The guys from Voivod were heroes, I got to play with them and they treated me with a lot of respect, unlike Metallica.”

Wikimetal (Nando Machado): Hello, may I speak with Mr. Jason Newsted, please?

Jason Newsted: That's me.

W (NM): Hi Jason, this is Nando from Wikimetal in Brazil. How are you?

JN: Great, man, thanks. How are you?

W (NM): I'm doing great. Are you available? Can we start our interview?

JN: Yes.

W (NM): Great. First of all, I'd like to say that I'm very happy that you're working on new projects, and that you're back doing what you do best. We truly wish Newsted all the best for its future, and I hope you'll come to Brazil soon.

JN: Well, thank you very much, I'm happy to be back, and Brazil is very special to me, as you know. I think the people of Brazil know that I have very strong ties there, with the Sepultura family, I have many, many good memories of that place. So if I have the opportunity to play there again, I certainly will. I would love to go back there.

W (NM): Excellent, excellent. So, about the Newsted project, Jason, could you tell us more about the lineup? Is the band ready to play shows, and if not, how will you choose the musicians who will join you on stage for this project?

JN: We're still in the studio right now. This is the last studio day for this batch of songs. We're recording in batches, four or five at a time. And we're going to release them four or five at a time. The band members who are playing with me now, I've known for a few years now, the three of us have been playing together for five years. I've known the drummer for probably 15 years, he used to work for Metallica, and he was the drum tech on the EcoBrain Tour, and his name is Jesus Mendez Jr., and the guitarist's name is Jessie Farnsworth. So they'll be with me when I play live, and I'm also going to add another guitarist, so we'll be a four-piece band live. And I play bass and sing, and Jessie and I switch on bass and guitar in the studio and live performances. We'll be ready to do shows next year.

W (NM): Excellent. And the project name? I found it interesting that you called it Newsted Heavy Metal Music. Is it just Newsted, or Newsted Heavy Metal Music? What's it about?

JN: Newsted Heavy Metal Music is just the brand name for all my stuff, all the products, and the whole project is Newsted Heavy Metal Music, but the EP, the first EP with the four songs, is available for pre-order now on iTunes, and it's called "Metal." So it's the Newsted "Metal" EP. And you'll see, I can't talk about Newsted Heavy Metal Music. It's a plan that will unfold next year, and you'll see why it's called Newsted Heavy Metal Music at the end of that plan, OK?

W (NM): Sure, excellent, we can hardly wait. Anyway, changing the subject, Jason, we have a classic question on our show that we ask everyone we interview: we have to listen to some music right now. Imagine you're maybe driving your car, or wherever you are, in the shower, working, whatever, and you suddenly hear a song that makes you completely lose your mind, and you start headbanging wherever you are. What song would that be, so we can listen to it on our show right now?

JN: OK. There are two different songs that I'm really enjoying this week, and one of them is called "Old Fangs" by a band called Black Mountain. And the second song that I'm really enjoying this week is a few years old, and it's by The Sword, and it's called "Tres Brujas," which would be "the three witches," so those are my two favorite bands this week.

W (NM): Alright, so can we listen to some Black Mountain now on Wikimetal?

JN: Sure, Black Mountain, that's great.

W (NM): Jason, talking about the beginning of your career, even before you played in Gangster, and the first bands you played in, how did you first get involved with music?

JN: Wow, you know Gangster, that's crazy! I was a kid back then, I have to say… The music came… It was always in our house, I have two older brothers, 8 and 5 years older than me, and they were both teenagers in the 60s, in the Midwest of the United States. So they had cool record collections, you know? Jimi Hendrix, and Blue Cheer, and MC5, and Ted Nugent, and Nazareth, and Kiss, and all that different stuff. So from a young age I was exposed to that kind of music. And Black Sabbath really got to me, so I started playing when I was 14, I got my first guitar when I was 9, and I started writing songs when I was 9, writing words on paper and singing and everything, so I've been doing that for years, actually, composing songs and playing. Then I got my first bass when I was 14, and I started listening to a lot of Kiss, and then I learned more from Black Sabbath and UFO. Ted Nugent's former bassist, Rob Grange, was one of my favorite bassists, so I still listen to a lot of that stuff. But those were my early influences, and they came from my family; my mother taught piano, and my older brother is still a musician, he plays the trumpet, and he plays all the time. So it's family-related.

It was a huge honor to be invited to play with Ozzy. I felt like a kid again, looking at my Black Sabbath posters in my room.”

