Metallica - MTV News Interviews (1986) [ReMaster Of Puppets DVD]

I just want one bedroom.

Just one?

One. One bedroom.

Want a pool, in the bedroom?

No. Nah. Just get an apartment.

Tell me about your lifestyle.

You just mentioned
having an apartment.

Yeah. Finally found one.

Do you want a mansion
some day, or what?

I kinda doubt it.

[Laughs]

Uh. Two rooms will be enough.

One for all my junk,

and one to sleep in.

Yeah, all I need is,
a room to put

all my toys
and comic books

and guitars,
and a bedroom.

Play in. Play room.

Tell me about
your comic collection.

I collect old comics

from 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s.

And new comics, too.

They take up too much room
on the bus.

[Laughs]

So, when Kirk's not there,

we go out and sell them.

[Laughs] Awwwww.

Is that what you collect

in your spare time on tour?

Yeah, well, I mean, you know,

you roll into a city,
check out local comic stores.

You know.

Buy toys.

You know, that sort of thing.

That's what I do
in my spare time,

when I'm at home.

When I'm not playing guitar,
or whatever.

We've done a couple of segments,

called "Addicted to Style,"

about fashion, and things.

No!!!

[Laughs]

I know you guys are real high up
on the G. Q. list.

Yeah.

Um, describe your style.

What.

I hate shopping for clothes.

Yeah, I hate shopping.

I hate trying to match colors,

so I just wear black and white.

Yeah, comfortable clothes.

Yeah, I just like dressing
comfortable.

Don't really care
what it looks like.

Not too hip
to the new fashion, y'know?

[Laughs]

There's a lot of people
who get really involved

in new trends, and fashion.

Spend a lot of money on clothes.
It's stupid.

Yeah, what's the point.

We dress for ourselves.

We don't dress for
other people. Basically.

Yeah. People go,

"Whoa! It's the new fashion!
Can I go buy it?"

Yeah.

And something they bought
last week

is hanging in their closet, forever.

Yeah, because it's "out of fashion."

You guys wear the same clothes
on stage and off stage?

Not the exact same ones.

[Laughs]

We wash them in between.

Or they tend to smell bad.

[Laughs]

They're comfortable clothes.

We don't feel a need
to dress up.

We always forget.

Yeah. Actually, we have
all sorts of glittery stage clothes,

in the wardrobe case,

but we always forget
to wear them.

Always right on the opening song.

[Both] "Damn! I forgot!"

I always look over at James:

"James, we forgot again."

"Forgot my glittery robe. Dang!"

Forgot my...boots.

Tell me about the T shirts.

Who goes first?

James.

Yeah.

This is a homemade one.

Some guy in the U. K.
made it for me.

Misfits. It's off one of
their EPs. "Beware" EP.

It's cool.

This is a single
that a friend of mine...

Can you start again?

What's that?

Can you start again.

Oh. Okay.

This is a T shirt

of a single
that my friend,

Glenn Danzig, put out.

He was in Misfits.

He's now in Samhain.

It's called,

"Who Killed Marilyn?"

It's a pretty cool shirt.

Marilyn, looking pretty, uh...

...pretty dead.

[Laughs]

I mean, it's just...

it's just like wearing shirts
of bands, you know,

that you like and are
particularly supportive of, y'know.

Free stuff.

The Misfits' graphics
are really cool,

like, the whole horror thing.

I've got about 200 shirts at home.

I wear five.

You know?

The rest just sit there.

When I pack to go
on the road,

I just pick out ten shirts,

and throw it into
the suitcase,

and I'm ready.

[James] Let's go!

Tell us about your manager

buying the whole band
a million socks to wear.

Ugh...uh...

How did you know
about that?

The socks I really don't like, too.

The kind that don't even
go over your ankle.

Ugh!

Lars likes 'em, though.

Because they've got
little tennis rackets on them.

