a backstage pass! Contests and inside information make every issue of So What! something to look forward to! 3. When is the new album coming out? When is the new tour? Plans are for a .... 199? (!!!) release with a tour starting in early 199? (!!!). Watch this space!! 4. Who's married? Lars, Kirk and Jason are all currently divorced, James never yet married. 5. What are their full names and birth dates? James Alan Hetfield, 8-3-63. (Hatched in Los Angeles, CA.) Kirk Lee Hammett, 11-18-62. (Brought back to life in San Francisco, CA) Lars Ulrich, 12-26-63. (Found talking in Gentofte, Denmark.) Jason Curtis Newsted, 3-4-63. (Jamming in Battle Creek, MI.) 6. What is "Creeping Death" about? About the tale of the plagues bestowed upon the Egyptians, inspired by the second half of the movie "The Ten Commandments" 7. What equipment does the band use? James - ESP Explorer guitar with EMG pick ups and Ernie Ball strings. Mesa Boogie mk II simul-class amp. Kirk - Various ESP guitars, along with various vintage guitars, uses Dean Markely strings. Mesa Boogie Amp. Jason plays bass (and lots of 'em.) La Bella strings and uses Ampeg amongst other equipment. Lars plays Tama Artstar II Drums with Remo heads and Zildjian Brilliant cymbals. All wear earplugs. 8. What do they drive? James has a Chevy Blazer and a Dodge Ram Pick-Up. Jason has a 1967 Ford Mustang and a LandCruiser. Kirk a Porsche, LandCruiser and a mountain bike. Lars a Porsche, Chevy Blazer and a Range Rover 9. What is Garage Days? "Garage Days Revisited" featured two cover songs, "Am I Evil?" (orig. written and recorded by Diamond Head) and "Blitzkrieg" (by Blitzkrieg), it was on the B-side of the "Creeping Death" 12", it was released in November 1984, the two songs were later released on the Elektra re-issue of "Kill 'Em All" but have since been deleted. "Garage Days Re-revisited" is the follow up to the original "GD", It had these cover songs: "Helpless" (by Diamond Head), "The Small Hours" (by Holocaust), "The Wait" (by Killing Joke), "Crash Course in Brain Surgery" (by Budgie) and "Last Caress/Green Hell" (by Misfits). It was released in August 1987 as an EP. Both of the Garage Days are deleted items and are very hard to find. 10. What is Spastic Children? Spastic Children was a "joke band" created originally by James, Cliff and Fred Cotton and James (Flunky) McDaniel. SC never practiced and played rather ludicrous songs, Cliff played bass and Jaymz drummed, when Cliff died Kirk took over the bass duties. Kirk says "Spastic Children was a good excuse to drink and be silly on stage." Spastic has not been seen around lately. 11. What is NWOBHM? It's the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal that Lars is especially quite fond of. The NWOBHM greatly influenced Metallica, such acts as Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, Samson, Saxon can be considered NWOBHM. This movement is considered to have started mid 1979, and fizzled out by 1982, and was considered to be hard-rock's answer to Punk-rocks street 'vibe' and youthful energy. 12. PRIMUS / FAITH NO MORE / METALLICA - what's the connection? Kirk and Les Claypool from Primus grew up and went to the same school together in El Sobrante, CA. Big Jim Martin (the old guitar player in FNM) and Cliff were best friends as kids and in several bands together, Cliff also knew Mike Bordin (another friend of Kirks, the drummer in FNM) and actually suggested Jim to Mike for the guitar duties in FNM. 13. Metallica moved from LA to SF, why? Cliff lived in SF and refused to move to LA. In order to get Cliff as the bass player the band had to relocate. 14. What movie are the clips from "One" from? "Johnny Got His Gun", which was made from the book by Dalton Trumbo, who also directed the movie. 15. James' skull ring and wolf pendant - where did he get them? The ring formerly belonged to Cliff. The pendant is from a store called The Great Frog in London (the same place that Cliff got the skull ring). 16. Lars, where is he from? Gentofte (North of Copenhagen), Denmark. 