Metallica are worried about the future of rock music after they’ve gone, they’ve revealed.
The band discussed their concerns in a question-and-answer session with fans on Sirius XM as they continue to promote upcoming album Hardwired… To Self-Destruct.
Despite name-checking several rising-star acts, they expressed fears over what will happen to the heavy music genre in the future.
Frontman James Hetfield said he hadn’t heard much inspirational material recently, saying, “Where’s the syncopation? Where’s the heart? I get mad.
Hopefully somebody will be like me and just come up with something, and be the next cool different thing. Someone’s got to get pissed off enough to write something different.”
Drummer Lars Ulrich recommended Savages, saying, “Talk about pissed off – they’re insane. They’re this punky, super-dark, Siouxsie And The Banshees dark, weird Euro punk. They’re a little different.”
Guitarist Kirk Hammett said, “I saw a video for a band that really impressed me. Their name is kind of difficult – you pronounce it ‘Horror’ but it’s H09909.” But he went on, “Where’s the new generation of arena bands? Can anyone answer that?”
Bassist Robert Trujillo reported that he’d discussed the future with Black Sabbath counterpart Geezer Butler, saying, “I ran into him on a flight from London and he was like, ‘Who’s going to carry the torch? When Metallica’s done and we’re done, who will it be?’ I was like, ‘Let me think about that.’”
In other Metallica news, the band has revealed that the song, Murder One, from Hardwired…To Self Destruct, is about Motorhead frontman, Lemmy Kilimister, who passed away on December 28th, 2015.
Hatfield says, “Motorhead had a lot to do with Metallica sitting here right now. But just Lemmy, as kind of a father-figure, he helped us a lot. He was unafraid. He was a character. He was himself. He did his own thing to the last breath. No matter who you are, how could you not be inspired by that?”
Hardwired… To Self-Destruct is scheduled for release on November 18th.
Former Cinderella guitarist, Jeff LaBar, spoke with Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley about the band’s decision to stop touring, saying that he understands why Tom doesn’t return his calls and admitting that he is “pretty much done playing music.” Excerpts from interview appear below as transcribed by blabbermouth.net.
When asked where he thinks Cinderella stands in 2016, LaBar said, “Hmmm… I have no idea. I don’t talk to any of them anymore. Or, let’s put it this way: they don’t talk to me.
We all made a pact a long time ago to not continue Cinderella if one of us drops out. And I think [Tom is] gonna stick to that. I don’t talk to him anymore, so I don’t really know for a fact. But we all did make a pact not to do it if it wasn’t the four of us. And it’s not the four of us anymore.
I can only speculate, but I believe it’s all my fault. It’s no secret that I’ve had a drinking problem. And it showed its ugly face on one of those [cruises that Cinderella played]. I guess that’s what caused a rift.
We’ve all gotten along so well. I’ve never had a longer relationship — and none of us have. Over thirty years, we’ve all gotten along every single day — like, almost never argued with each other.
When I fell out on one of those cruise ships in front of everybody — like, basically O.D.’d — that’s when the band, and mostly Tom, took notice and was, like, ‘What the f–k?’ So, they sent me to rehab. I did the rehab, I did extra rehab, and Tom was, basically, my champion. He paid for quite a bit of it, so I did an extra month on Tom’s dime, and came out a better man. But I only stayed sober for a year. I got off painkillers that I was addicted to because of my hip surgery; I had a hip replacement, and everybody was anxious to give me painkillers, which I needed, but I took it too far, being a partying guy.
So I got off the painkillers, but a year sober alienated me from everybody around me — everybody I was hanging with, everybody I was working with. Being sober in front of people drinking sucks. On top of the fact that I suffer from anxiety. Part of the reason I drink is so I can walk out of my house and deal with the public — and it’s always been that way. So I went back to drinking, and some people [did not approve of it] and maybe took it personal.”
Asked if he is sober now, LaBar stated, “No, I’m not. Which is the problem. Which is probably the problem. Like I said, I can only speculate, because I don’t talk to the other guys anymore. I talk to Fred [Coury, drums] every now and then. Eric [Brittingham, bass] lives twenty minutes from me. We haven’t talked lately, but Eric and I have been the most consistent of all my bandmates throughout the past thirty-two years. It’s just Tom and I that don’t talk anymore. And I can only speculate that he’s very disappointed and doesn’t wanna see me die. He doesn’t wanna witness me dying.”