[Laughs]

It's because we...

we used to always
get our socks

mixed up with each other,
you know.

You'd go onto tour with like...

[James loudly clears throat.]

with ten perfect
sets of socks.

You'd go out of the tour,

all mismatched socks,
and stuff.

Like blue and green ones,
unstretched.

Someone doesn't cut their toenails,

[Laughs]

a sock comes back with
holes where the toes are.

They come back from the wash,

and they're stapled
together now.

Yeah.

Put 'em on,

[Velcro noise]

People would lose

socks and stuff,

so we'd go on stage

with just one sock on.

Bare foot in shoe.

So, after months and months

of petty bickering
about our socks,

the manager just buys
a bunch of socks.

Plus, we got some, uh...

some, some...

[Laughs]

we had something

take residence
in our wardrobe case.

[Laughs, claps]

And we had to oust
certain articles of clothing.

Living organisms.

Oust certain articles
of clothing.

They were on tour with us.

[Laughs]

Friends on tour.

[Laughs]

Is there meat behind that story?

Meat behind it?

Meat in front of it.

[Laughs]

Just had some tour mascots

[Laughs]

that decided to take residence
in our wardrobe case.

Tour mascot. Yeah.

Among other places.

[Laughs]

Um, Kirk,

tell me about your
Batman socks.

Yeah.

Aw, yeah, the best.

Jason bought them for me.

They're great.

They're official Batman club socks.

I wore them on stage in Japan

along with my
fruit salad pants.

[Laughs]

Yeah the last gig was real fun.

Yeah.

A kid threw up, uh...

[Laughs] A kid threw up...

[Laughs]

some pants for me to wear

these shorts, like,

[Coughs]

tiger stripe felt.

They were above his knees,
and they have a tail.

Huge, too, and had a tail.

I put them on.

Over his stage pants.

I had these shorts that

looked like fruit salad
and spaghetti.

That's the pattern
that's on the shorts.

And he's a vegetarian.

Yeah. And, like,

they were above the knee too.

And I was wearing my
official Batman socks with it.

Nice, styling black socks.

I was looking pretty stylish.

Yeah. Quite the fashion rage.

My Monkees T shirt.

We played the encore that way.

Yeah, and some guy gave me

a little guitar.

It's like this big.

This is in Japan.

Like, my Explorer
is the same.

It's real small.

I played it.

It sounded better
than my other guitar.

[Laughs]

One last question.

Fashion wise,

what would you
love to get for Christmas?

Sounds like "The Newlywed Game,"

when I have to ask
these questions.

Ah, geez.

Ah, geez. I dunno.

James, what would you get
Kirk for Christmas?

Uhh...I dunno.

You know what
I would get James?

Did you ever see that

publicity shot,

in the Guinness Book
of World Records,

for the world's fattest man?

He's wearing a pair
of those overalls?

That's what I would get James.

A pair of those overalls.

Yeah, so the whole band
could get in them

at the same time.

Go out drinking. Yeah!

So you'd just have to pay
for one person.

[Laughs]

On the bus, in a cab.

[Laughs]

Thanks a lot.

All right. Cool.

Yeah, what's on?

Was it the one

where I'm sitting
babbling on the phone?

Yeah.

That's a lot different.

Bobby our tour manager
was like, calling his ma,

"I'm on TV!" you know?

"Hey mom, I'm on TV!"

Bobby, our tour manager,
was roaring.

So funny. Like a rock star
road manager with sunglasses.

"Well, I road manage the band."

What have you guys been up to,
the past couple weeks?

Just got back from Japan
a couple days ago.

So that was it. Did ten days there.

Yeah before that, as you might know,

there was a couple weeks of auditions,

and about, what, three days
of rehearsal?

With him and then,
in at the deep end.

We did a couple warm up gigs

down in L. A.,

opening for, uh...
[snaps fingers]

Metal Church!

Yay, friends.

Sitting over here,
clapping at us, off camera.