17. Have the guys recorded for anyone besides Metallica? James has recorded backing vox for "Twist of Cain" and "Am I Demon?" on Danzig's first album. Jason has many side projects. His former band Flotsam & Jetsam also released two albums with Jason's work on it. Lars has recorded a drum track with Mercyful Fate for a remake of their song "Return of the Vampire." Kirk's old Exodus demo's have been seen floating around, he has also recorded a track with Les Claypool and Mike Bordin set for possible future release (by Primus?), he also produced demo's for Death Angel. 18. What was with Jason saying that he'd rather be in an all Elvis cover band? Jason's comments were about the lack of bass presence on the "..AJFA" album. He has also said that he would be in Metallica until he is physically (or mentally) unable to do so. 19. What are the band's beverages of choice? James likes Coors light, Pacifico and Bombay Sapphire Martinis; Kirk likes Martinis and Guinness; Jason has a penchant for fine,thick, red wine; Lars likes Coors Light and Bombay Sapphire Martinis. 20. What is the video for "The Unforgiven" about? It is about a young boy forced to conform to society's rules and becoming an old man and regretting not defying the rules to do what he wanted to do.(This is one interpretation of the limitless possibilities of this video) 21. Who designed the Metallica logo? James is responsible for it. 22. Who is John Bush? Why did they want him to sing for them? John Bush is currently the lead singer for Anthrax, formerly the singer for Armored Saint. John is a tremendously gifted vocalist who was asked to join the band just previous to "RTL", this move would have enabled James to handle rhythm guitar only. James, at this point was still not very confident about playing guitar AND singing. 23. Who is John Marshall? Why did he play guitar for James? John Marshall was Kirks' long time friend and guitar tech (or roadie) at the time of James' "accident" during the Ozzy tour. John was the natural choice to fill in for James' rhythm playing because he was familiar with the songs. John subsequently joined Metal Church, but was called to fill in for James when James got burned on the Met/G'n'R tour in 1992. 24. I have a record/tape that says Megaforce records on it, who are they? Megaforce records signed Metallica in 1983, after the band travelled from their home in SF to Megaforce's location in New Jersey. Megaforce released "KEA" and "RTL" in N. America. Elektra came into the picture shortly after the release of "RTL". 25. Where did the name Metallica come from? Lars stole it. "Mr. Metal" of San Francisco, Ron Quintana, was getting ready to launch a metal fanzine and he had a few names. He asked his friend Lars for help.. after hearing the name "Metallica", Lars quickly suggested a different name and kept "Metallica" for himself! 26. Why did James switch from the Flying V to the Explorer? The Explorer was James' back up guitar. When the 'V's' neck broke, he switched to the back up guitar, only to discover that the Explorer was perfect for James. 27. The liner notes say: James-guitar and Kirk-guitar. Who does what? James is responsible for the great majority of the guitar work in recorded Metallica. James handles all the rhythm guitar and most melody and harmony guitars, not to mention the acoustics and the occasional guitar solo. Kirk's duties on the albums are mostly for the full-blown lead guitar solos! 28. Who are DIE KRUPPS? Die Krupps is a German band that released a nine song tribute CD to Metallica. Their interpretation of the songs is considerbly different than that of the originals. There is some guitar, but mostly keyboards, electronic drums and a strong accent from the vocalist. 29. What is the song "Fade To Black" written about? 'Fade' was written by James just after the band's equipment was stolen in Boston, whilst they were preparing for their first European tour (and trying to earn money to pay for it!!). Among the stuff stolen was a Marshall amp that was special, they searched two continents looking for a replacement amp with the same sound. 'Fade' was a direct reaction to having had all the gear taken from the band. 30. Why does Megadeth's "Mechanix" song sound a lot like Metallica's "Four Horsemen"? The 'leader' of Megadeth, Dave Mustaine used to be in Metallica. Dave helped write a few Metallica tunes including "The Mechanix," which used to be a Met song. After Dave was booted from the band, "The Mechanix" was added to and rearranged into "The Four Horsemen." 