The guitarist, who recently enrolled in the culinary arts associate degree program at The Art Institute Of Tennessee, added: “I drink a few beers. I’m in school all day, so I’m not drinking. I’m being responsible. I’m actually getting straight A’s in school. But when I come home, I chill out with a couple of beers. I go to bed early. I’m usually in bed by nine or ten. So I’m being responsible.”
According to LaBar, the touring lifestyle “fed [his] appetite for partying… all the way back to the ’80s.” He explained: “I have a history. It’s not just these past issues. I have a history of drinking and cocaine… In the ’80s, it was cocaine abuse. In the ’90s, it was heroin. I went through every cliché phase that a rock star could go through. It just wasn’t highly publicized. I was arrested, I went through rehab, I did all the things Motley Crue did. I just didn’t publicize it. I was Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses all wrapped into one. As a band, we tried to hide our dirty laundry, and most of our dirty laundry was me. We didn’t try to hide it; we just didn’t publicize it. We just didn’t tell people. ‘Oh, yeah, Jeff’s in rehab. Jeff’s in jail. Jeff’s in… whatever.’ We just didn’t publicize it. We actually kept it to ourselves. It was our family. It was our family business, and that’s how we treated it.”
Despite his lack of contact with Keifer, LaBar said he hold no ill will against his former bandmate. “I understand why he doesn’t return my calls, and I don’t blame him,” he said. “I understand. And hey, you know, he’s been the major talent of Cinderella all this time…I rode [Tom’s] coattails for long enough. I mean, the man is the most talented man I’ve ever met, and he has been the biggest influence on me in my career and in my life. So I have no complaints. He should do what he wants. He should tour solo, continue to do that, and all I can do is wish him the utmost success. He deserves more success than what he gained with Cinderella.”
LaBar added, “I’m pretty much done playing music. I can’t do it on a high-school level anymore. With Cinderella, we have crew, we have bus drivers, we have buses and trucks and all. I wake up, I go on stage, I do my thing. On the level that I’ve been doing it for the past few years, I just don’t have it in me anymore. I can’t travel in a van with trailers and [haul] my own gear until four in the morning. It’s just too hard. I enjoy cooking more…[Additionally,] I think my reputation precedes me. I think I haven’t been offered some things because, quite frankly, the word is out that I’m a fucking drunk. I know in my Nashville community I’ve heard that. So it is what it is. I’m not trying to make excuses or even correct it. I’m just trying to move on with my life.”
A picture of the classic Dokken lineup has surfaced online. As previously reported, the band will reunite for six shows in Japan in October, and one in the States, which will be in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on September 30th.
In a recent interview with Classic Rock, guitarist George Lynch says the reunion is, “…like getting back together with an ex-spouse.”
When asked how he feels about it, he replied, “Well, um, it’s a mixed bag. It’s complicated. But the overarching feeling I have is I’m glad it’s happening for the right reasons. One of which is money. But another of which is putting a nice bow and closure on an important part of our professional and artistic lives, and also for people who care about this kind of music. Because it was important to their lives. And with all the bad things going around it’s nice to see that people can come together sometimes. I just think it makes people feel good. I know it’s a drop in the bucket, but, you know, I’ll take it.”
Discussing the new song the band wrote specifically for this reunion tour, Lynch stated, “Well, the people I’ve played it for all love it and think it’s what they imagine or hope that a new Dokken song would be. And that’s that it’s still true to the old style and sound while also being a little more contemporary…And it’ll be included on the live album.” He adds these shows will be recorded for a live album and “a DVD as well.”
When asked about his current relationship with frontman Don Dokken, he admitted, “…we pretty much don’t have a relationship at this point. The only time we see each other is when we’re on the road and maybe Lynch Mob is playing the same bill with Dokken…So there is no relationship.”
On whether or not he thinks there would ever be any more Dokken shows, with the classic lineup, in the future, he said, “If I were betting I’d say there’s probably a 50/50 chance. And I’d be advocating for that, too…But it definitely would be something that promoters and the fans would like to see. On a business level I’m sure it could be done very easily. So, you know, never say never.”
Read all of Classic Rock’s interview with George Lynch, by clicking here.
Metallica have released a video for the song, Moth Into Flame, from their forthcoming album, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, out November 18th. Watch the clip below.
Announcing the album details last month, Metallica said, “Hardwired… represents the next phase of our journey as Metallica and we are so excited to share it with you.”