We did these couple gigs there,

then flipped to Japan,
right after that.

We did five dates over there.

How did that go?

[Both] Roaring, brilliant, great.

It was really comfortable.

It was really cool.

Kids were just mobbing us
everywhere, you know.

Great fun. Nothing but.

[Laughs]

Lars, how is it different?

Um, well, the obvious difference is,

there is no support acts, ever.

You go on at six, six thirty,

which is a bit strange.

Shows are over by 8:30.

You're back at the hotel
about 8:30, going "Uhh."

"What do we do now? Hey."

But, um...

I think one of the main differences is

most of the audience is women.

Girls. Female.

And wherever you go,

you have this mob of

little ten year old Japanese girls,

- With cameras, man.

following you around,
taking pictures,

and it's like everyone is so polite.

They give you gifts.

Timid, you know. Courteous.

It's cool.

But, the whole place is very...

there are no open spaces,
anywhere.

It got a bit claustrophobic,
at the end.

But, it was a lot of fun.

Yeah.
They stand in front of their seats.

They head bang while they are
standing up.

Think they are hip to
Metallica's music?

[Laughs]

Nothing like that
has been there.

Iron Maiden, [Judas] Priest,
and that, has been there.

But no new, intense,
raging metal band.

So, we got accepted really well.

Really a good thing.

[Laughs]

Talk about your upcoming
North American tour.

We're going out for,
how long...four weeks.

We're going out,

basically what we're doing is,

we're going out on Ozzy...

all the shows that we were

supposed to do with Ozzy,
that got canceled,

due to either Ozzy's throat,

or, some dates got canceled,

because he had to shoot
that film and whatever.

And, basically we're going out,

and doing all the markets
that we missed with him,

all those cities, which is like

all of Canada,

and stuff right here
on the east coast.

And then, some stuff
in the northwest area.

Seattle.

[Applause]

More clapping.
Our friends.

We're just basically
doing all the shows

and all the cities we haven't done,
with Ozzy.

And, then, we go to Europe
after that,

and do all the dates
that we missed

after the accident,
in Europe.

Do you guys feel nervous
at all?

Like, Jason? A band member
coming home?

Naw, I think we got over that.

Basically, I think it was really good
that we did those

warm up dates in L. A., because

what we wanted to do
is sort of ease him in,

instead of like,
jumping in the deep end in Japan.

So, like, first gig would be
in front of 4000 kids in Tokyo.

For me, I was very nervous,
the first gig,

at the country club.

And then, that was it.

And now it's just, y'know.

Each show has gotten better,
as we went.

It was cool that we got
to do Japan first.

Because of how comfortable it was,
for me especially,

because I feel a lot of pressure.

The kids are expecting so much.

To fill Cliff's shoes
is a really big thing.

It's kind of a weird thing for me,

but it's getting better each time.

These guys have made it

ultra comfortable for me.

More than I ever expected, really.

Tell me about your support group,
"Metal Church."

Who?

[Laughs]

Oh!

Come on.

Um...

Just hella good friends of ours,
from way back.

Yeah.

And, um...

It's always great to be touring with

bands that we get on with.

We've toured a lot in the past

with a band called "Armored Saint,"

which are really, really
good friends of ours, too.

When you're out for a long time,

it's good to have people
you get on with.

We've also done some
tours with people

that we didn't get on with
so much.

And, it's just good to

have people out with you

that you get on with
on a personal basis.

They're also opening for us

on all the European dates.

So, we will be with them

for, like, the next eight years.

Help!

[Laughs]

- One big party!

You're pretty much a no nonsense band.

Must be a nice complement.

Yeah.

I think they are...

Yesterday, I was talking to
someone in an interview,

and he asked me, like,

what bands I thought

had the same vibe as us,

in term of the way
we come across, and

the way we present ourselves,

just sort of general things, and

the first band I mentioned was
"Metal Church."