31. Was Lloyd Grant an actual member of Metallica? No, Lloyd ONLY played lead guitar on the original demo of "Hit The Lights". At no time was Lloyd ever considered a member. 32. Who did the intro to "Roam" and with what? James recorded it with a "sitar", an Indian folk instrument and also various percussion and electronic sound effects in the background. 33. What sports teams to the guys follow? James is a lifetime Raiders fan. Jason follows The Phoenix Suns, the Chicago Bulls in the NBA, and the Detroit Lions and the Raiders in the NFL. Lars follows the San Jose Sharks, the 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both James and Lars have season tickets for the San Jose Sharks. Kirk is quoted as saying, "I hate sports!" 34. What happened to John Smith, the kid from the "Year & a Half in the Life" video? John passed away several months after. 35. Who or what is Ktulu? Ktulu is a tentacled faced creature that lies dormant on the bottom of the ocean awaiting the call to awaken from his followers, created by H.P. Lovecraft and actually spelled Cthulu. 36. What is the music played as Metallicas live show introduction? "Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone, from the Clint Eastwood flick "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly." 37. Where is Cliff buried? Cliff's ashes were spread at various points around the bay area, including the Maxwell Ranch House area. 38. Why was Dave Mustaine kicked out of Metallica? Because he regularly over-abused alcohol and proved to be a major pain in the ass towards the band and their potential friends, on the band's trip to New Jersey to sign with Megaforce Records. 39. What are their heights and weights? James Hetfield 6' 1" 180 lbs Lars Ulrich 5' 7" 130 lbs Kirk Hammett 5' 7" 134 lbs Jason Newsted 5' 9" 150 lbs 40) What are their favorite foods? James: Mexican, Meat and Potatos, Beer Lars: Taco Bell, Cheese, Mayonnaise and French food. Kirk: Sushi and Martinis Jason: BBQ anything 41. Were the members in Metallica in any other bands? James: Obsession, Phantom Lord, Leather Charm Lars: None Kirk: Exodus Jason: Flotsam and Jetsam 42. What happened to Cliff Burton, the former bass player? Cliff was killed in a bus accident en route from Stockholm, Sweden to their next show in the early morning hours of September 27,1986. 43. What is that guitar thing they play after "Green Hell" on "GDRR"? It's the intro riff to Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills." The band used to play this riff quite often in concert. 44. Is true that Lars sings sometimes? Metallica, on occasion has been known to switch around the instrument's on "Am I Evil?". The (un)usual arrangement is Lars = Vox, James = drums, Jason = guitar, Kirk = bass. Lars claims this is his "Bruce Dickinson impersonation." This is not a very regular happening, maybe five times ever. 45. How many music videos have the band made? Not counting performance clips, the band has made 6 music videos. "One", "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Sad But True", "Wherever I May Roam". There are 3 versions of "One", the regular version with clips from the movie "Johnny Got His Gun", a shorter version of the same, and the jamming version with just the band playing the song with no movie clips. There are 2 different versions of "The Unforgiven" (long, 15 min, and short) and "Enter Sandman" as well, but, the differences are minimal concerning only one scene. 46. How many video tapes has the band released? "Cliff 'Em All" - a compilation video piecing together old interviews with the band and a mix of professional and bootleg concert footage, covering Cliff's brief but eventful career with Metallica. "2 of One" - featuring 2 versions of the music video for the song "One", a jammin' version, edited shorter for play on MTV and the long form, and an interview with Lars Ulrich. "A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica pts 1 and 2" - This 2 video set follows Metallica on their journey through the making of the 'Black Album', and on the 'Wherever I May Roam' tour. "Live Sh*t: Binge And Purge" - 3 Video tapes, with 2 tapes devoted to a 1992 show in San Diego and one