Metallica recently appeared on Howard Stern’s show on SiriusXM, where they performed a live set of new tracks and older classics. They also appeared at the Global Citizen festival in New York, which aired live this past weekend, on MSNBC.
SiriusXM’s Hair Nation Festival brought over 10,000 fans to Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Southern California on Saturday, September 17th. At one of the venue’s last major rock shows, emotions were flowing throughout the night. Produced by Live Nation and Synergy Global Entertainment (SGE), Hair Nation gave rock fans from around the globe a chance to re-live the filth of the Sunset Strip. Highlights included headline performances by Vince Neil and Bret Michaels, the reunion of LA Guns’ Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis, and an Eddie Trunk led audience “Happy Birthday” sing-a-long for Lita Ford.
At the Eddie Trunk-hosted festival, attendees were treated to performances by Vince Neil, Bret Michaels, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kix, Slaughter, Lita Ford, Vixen, Britny Fox, BulletBoys, Faster Pussycat, LA Guns’ Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, Enuff Z’Nuff, Junkyard, Vain, Tuff, Bang Tango, Pretty Boy Floyd, Odin, Gabbie Rae, Circus of Power, and Battle of the Bands winners, The Aviators and Electric Hounds.
John Reese of SGE comments, “It feels great to be able to have rock n’ roll fans from around the world unite and dedicate one night to these era-defining rock n’ roll artists.”
SiriusXM’s Hair Nation, channel 39, aired highlights from SiriusXM’s Hair Nation Festival, including performances and interviews.
Here’s a sample of what press had to say about SiriusXM’s Hair Nation Festival:
“The SiriusXM Hair Nation Festival rocked Irvine Meadows over the weekend with the same exciting fun and flare that defined the 1980s. The first-time festival is one of the final shows on the schedule before the famed amphitheatre closes its doors for good next month. With artists on the bill such as Lita Ford, Bret Michaels and Vince Neil, it was a perfect way to celebrate the venue’s incredible 35-year run.”
– Sari Cohen, AXS.com, September 19th, 2016
“Whether you were into leather, lace, or spandex in the 1980’s, Sirius XM’s Hair Nation Festival had something for everyone that strutted into the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater on Saturday, September 17th. A near-capacity crowd was on hand to pay homage to some of the finest rock and roll bands to ever walk the Sunset Strip and nobody in attendance walked away disappointed. From newcomers on the scene like The Aviators and Electric Hound to heavyweights Vince Neil and Bret Michaels, this year’s lineup was one for the ages and surely pleased even the most discerning rock and roll aficionado.”
– Matthew Belter, Hunnypot Unlimited, September 23rd, 2016
For more information on SiriusXM’s Hair Nation Festival, please visit:
Hardeep Phull of the New York Post spoke with Metallica drummer, Lars Ulrich. Excerpts of the interview appear below.
NYP: The response to new single Hardwired has been pretty positive. Do you think fans are going to feel similarly about the album Hardwired . . . To Self-Destruct?
Lars Ulrich: The response in the inner circle to our album has been very positive, beyond what we expected. But, 2016 is like the Wild West in music. What happens when you put out an album is anyone’s guess. We have access to all information, and the iPhone 7 will get it to us faster than last week’s iPhone. But the downside is that everyone’s got an attention span of about nine seconds, and then it’s on to the next thing. So who knows how this album will connect?
NYP: Lyrically, Hardwired has a very pointed sense of impending doom to it. Is that the theme of the album?
Lars Ulrich: We don’t write to be topical, but there are a lot of songs that have conflict, questions, vulnerabilities, uncertainties. There’s lots of stuff for people to relate to. I haven’t quite wrapped my head around that yet, but James’ [Hetfield, Metallica’s singer-guitarist] best lyrics are usually the ones that are more ambiguous.
NYP: Drumming in Metallica can’t be easy at the age of 52. What are you doing to keep up the pace?
Lars Ulrich: Well, I go running pretty much every day for 30 to 45 minutes. That’s an expected one. But, a significant part of my diet are these oat pancakes that I eat. They’re made of egg whites, oats, fat-free yogurt and a little Stevia. That’s my carbs. It’s a recipe that comes from the French nutritionist Pierre Dukan. I eat about 20 of them a day — I’m never more than 6 feet away from a pancake at any time. It’s the fuel to the drumming in Metallica.
Read more of Lars Ulrich’s interview with the New York Post by clicking here.
