Metallica’s Hall of Humanity
By Anthony Kuzminski {Picture Link}
Before we get started, I would highly suggest reading the following three accounts of Metallica's Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame weekend:
Steffan Chirazi's piece on the whole weekend as reported on Metallica.com
Umlaut's inside track on the weekend and how it came together.
John Marshall's perspective on the weekend. Marshall was once the guitarist in Metal Church and was a guitar tech for the band for years and even filled in for James in 1992 when Hetfield burned his arm on the GNR/Metallica stadium tour. Without further adieu, let's begin...
Rock N’ Roll is a repulsive and sadistic business. I don’t have the stomach for it, plain and simple. I love the way it makes me feel, what it does for my mental state, but over the past few years, I have found that the closer you get to an artist or their organization, the more disillusioned you will become. I have seen acts that have make upwards of nine-figures in a matter of months yet they shortchange numerous people along the way. If this wasn’t enough, their holier than thou attitudes and the way they treat and speak to those (PR people, road crew, assistants, etc) who make their life possible, is downright sickening. This is one of the reasons as to why I often decline most backstage invites and don’t do as many interviews as I would like. These acts request the questions to be submitted ahead of time, they will grant you ten minutes for the interview and then the act shows up ten minutes late and they tell me I can have three questions. I have far more important things in my life than interviewing someone who doesn’t respect me or my time. However, the one thing I will never understand is the lack of respect often displayed by these acts and their management. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff and if you are a multi-millionaire, is it worth losing a friendship over non-payment of services delivered (ex. Photo shoot, writing of press releases, remixing singles, etc.)? I’ve become a huge cynic because I’ve seen firsthand how these acts work and it’s beyond infuriating. Trust me, this isn’t the type of stuff that makes it to the public consciousness and it should be that way, or else you would never listen to any music whatsoever. However, there is one act who recently has risen above the rest and has shown their compassion to those who helped them become one of the biggest bands on the planet; Metallica.
A friend sent me a message in February about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and what Metallica was planning. They decided to invite over 150 friends who have made their career possible. From former members, to roommates, rock scribes, photographers and ardent supporters of the band going back thirty years, the band took care of all of them; all expenses paid. This immediately struck me as something incredibly gracious. I don’t care how much money Metallica has made in the last two decades, this was an act of thoughtfulness and as far as big rock n’ roll bands go, this one ranks near the top. They didn’t have to do this, they just chose to. As far as I know, no other band of Metallica’s stature has ever tried to even attempt what they did in Cleveland last April. I’ve never met any of the members of Metallica and probably never will and that’s fine by me. Everything I need to know I’ll take from the music. But I have friends who have broken bread with them over the years and the humanity on display at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t an act or a well publicized stroke of PR wizardry, it was real.
The Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame has always been a conformist institution, full of holier than thou posturing that have kept the likes of Alice Cooper, KISS, Neil Diamond, Rush and Peter Gabriel out for years. What made this year’s induction so captivating was the fact that the force with which Metallica invaded the music landscape was so colossal that no one could deny them entry. Ditto Run DMC. These two acts forged entire genres and their impact can still be felt to this day. By not inducting both would have been tragic and not acknowledging any music from the last quarter century. As mentioned earlier, as impressed as I am with raw natural talent that can elevate souls; I’m disgusted when acts rear their ego. Watching induction speeches by the Beach Boys, Van Halen, Blondie, the Ramones and even the Beatles over the years were all disheartening. Certain members were not there, and in some cases, egos got out on control on stage. Metallica wouldn’t allow this to happen and did it right. All three bass players were inducted and any and all bad feelings from the past were buried. I’d be lying to you if watching Jason Newsted and Rob Trujillo both play bass on the same stage didn’t send a shiver up my spine; it did. But what made it so enlightening for me was that the five members who took that stage accomplished so much together and were there to celebrate shoulder to shoulder. Award shows are a joke and ultimately nothing more than a pat on the back by some elitist telling you “Good job”. This type of stuff is needed when you’re in grade school, but as adults, the work should suffice. But what made the Metallica induction an entirely different animal was the fact that this wasn’t merely an induction, it was a gathering of family.