video tape with a show from 1989's Damaged Justice tour in Seattle. (This unique set also includes a 3 CD set taken from a 1993 show in Mexico City plus other goodies) Other videos the band appears in include: the Freddie Mercury Tribute called "A Concert For Life" containing one song, and "For Those About To Rock: Monsters in Moscow" with three live Metallica songs. "25th Anniversary of Woodstock" one song and a "Best of the Grammies" one song. 47. What was Jason's first show with Metallica? Jason's first gig with Metallica was opening for Metal Church at The Country Club in Reseda in the first week of November 1986. His second gig was the very next night at Jezabelle's in Anaheim. 48. In what show did Jaymz get burned by the pyrotechnics? Montreal, August 9, 1992 49. With what heavy metal band did Lars first become interested with the Metal Scene? Deep Purple 50. Who was Brad Parker? April 23, 1982 the band hired a "second" guitarist named Brad Parker and this was the only time they had a 5 piece band. Brad went by the stage name of Damien Philips. 51. Who played with Metallica on their first "Day on the Green" appearance? Scorpions, Ratt, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Victory, and Y&T. 52. What was Cliffs last show? Stockholm, Sweden. Sept. 26, 1986. 53. When was Jason's last gig with Flotsam and Jetsam? Oct. 31 (Halloween night), 1986. 54. What's Lady Justices' nickname? Doris 55. What is James' favorite Venom album? "Welcome to Hell" 56. Who was "Voodoo Children"? Group that only made one performance in benefit to the blues guitarist John Campbell in summer 1993. The lineup was: Kirk Hammett - Guitar Jason Newsted - Bass Tony Prinzivalli - Guitar, vocals Whitey Chrobak - Keys Tim Lau - Drums 57. What are the names of all the albums, and when did they come out? "Kill 'Em All" - Released on Megaforce records in July 1983 "Ride The Lightning" - Released on Megaforce records in August 1984 "Master of Puppets" - Released on Elektra records in March 1986 "...And Justice for All"- Released on Elektra records in September 1988 "Metallica" - Released on Elektra records in August 1991 Note: both "KEA" and "RTL" were re-issued by Elektra. 58. What do the members of Metallica like to do when they aren't working? James Hetfield enjoys hunting. Jason Newsted likes to mountain bike and play basketball. Lars Ulrich likes to scuba diving, skiing and going to the movies. Kirk Hammett likes to mountain bike and collect horror movie related stuff. 59. Do any of the members of Metallica have Tattoos? None of the current members, Cliff's tattoo of the Misfits Skull is somewhat legendary. 60. What is Alcoholica? A nickname for Metallica, given to them somewhere in Europe in 1985, because of their love of drinking. A fan was spotted wearing a t-shirt he had made of the cover of "Kill 'Em All", only instead of a hammer and blood, the t-shirt showed a bottle spilling Vodka. The band members liked it so much, they adopted it for their own use. 61. Why did they stop selling "Garage Days Re-revisited"? It was something done for fun to get a "vibe" going with Jason back in 1987, it was never intended to be around for ever. 62. What is "The God That Failed" about? 'God' is highly personal song for James to sing. Much of the lyrics are devoted to the subject of James' mother's death by cancer. Because of her Christian science beliefs she felt unable to accept any modern day medical care and relied solely on her faith to heal her. 63. Is Jason's brother really a teacher? Yes, Jason's brother, Tim Newsted, teaches Elementary School. 64. Who were Metallica's main influences? James Hetfield: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Ted Nugent. Lars Ulrich: Diamond Head, Motorhead, Deep Purple. Kirk Hammett: Jimi Hendrix, UFO, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Joe Satriani. Jason Newsted: Kiss, Rush, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent. 65. Why did Jason cut his hair? It was fried from concert lighting and smoke etc. 66. What is the Snake Pit? The Snake Pit was a large pit in the middle of Metallica's diamond shaped Wherever I May Roam stage, set aside for a few lucky fans to stand in the middle of the action on stage. It is also an OnLine meeting place for Metallica fans on AOL. 67. Is it true that a group of Metallica roadies formed a band and played before METALLICA ?? Yes, at the 1987 AARDSHOK Festival in Zwolle, Holland a group of Metallica roadies under the name SCRAP METAL opened the nine hour festival that Metallica headlined playing a set of covers! 