I mean, they're just like us.
Drunken idiots.

[Laughs]

Trying to stay on time.

How is this tour going to compare
to the tour you guys just got off of,

with Ozzy?

Well obviously the main difference
is that we are headlining.

We play an hour and 40 usually
when we headline.

On the Ozzy tour, the whole
day to day vibe

is a bit different, when you sort of

only play 50 minutes a night,

and when you go on at 7:30,

the way your day is scheduled in,

it's different when you headline.

But, both are obviously a lot of fun.

It's a bit more of a challenge.

You have to sort of watch
not to drink too much.

When you headline,
get a lot of sleep,

because we play an hour and 40,

we can really tell the difference.

In how we feel day to day,
and stuff like that.

Our energy level has got to
be the same, so, pace.

One of the cool things, also,

is that we're playing
some smaller places

than we did with Ozzy,

so it's good to feel
that energy exchange,

closer to the kids,

instead of like,

"Hey! We know there is
40,000 of you out there,

but we can't see
any of you."

So, we might as well
just play to ourselves.

I mean, we feed a lot off
the energy, and

the feedback that we get
from the kids.

It's like, we throw it out
at them,

they throw it back at us.

It's sort of like a circle.

It just sort of goes.

And it's good to play smaller places.

Four thousand seats.

That intimacy is important,
for a band like Metallica.

How do you get used to
not being able to see

past the tenth row?

How do you get yourself geared up

for a gig like that?

I notice you're playing
Maple Leaf Gardens,

which is like 15,000 seats?

12, 15? Yeah.

Yeah. Um...

I mean, you just try

and communicate as much

with the people you can
communicate with.

Like I said, you throw
a lot of it out there,

but it's really --

and obviously,
for the guys out front --

I'm a bit further back,

but I mean,

the guys out front,

with the long barricades
and stuff like that,

it sometimes can get difficult.

But you know they're out there.

We just try and... [sniff]

really play as aggressively as we can,

so it comes out, somehow.

Keep the closeness as much as possible,
yeah.

What if you guys weren't playing

in front of that many people?

[Laughs]

Then more people can hear your
mistakes.

No, I think there comes a point

where you get quite confident
with what you do.

Which is really good, because

it's like, the more confident

you are when you play,

it's like a thing,

that shows up in the music,

and the gig itself,

and you're a bit more relaxed,

instead of all uptight.

I think, when you reach a point of,

you know you're going to go out there

and do really well,
and good confidence,

it relaxes you in a different way.

I think you come across

as being more relaxed
and on the level,

instead of [gasp]

being all tense
and worried about

what you are doing.

Describe your relationship
to your fans.

On the level. Same level.

No, it's like, I mean, we're

just up on the stage playing,

but, I think that
we have a very, very

close relationship with...

I hate the word "fans," but

I mean, people that
buy our records,

and come to the gigs,
and whatever.

I think they really appreciate
the way we come across.

There is not any huge
pretentious differences.

We don't present ourselves
larger than life.

It's not this...

Which works fine for some bands,

they come across as
larger than life characters.

Or comic book heroes,
which is fine.

But for us, we seem to do
really well

on being on the level.

They know we are not

hard to find,
hard to get in touch with.

If they want to come up
and say hello.

I think a lot of times,

when you present yourself

as a larger than life

character or rock star,

it's like,

I think a lot of kids
are afraid to come up and hang out.

And lose that special touch.

And the people just come up
and hang out, cool.

We have a very easy going
relationship.

There is not huge differences.

We're just drunk kids playing.

So you're going to be the same,

if the next album goes
triple platinum?

Same old guys?

Why limit yourself
to triple platinum?

Let's see what happens.

I mean, obviously

there comes a point

where it becomes
more and more difficult.

That's one thing that really
irritated me about the Ozzy tour,

was that we're not used to
that much security.

We do small 2000 seaters, or

when we used to play clubs,

you just go out, and
mingle with the crowd.