They made sure those who helped them along the way were there to witness it. Even better, they made peace with their past. The elephant in the Metallica camp over the last decade has been the absence of Jason Newsted. Seeing him on stage with no hard feelings was a relief. As deafening as the two songs (“Enter Sandmen” and “Master of Puppets”) were, it was the inductions that were truly incandescent, making you feel proud to be a fan. I’m not sure how anyone kept their eyes dry when Ray Burton (Cliff Burton’s father) made his speech in honor of his late son. His father was just like his son, cool and collected. Jason Newsted received quite a roar as he approached the podium because he did the impossible; he stepped into Cliff Burton’s shadow. To be as welcomed by the fan community as he was is no simple feat. It also felt like this was closure to any possible bad feelings that may have still been there from the aftermath of what went down earlier this decade. The members of Metallica thanked their families, their management and the very people who made it all possible. Far too many people say things but don’t mean it, but every word uttered on that stage was inspiring and a reminder to all of us that we probably should tell those close to us what they mean to us. When James Hetfield thanked his children for “teaching” him how to love, I felt an overwhelming emotional response. I recently caught the film (500) Days of Summer and the lead character writes greeting cards for a living. He speaks of how his industry enables people to never express how they feel, because the card does the work for them. People I speak to often say how hard it is to truly express one’s love and to see the mightiest of metal bands do it, well, it made them feel like long lost friends. Witnessing the overflow of emotions was profoundly poignant and anyone who tells you otherwise is sadly mistaken.
Metallica has taken its share of beatings in the press ever since the ascent into the big leagues with the Black (Metallica) album in 1991. Some of it is deserved and most of it is not. As a writer, one of my favorite lines when requesting an interview is that “we are granting daily newspapers only at this time” which always makes me chuckle and when I read said interview, there’s something about their hair and a controversy from a decade back. One of the acts who recently didn’t do this was Metallica. Whether you were a print publication or an online magazine, they granted you the same amount of time. Since the release of Death Magnetic the band has done hundreds of interviews with everyone imaginable. You don’t see them pulling prestige and denying online and metal zines credentials. They give these writers the respect they deserve. Not only that, but from what I have heard and been told, they have treated their opening acts like gold on this tour. James Hetfield even got up on stage and jammed with Machine Head one night and the next Lars did the same with The Storm. I have heard behind the scenes that Metallica have gone out of their way to accommodate these bands who otherwise would be performing to smaller crowds. If you know anything how most opening acts are treated, this is a breath of fresh air and almost renews your faith in people. One person who people often speak ill of is drummer Lars Ulrich. I think this came from most of the interviews he did around the year 2000, but let me tell you, those who have interacted with him in recent years don’t often to get to speak publicly about everything he has done for them. I’ll share one story here. Back when I was helping Lonn Friend out with his memoirs, Life on Planet Rock, Lars stepped up and volunteered the forward when no one else would. The experience of putting that book together with Lonn was eye-opening to me, because so many people promised Lonn things like quotes for the jacket, a forum to help sell the book and virtually no one came through with their promises. Lars Ulrich did and even delivered it ahead of time and let me tell you, of the people who didn’t pull through for Lonn, none of them had as much going on in their lives as Lars did. This wasn’t my book but it was really a charge to see what he wrote about Lonn. Trust me, being a writer is a lonely gig and it’s nice to be told that you matter, it’s even better when you hear it from a friend. Anytime someone has a bad experience with an act like Metallica, they are out badmouthing them in the press and I’m here to tell you that by all accounts, Metallica appear to be doing everything the right way at this point in their career. They embrace the very core of fandom that made all of this possible. In some ways, it’s a full circle for them.
As I watched Metallica’s speeches, I sat on my sofa with my daughter, a mere three weeks old on the night of the induction, and all I could think about was how I hoped she one day finds people in her life to share experiences with. I want her to feel like she matters, that she finds work that fulfills her and that she makes an impact to those she encounters. By no means was Metallica angels throughout their career, I know this. But the fact that they saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a celebration for everyone who shared in the history and not just themselves is astounding. Corporate America doesn’t even treat their employees this well. They may give you a free trip, pad your bank account, but by making sure someone knows that they matter is another thing entirely. As mentioned earlier, this is not what most bands do, in fact, none of them do this type of thing. Induction ceremonies have become carefully erected PR events usually as a set up for a summer tour or a new album, this wasn’t the case. Despite records sales north of 100-million, they have not forgotten where they came from. It serves as a reminder to me that there is a reason for Metallica’s worldwide success and it may have to do with more than just the songs, but how they run their business and the respect they have shown over the years. We all could learn a thing or two from their graciousness at the Rock Hall; Life is short and you want to make sure that those around you know how they impacted your life before they fade to black.Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
