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FAQ

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 1996 release with a tour starting in early 1996, with the
initial leg being in the Lollapalooza tour.

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 DiamondHead) 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 DiamondHead), "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 DiamondHead, Iron
Maiden, Angel Witch, Samson, axon 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 Merciful 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 traveled 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 KRUPP'S?
Die Krupps is a German band that released a nine song tribute CD to
Metallica. Their interpretation of the songs is considerably 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 Megadeaths "Mechanix" song sound a lot like Metallica's "Four Horsemen"?
The 'leader' of Megadeath, 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 Potatoes, 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, and Kirk Hammett likes to mountain bike and collect horror movie
related stuff.

59) Do any of the members of Metallica have Tattoos?
Kirk Hammett has flames on each hip, and on his stomach is the following
phrase, "Made in SF 11-18-62"
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: DiamondHead, 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, potatoes 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 complication 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
every time 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,
apparently 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 cigarettes 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 involved in an ATV accident while hunting which required 40 stitches
in his head. Then he quite simply got it cut!