Hang out and whatever.

All of the sudden,
you're playing arenas.

It's like, there is
eight security guards

between the bus, and
the entrance to the arena.

It's like, the distance
is this long.

I just don't like
all this security.

I hate feeling isolated.

But obviously, there comes a point

where it becomes physically
impossible

to talk to 5000 people at once.

But, we're going to
do what we can.

[Laughs]

Before I came by,

I looked at the last video
i did with you.

You talked about maintaining
the same basic principles,

from when you started.

What are those principles?

Um...

Well, I mean, you know,

it's not something that's
written down on paper

and like, we look at it every day.

But I mean, just

the general vibe within the band

is that with our situation

luckily, with management and the
record company,

We are very, very independent,

in terms of writing,
and doing our thing with songs,

and recording,

and the way we present ourselves,
and so forth.

And, some of those "principles" are

that we just really like
that independence that we have,

from sort of business associates.

And, it's great, and very satisfying

to be able to do what we want,

and do it the way we want to do it,

And not have a uniform.

And just make a lot of things
the way we feel we should do them.

I think we really want to stay
where we are

in terms of who we are as people.

Like I said, it's really irritating
with all the security,

and you try and stay
who you've always been.

Those are some things
you try and do.

You mentioned freedom
and independence.

How important is that
to you guys?

From a business point of view,
very.

I think we've shown, now,

that we can...

I think the "Master Puppets" album

was, from some of the
business people's point of view,

"We'll give them a chance
at doing what they want to do.

We'll see if it works."

Now, we've shown...

Proven it.

The album has gone gold.
Still doing very well.

The freedom now is,

we have these people's trust.

They don't interfere with
song writing,

and the way we want to record,

and who we want to record with.

This guy over here is laughing.

[Laughs]

The people I am talking about
are standing over here.

They're gonna buy me
dinner tonight.

[Laughs]

What were your thoughts about
the future of Metallica,

when Cliff passed away?

Um...

Mine were,

that I don't think there was any doubt
that we had to carry on,

and were going to carry on.

The immediate thoughts,
obviously, were,

how long it would take
to get the whole thing rolling again.

Looking back on it now,

it's really good that the
period of time has been so short.

The main things we decided,

when we met up again,

about a week after the accident,

was that we wanted to
do it as fast as possible,

which would sort of shorten
the time we could

sit around feeling sorry
for ourselves,

and moaning and groaning
and so forth.

And, we just wanted to
get back on the road,

and get back to doing
what we do,

which is play live
and tour and whatever.

- And that's what he
would've wanted.

Definitely.

I mean, he would be

the first person
to encourage it, anyway.

Metallica has always been about

fighting on, and fighting
against a lot of things

that have always been
in our way.

We've had some
bad accidents before,

with, James has broken this,

and I have broken that,

and bla, bla, bla.

- Which?

Hey! The old heel.

And, um, it's like,

we've just always been about

fighting on,
and sort of carrying on,

and going against all the
obstacles that come our way.

Obviously, we had never
encountered

anything like this before,

but, it's like,
we have to keep going.

I think the whole thing
has given us

even more incentive,
even more of a kick,

to really do it now,

because now, obviously

we have to do it for Cliff, too, man.

Yeah. Definitely.

And now, it's like,

there is no stopping us,
whatsoever.

Will the band change at all,
with Cliff's absence?

Obviously.

Yeah, it's going to be different,
because you just...

Part of the reason Metallica
did so well, or do so well,

is that four very strong,
individual characters.

Cliff was, as you know,
very, very unique,

both as a personality,

and as a bass player,

and very original
and different.

The first thing we realized

was that we were never,
ever going to find

anyone like Cliff,

so it wasn't like we were
looking for Cliff Burton

the 2nd or whatever.

We just needed a bass player
that would fit in.

Jason has a strong,
individual personality,

and we'll see what happens
when we start writing.