68. Who does Metallica's artwork? Pushead (Brian Schroeder) and Mark Devito do a majority of the artwork for T shirts and merchandise, and Jaymz came up with the scary guy logo and each album cover is a different and unique situation. 69. What is Tommy's Joint? Tommy's Joint is a Hoffbrau (meat, potatos and BEER!!!) located in San Francisco and was a hangout of Metallica's, it is also the place where JASON was asked to join the band! 70. Is it true Metallica has (or was supposed to) appeared on Saturday Night Live? Yes, the band was to appear in 1987 but front-man James Hetfield injured himself in one of his many skateboard accidents causing a cancellation! 71. Who are some bands that cover Metallica songs? Mighty Mighty Bostones (Enter Sandman, James has actually sat in with MMB), Primus (Master of Puppets instr. only), Pantera (Whiplash and Seek and Destroy but very rarely). TygerTailz recorded "Creeping Death". Countless underground bands and European acts, the list is long. There are at least 2 different albums of Metallica covers out there, one by German "industrial" band Die Krupps, and another filled with songs by Swedish "Death Metal" bands. 72. When was Cliff's first gig? March 5, 1983, The Stone in San Francisco. 73. What does "Well 'ard Stiffy Boyz" mean? The phrase, seen on James' guitar, has no real meaning (to those brought up outside of northern England), it is generally used to imply a group of "bonded males." 74. What is "No Life 'Til Leather?" "NLTL" is the second group of Metallica Demo's that was widely circulated in the Metal underground. Songs on it include: "Metal Militia", "Seek & Destroy", "Phantom Lord", "Hit the Lights", "Motorbreath", "Jump In The Fire" and "The Mechanix". 75. When and where was the first Metallica show? Featuring Ron McGovney on bass and Dave Mustaine on guitar, Metallica's first show was at Radio City in Anaheim, CA. The date is said to be March 14,1982. 76. Where did recorded Metallica first appear? On "Metal Massacre I", the very first Metallica song called "Hit The Lights" appeared. That song featured James on vocals, rhythm guitar and bass! Lars on drums, Mustaine on lead guitar, and another guitar player named Lloyd Grant added the 2nd guitar solo. Later issuing's of "Metal Massacre" included a different version of the song with McGovney on bass and without Grant. 77. Where can I find the song "Stone Cold Crazy"? In the spirit of "GDRR", the band recorded this Queen cover song for the 40th anniversary of Elektra (its record company in the US.) "Stone Cold Crazy" initially was available only on "Rubaiyat", a compliation album of various Elektra artists. It was later issued as the B-side of "Enter Sandman". 78. Where is the "Snake" from? The "Snake" is from the Culpepper Minute Men flag from which the motto "Don't Tread On Me" also originates. 79. How did Cliff get credit for "To Live Is To Die"? The words spoken by James are Cliff's. 80. Does the music to "One", mean S.O.S. in Morse Code? NO, this is just another rumor, probably due to "S.O.S." being repeated towards the end of the music video. 81. What's going on at the end of the "Roam" video, why is Jason being attacked with pies? When touring Jason's (and other band members) birthdays are celebrated by drenching with pies and other available materials. 82. Where have Metallica's records peaked on Billboard? "Kill 'Em All" at #120 in February of 1988, 5 years after being released. "Ride The Lightning" at #100 in the spring on 1985. "Master of Puppets" at #29 shortly after its release. "Garage Days Re-revisited" at #28 about a month after release. "...And Justice For All" at #6, four weeks after release. "Metallica" debuted at #1 and stayed there for 4 weeks. 83. Why did Lars thank Jethro Tull when they won the Grammy in 1992? Jethro Tull won the award that many think Metallica deserved in 1989. The "thanks to Jethro Tull for NOT putting out an album this year," was an underhanded salute to the Industry for not recognizing Metallica in 1989. 