The Music Fan’s Corner: James Hetfield: From pimply outcast to musical legend

The neighborhood tramp

The year is 1981. Reagan is at the White House. The hostage crisis at Iran ends. MTV premieres on cable television, giving music (and adolescence) a new national platform. And then there’s me: The neighborhood “tramp”, an 18-year-old awkward, pimply teenager with worn out clothes, torn jeans, and long, wavy, messy blonde hair. I had just come out of age, and yet, my journey still had a long way to go. My daily routine back then, having just completed high school, was to go knocking from door to door. I had with me my little portable stereo, playing songs by bands like Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest, among my favorites. The scandalized neighbors referred to me as an imp of Satan, but I knew what I was doing. I had dreams of stardom and was confident they would come true…and they did. But how exactly did I, in a couple years, transition from total outcast to one of the top icons of musical lore? My name is James Alan Hetfield, and this is my story.

Early years

Photo source: GuitarFiero.com

I was born on August 1963 in the coastal beach town of Downey, California, surrounded by placid weather, sea, and palm trees. If only my childhood had been equally warm…instead it was cold and hostile. I was raised with a younger biological sister, Deanna, and an older half-brother, David. Our parents, Cynthia and Virgil, were Christian Scientists. The strictness and expectations that came with it contributed to my later personality. As the main rule of our “religion” we were not supposed to go to the doctor for medical treatment; we relied on faith to “heal” us (scoff: If only that was possible.)

In high school, I was the quiet, nerdy outsider. I just went, did my work, went back home, did homework, then rested. I liked sports, but my parents were overprotective and did not let me participate. Also, as part of our “religion” I wasn’t allowed to take modern science or anatomy courses. One good thing that came out of my high school years, though, was my taste in music.

First steps: Obsession

David was a big fan of 60s and 70s rock music and thanks to him I discovered great bands like Black Sabbath, and especially Aerosmith. Those guys were my main motivation to become a rockstar. In high school, I formed a band called Obsession, with my buddy Ron McGovney being our road manager. We were a cover band who rocked out at house parties and talent shows at our school. Unfortunately, the band split up after my graduation, and me and Ron drifted apart. Don’t worry, we would reconnect later, just keep reading.

Meeting Lars

Photo source: Revolver Magazine

Here we arrive to the point we were previously in. After my high school years, I remained without a band for quite some time, just hoping to make it big one day. And that is when I met this long-haired European party animal called Lars Ulrich. He was the embodiment of rock n’ roll and practically my polar opposite. Lars was loud, outgoing, and easygoing, while I was a shy kid from a tough upbringing who could barely make eye contact with strangers. We first started hanging out after discovering we liked the same bands (as well as some of the newer stuff.) He was overbearing and somewhat irresponsible but also very compelling all the same. And he immediately proposed joining him as a fellow musician in his next venture. He had secured a deal with a local underground label to record a couple of songs. I immediately accepted and began plans.

I brought along my old high school champ Ron McGovney as bass player, and we also incorporated Dave Mustaine, a young talented guitar player from La Mesa. A friend of Lars gave us the inspiration for the band name. The result? Metallica. Musical legends.

The birth of Metallica

The path was set for rock n roll glory. Unfortunately, frictions began showing up. Since me and Lars were so different, we often clashed onstage AND offstage. To make things worse, Dave had terrible substance abuse problems, which gave way to unstoppable rage and aggression. Fed up with his foul behavior, we fired him from the band a couple months before recording our debut album. Ron quit, due to the treatment Dave put him through.

We were two members short, but replacements showed up quickly. Kirk Hammett, the lead guitarist from Exodus (one of me and Lars’ favorite bands) immediately accepted the offer to join the band. To finish patching things up, we also incorporated hippie vegetarian Cliff Burton as our virtuoso bassist, and moved to Los Angeles per his demands. This was the line-up that would make history in the world of music!

The first three big hits

Photo source: Todocoleccion.net

After months locked behind studio doors, our debut album Kill ‘Em All was released in April 1983 and was an instant hit in the underground musical community. It has been said by many this album jumpstarted the commercial success of thrash metal. Thrash metal was influenced by 70s punk and was intended to be an antithesis to arena and glam rock filled with flamboyant, make-up wearing musicians. Our appearance in comparison was simplistic, rougher, and less theatrical; and our music, louder and leaner, closer to NWOBHM bands in England. It was clear: The quartet of bad boys who made up Metallica had come to Los Angeles and had come to stay.

In 1984 we released our second album, Ride the Lightning, with much more emphasis on songwriting and melody. This record had two instant hits: The eponymous “Ride the Lightning”, and “Fade to Black”, the first ballad in our catalog. This album awarded us gold and platinum and increased consumers’ interests in the name ‘Metallica.’

We had originally intended to be as anti-commercial as possible, but soon, our commercial fame began. Sooner than we knew, we were touring around the world filling stadiums, and even creating music videos for MTV, which was something I promised we would never do. And with that in mind, our 1986 album Master of Puppets is now considered one of the best albums in metal history, rock history, and modern music history, in part due to its title song and the instrumental piece “Orion.”

Tragedy strikes, more glory arrives

Every history of glory has its moment of loss and tragedy. I guess that moment arrived in the middle of our European tour, after recording Master of Puppets. In Sweden, our driver lost control of our tour bus, waking us up at around 4:00 A.M., and the resulting crash ended with Burton flying off the window and his severed body losing conscience just seconds after the accident. We had lost our bassist, and we were considering giving up; after all, Burton was a phenomenal musician. However, in every cloud there’s a silver lining, and Metallica’s cloud still had a lot of thunder to strike and rain to pour before disappearing!

Burton was replaced with Jason Newsted, a farm boy from Michigan who was more of a classic musician. With him the path to glory continued, with 1988’s …And Justice For All. With this album we really exceeded the expectations of the audience and the music industry, it was heavier in all aspects (lyrically, musically and technically). From this album comes the MTV video hit “One”, as well as my most autobiographical song up to date, “Dyer’s Eve”, my rebellious cry against my hostile, sheltered upbringing. We reached our commercial peak with our 1991 self-titled album, known for its black cover. Come on, sing with me: “Exit light, enter night…” Oof, now props if you manage to get that out of your head in the next days!

Heavy metal legend

Photo source: Indie Rocks!

Today, if you hear the term “heavy metal”, the first band that will come to your mind probably is Metallica. And for good reason, since this name accomplished a very grandiose and important feat for the time: gather four long-haired, music-loving outcasts to give the world a thunderbolt of hope against war, greed, and superficiality, when it was most needed! Metallica still continues touring, and has reached 40 years of age with the honor of becoming one of the greatest names in music industry. And it has grown as a musical concept, experimenting with other forms of music. Who can forget our epic concerts with the San Francisco Symphonic Orchestra? If you have not, you should check them out; they are brutal!

But alongside the band, my greatest achievement has been becoming a family man and a devoted father. And knowing my son is following on my rock n roll footsteps, makes me know that despite my not-so-easy beginnings, life had a breathtaking, heartwarming path set for me. Let’s continue enjoying every second of it!

I am James Alan Hetfield, from Metallica, and this was my story!