We don't write on the road,

so it's a little early
to tell.

So Jason,
how do you find these guys?

[Laughs]

I leave.

[Laughs]

They found me, pretty much.

When I heard they were
doing auditions,

three weeks after the accident
or whatever,

I called my friend Michael,

and we got together,

and I told him
I want to do an audition.

So Lars called me.

And, it went from there.

He told me I had four days
before an audition.

So, I locked myself
in my room with the tapes,

and just did it.

Learned everything I could,

and -- and, uh...

And. Went and kicked ass.

When I heard I had the chance,

there was no way
I wasn't going to get it.

I told myself, convinced myself,

there was no way that
I was gonna let this pass me by.

It's like a dream come true, really.

So. That's what it comes down to.

What do you bring to the band,

musically or philosophically?

Um...I'm just gonna try to create

the separate personality.

I mean, like he was saying,
everybody's got their own thing.

Kirk has his personality,
Lars has his, James.

And then, as a unit, they all
put one quarter in,

to make the ultimate
unit, right?

I'm just gonna fill
my 25 %

over here on this side,

and create my own
personality, and

as far as the bass playing,

I'm just gonna do
my own style.

Like Lars told me,
and he was saying,

they were not looking for
a Cliff Burton clone.

It would be impossible.

And, there was no way
it ever could happen.

So, I'm just gonna

[A man coughs.]

play my own style, and
do my thing.

It seems to be
working just fine.

I think the writing
is going to be cool.

Where were we?

Your background.

Okay. I came from
a band called Flotsam and Jetsam.

Out of Phoenix, Arizona.

We just put out
the first album,

back in the summer.

I formed the band with
drummer Kelly Smith.

We started it about
four and a half years ago.

We went through many people,

many guitar players,

until the right thing
came together.

Did the "Doomsday" album,

and it's been getting
really good reviews.

That's pretty much it.

The style has been
compared to Metallica.

They definitely had
a heavy influence on it.

It was like an
Iron Maiden, Metallica

type of thing.

What was your reaction

when you found out
you were the new bass player?

Uh, we were in this
little restaurant

on my call back day.

It was the second audition.

Went into this little
food joint.

Tommy's Joint, in Frisco.

Thought we could eat there
for free.

[Laughs]

My final test

was to go out drinking
with the boys.

Then, Lars asked me
if I wanted a job.

I stood up on the table,
and screamed.

We didn't realize

we hadn't brought
any money along,

to pay for the bills.

We might wind up
washing the dishes.

James goes,
"want a job?"

I go [screams],

and James goes,

"Good. You're gonna be
the bass roadie."

Do that again.
That sound again.

No.

Okay so, anyway,
that was it.

They asked me, and
I just freaked.

It was a dream come true.

I looked up to these guys
for a long time,

so it was kind of
unbelievable.

It was like going,
"What? What?"

Watching you guys,
I see a sense of abuse from Lars.

Sense of abuse from everyone.
Everyone.

[Lars claps.]

They treat you like that?

Everybody. It's not just
the band guys, either.

Come on.

You can't expect to
walk into this situation,

not get a little flak
once in a while.

The crew, production people,
everybody.

Winding me up.

But I have expected it,
and learned to deal with it.

It's called having fun.

It's not a big deal, but
the big deal is like,

when I give them
a hard time back,

they can't deal with it.

Hey.

No seriously though.

I'm supposed to be
able to take it,

then when I give it
back to them,

they're like, [whiny noises.]

You know? But I expect it.
It's getting better.

At first, it was really harsh.

But now it's all right.

Lars, how important
is having fun?

That's all about it.
- That's it.

That's what it's all about.

What's the story for Metallica
in 1987?

Umm...

Well, first we make up
all the European dates,

like I told you before,

January, February.

All the remaining dates
that were cancelled.

And, um, then

it's just back to writing
and recording the next record.

It's a little early
to say much more than that.