84. How was the intro to "Blackened" recorded? Its several guitars were recorded and the tape was then flipped, this actually plays the recorded guitars BACKWARDS! 85. Is that the same 'old man' in both "Enter Sandman" and "The Unforgiven" music videos? No, they are 2 different people. 86. What is a bootleg? A bootleg is generally an illegally made album. Most bootlegs consist of concert material. There are hundreds of Metallica bootlegs in circulation, dating from the bands first appearances in 1982 to the latest concert tour in 1994. Metallica is very agnostic towards bootleg material, often creating "tapers sections" at their concerts. Some band members do collect bootlegs. 87. What jobs have the guys in Metallica had? James has worked in a sticker factory, as a high school janitor, and as a mover. Lars was once a paper boy, and also worked at a gas station. Kirk once worked at Burger King and as a dishwasher. Jason has worked as a burger flipper, a pizza maker and a truck driver. 88. What band was Cliff Burton in before Metallica, and how did Metallica meet him? Lars feeling unhappy with Ron McGovney's role with the band, heard about a bassist in San Francisco from Brian Slagel. They went up to the Whisky a GoGo in Los Angeles and saw Cliff playing in the band, Trauma. They were so impressed that Lars took it upon himself to woo Cliff into joining the band. 89. How did Lars and James first meet? Lars had taken out an ad in a newspaper called the Recycler, saying he was looking for people to jam with. James answered the ad, and was unimpressed with Lars' playing, partly due to the fact that Lars' cymbals fell over everytime he hit them. Shortly after, Lars went to England to follow his favorite band, Diamond Head on tour, and after returning to the States got a spot on Brian Slagel's "Metal Massacre" album. Using this as bait, he talked James into recording a song for the album, and the rest is history. 90. Who is HP Lovecraft? He was a writer that Cliff and Kirk liked and got the rest of the band into reading. This is where Ktulu came in. 91. Does James still skateboard? No, but rumors abound that past tour contracts have included a "NO SKATEBOARDING" clause, just in case. He has recently taken to Snowboarding, apparantly it is a slightly softer landing. 92. How many concerts did they play in the Summer 1994 tour? 51 93. What is the Make-A-Wish foundation? It is an organization that attempts to make the wishes of seriously ill youngsters come true. Metallica actively support and assist as often as possible. 94. What happened at the Montreal show, Why did James get burned? The band was informed of a pyro change... Pyro would be ignited along the "wings" of the stage during "Fade To Black". The Pyro-tech however, failed to inform the band that new pyro would be going ALONG with the old pyro. Assuming that the new pyro canceled out the previous pyro; James stood atop of where the old pyro occurred, a 12 foot flame was ignited, severely burning his left hand and that side of his body. 95. Why is there a green copy of "Ride The Lightning"? This was a French pressing with a printer's error, making this version very collectible. 96. Has Metallica ever been sampled by rap bands? Sort of -- On Anthrax's original "I'm the Man!" rap song, "Master of Puppets" is sampled. The "Master" riff is also used in techno group The Pulp's "Metal Techno". 97. Do any of the band members smoke? James enjoys the occasional cigar and Kirk the very occasional cigar, other than that Cliff was the only member to smoke cigarrettes regularly. 98. When was Metallica's first tour? July 27 - September 3, 1983 99. What was the song "When Hell Freezes Over"? "When Hell Freezes Over" was the original name for "The Call Of Ktulu". 100. What happened to James' hair between the Roam tour and the summer 1994 tour? He was invovlved in an ATV accident while hunting which required 40 stitches in his head. Then he quite simply got it cut! 101. Who is printing this text on the printer? This text printign the "MPG incorporated". 102. Who want this text ? This text want more more people, but put this text Vitek Zajakin (vocals, lead guitar) from MONOGRAM.