We're just going to start writing,

and getting the ideas together,

and so forth.

We've been talking, all year,

about trying to shorten
that whole period.

But, we will have to see
what happens.

Last time, it took a year

to write, and record
the master.

And, there was a lot of time,

not wasted, but places where
we maybe could have

moved it along a bit faster.
[Laughs]

So, we'll see what happens.

It's easier to sit and
say this now.

Do you feel any pressure
to match the success of that album?

Uhh....

Nnnnot right now.

No.

I think this is going to be...
a sort of...

because on each album,
we sort of progress

in whatever way
that we feel like.

Like I told you before,
there is no pressure

from any business people
or anything,

to do something specific.

So I mean because of
that freedom,

we can go in whatever direction
we want.

Should be interesting
to see what happens,

for the next record.

How do you guys
measure success?

Or do you care?

[Silence.]

Any suggestions?
From around the room?

- No!
[Laughs]

Um, it's just
cool, that...

I mean, it's not something
we think too much about,

obviously, on a day to day basis.

But, when people ask,

it's like, it's cool that we've

been able to do it our way,

and not really,
sort of...

we haven't really had to
change or alter what we do,

to suit anyone.

There's not been
any changes made,

in anything
that we do,

to sort of cater to
anyone else's needs.

That's very satisfying,

that we've been able to

go gold in America, Canada,
and so forth,

and really know that
we've done it our way,

that it's not been
any compromises,

to do anything to sell
more records, or whatever.

To please somebody.

And, that is success, to me.

You know, that's...cool.

I think the new stuff
is gonna be way good.

It's gonna be up to standard,
even from the little bit

of stuff I've heard,
that James and Kirk

are coming up with.

It's gonna be
easily up to standard.

There's no doubt.

We're television.

Tell me about the new video!

Oh, yeah!

[Laughs]

What do you mean,
you didn't get it, yet?

This is it.

You're not playing it?

What, the tape didn't get there?

Maybe it got lost in the mail?

No. Videos.

[Laughs]

No, there has not been
a huge need for one,

at the moment.

Or at least,
up until now.

We keep saying,

"Well, next album,
we'll do one."

So. See what happens. Heh.

What about doing something
live, for your fans?

I'm sure there is
a demand for it.

Yeah, we actually talked about that
too, at one point.

But, we always talk about this

in the back lounge
of the tour bus,

with our manager,

but it never seems to

get any further than that.

[Laughs] Um...

That would be the cool thing,
a live.

Any kind of studio type thing would be,
ugh.

In the article in "Spin" magazine,

interesting bit about
your open-minded parents.

Tell me about that.

[Laughs] Oh. Um...

My open-minded parents?

They are just a little different
than other parents.

I would say.

Um, my dad is a fairly different
dad.

He, to this day, has got
longer hair than I have.

A hella long beard,
down to his navel.

[Laughs] And, um...

He was a professional
tennis player,

up through the 1950s
and 1960s,

and traveled
all over the world.

So I had to travel a lot
when I was growing up.

He was, in the same sense
that Metallica is

very different from the rest
of the normal heavy metal stuff,

he was a very different
tennis player,

on a predominantly very
white and conservative

tennis circuit,

back in the 1960s and 1970s.

He was sort of the different one,

the hippie guy, with the long hair,
and different attitudes,

and so forth.

It was this different
kind of upbringing.

Different parents.

My mom still can outdrink me,
any day of the week.

And even James, too.
[Laughs]

And, y'know, cool,
cool parents.

What was their reaction
when you brought home

"Kill 'Em All?"

"Look, Mom? Look, Dad?"

A lot of that stuff,
in the early days,

with demo tapes...

me and James
used to do a lot of that,

ourselves. We used to do it
over at my house.

So, it was not like
I brought home

"Kill 'Em All," and

"Here, hey, look what
i've been doing

the last two years!"

I mean, they knew what was
going on.

They just encourage what I do,

and support me
with what I want to do.

There was never any pressure
to follow in my dad's footsteps,

and be a tennis player,
or anything like that.

Even though it would seem like
the obvious thing for me to do.

I was brought up traveling
ten years on the tennis circuit.

But they just encourage me
to do what I want.

He told you to practice to the hilt.

Jason how about your parents?

"The hilt?"

You know, like "huhhh..."
- "The hilt."

My parents...

New words here, every day.

You know, at first, when I
first took off

from Michigan, to be
a rock bassist,

it was totally
against their wishes.

Then, Flotsam's thing
started happening,

and they were real
happy about that.

They started backing me.

Now that this Metallica
thing has happened,

they are just ecstatic,

really proud, really happy.

One more thing.

We are doing a segment

called "Addicted to Style,"

which has to do with
fashion and things.

I know your band
is real high on the G. Q. charts.

[Laughs] Yeah, yeah.
Hey.

I'm just going to ask you,

um, visually describe your style.

Visually?

Um...comfortable.

That's it, man.

[Both] Comfortable.

As far as I'm concerned,

which has been one of the
basic ingredients in this band,

the whole time, is that,

if you can't do something
different and original,

then don't even
do it at all.

And it became very obvious early

that there was not going to be

any huge flashy image,
or anything like that.

To follow and just do
what every band has done

would be stupid anyway.

For us the main thing
is just to be comfortable.

Be ourselves, really.

Don't put on any kind of front,

or makeup or whatever.

Stupid things or gimmick.

What you see is what
it is all about.

It's real.

This is what we actually wear.

Even outside of this interview.

It's us doing what we do,
being comfortable,

and being ourselves.

There is not a huge,
false front put up.

Or, things hanging out here,

on the under lids of our eyes,

or anything like that.

Or, hey!

No, I mean, it's just us,

doing what we do.

And, other bands

do other things that they do,

which is cool, and...

We do what we feel.
If they really feel that, it's fine.

it's like, be comfortable.

There are other things
to spend money on, than clothes.

[Laughs]

Describe to me what
you're wearing.

I have on a pair of
Nike running shoes,

with "Nike Air" on them.

Mine, too. Nike Air.

Air, you know?

I don't know where the air
is hanging out,

but they're very,
very comfortable.

And then, I have a pair
of white socks on.

Me too. White socks.

I have...Here,

this is the demonstration, here.

Um, here are the Nike shoes, here.
All right?

Stylin'.

A plug for Nike. All right?

Shock, horror.

These are also...guess...
Nike socks.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Nike socks.

This should earn me
some free things from Nike.

We have a pair of jeans on, here.

That have not been washed
for at least 3 weeks, now.

At least a little while.

And, a T shirt of a young...
where are they from?

Arizona! Phoenix, Arizona.

One of the cool things
about being in a band

like Metallica is,

you get all these free T shirts,

of, like, bands, all the time.

I think this band
is very fitting to Metallica.

It says here, in case
you can't read it:

It says "Hey little girl,
want a piece of candy?"

Transcribe that
any way you want.

And then on the back,

it says "Sure, I'll have
a piece of candy,"

and the old man
gets belted in the head.

[Laughs]

True Metallica style.

And then, we have this
mic cord here,

which is not part of
my wear today.

But it looks pretty hip,
though, I think.

And got this necklace,
that's been

hanging here for four years,

which brings me
extremely good luck.

And I have all my rings on,
as you can see.

And, we're just hip.

[Laughs]
G. Q., G. Q.

Last question.

What fashion item
do you want for Christmas?

I'll have some new tennies.
Black ones.

Uh...I'll take
some clean underwear.

[Laughs]

Can you say that
in a full sentence,

for Christmas?

For Christmas, I want
fresh underwear.

[Laughs]

Thank you, guys.

Yeah!

You know, that's
the first roll-in

they're gonna pull
from this interview.