W (NM): Excellent, great story. And about Flotsam and Jetsam? Could you tell us the story of when you joined the band? And after that, could you choose a song from “ Doomsday for the Deceivers” that you are very proud to have written, so that we can hear it on our show?

JN: Alright. I left Michigan, my home, when I was 18, with some older guys. I was 18 and they were 26, and we went to California to be part of a rock band, you know, like a dream or something. And I ended up in Arizona, and I met Kelly Smith in 1982, and we formed a band called Dox, which eventually became Flotsam and Jetsam. And then we worked for five years playing in clubs and bars, and then we got a record deal, and we did “ Doomsday for the Deceivers.” And then a few months after that, I joined Metallica. So it was a quick journey, and my favorite song from “Doomsday,” I think, is the first track, “Hammerhead,” it’s a hard-hitting and very good song. I’m very proud of it, I wrote it when I was very young, so it still holds up today.

W (NM): What do you remember about the invitation to join Metallica in 1986?

JN: I remember it was very surreal. I knew Lars had called all over the world to find a bassist, and my name was always mentioned, regardless of the country, because I had worked a lot with Flotsam and Jetsam, trading tapes, which had already made me known. And when I got the call from Lars to come and play, it was very exciting, because Metallica was already my favorite band, I already knew all their songs, you know, Flotsam and Jetsam did covers of Metallica songs, and I sang them. So I was already very familiar with them, they were our heroes. So when I had this opportunity, there was no way I couldn't get the spot, it was me, I knew it in my soul, I knew it in my heart, I wasn't going to let anyone beat me. So that's what I remember – staying awake for probably five days straight, without sleeping, just playing and playing. My fingers were literally bleeding, there was blood on my bass from my fingers. So, that's how much I wanted it, I really wanted it, and I went there and got it, so it was worth it. I remember the excitement and disbelief.

W (NM): That's great, very good to hear from you. And speaking of Metallica again, what did it mean for you to play with them again at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination and their 30th anniversary celebrations?

JN: Well, the Hall of Fame was a great thing, it was very special because we were able to include our families and all our friends, and they were there to share it with us, so that made it even more special. And the whole old crew, from 30 years ago, came to the Hall of Fame, and people we hadn't seen in a very, very long time, and we all got together and had a beer. And it was a fantastic feeling of victory and family, and it was like a team, like we had won, you know, like a big football game, we won the World Cup, man. So that's how I felt, and it was great to be able to play with them again. The 30th anniversary was even better. The Hall of Fame was cool to win the statuette, but the 30th anniversary was a better reward for me. Lars called me last October and told me they were going to play the anniversary in San Francisco, and they were going to invite Kind Diamond, and Halford, and Biff Byford, and a bunch of people, Death Angel, and Armored Saint, and all our old friends. And I said, “Yeah, man, when do you want me to come over? I’ll play with you guys.” And he said, “Okay, what songs do you want to play?” And I said, “Look at the Metallica albums, find the fastest songs, the fastest songs from each album, and those are the ones I’m going to play.” So we picked the 14 fastest songs, and those are the ones I played with them, and it was great. And seeing the fans’ reaction and looking into their eyes, and feeling the energy again, was the catalyst, it’s the reason I’m doing the Newsted project right now, it’s because I got excited again when I played with Metallica, when I looked at the fans and realized I could do it all again. So that's why we're talking now, a year later – it's because I played with Metallica and decided I wanted to do it again.

W (NM): That's great, wow. We're so glad you did that. Tell us a little about your experience working with Ozzy.

JN: OK… Ozzy… In 2003 I joined his band with Zakk and Mike Bordin, and we had a lot of fun. I mean… I’ve lived a lot of dreams in my life, and not many people get to do that. I was part of Metallica – it was a beautiful and wonderful dream for 15 years, and then Ozzy for a year, and that was another dream. But Voivod was an even bigger dream, I’m most proud of my albums with Voivod, of all the albums I’ve ever made. But Ozzy was very special because he’s our teacher, he’s our godfather of Metal. And then him asking me to play bass on Black Sabbath songs, I mean, I got to play old Black Sabbath songs – that’s how I learned to play. We talked about this before – I learned to play bass by listening to Black Sabbath albums again, and again, and again – that’s how it was. So when I had the opportunity to really prove myself with these songs, I didn't really have to study much, because I already knew them all, from beginning to end, so he would just call out the song and I would play. And actually, the longest show I've ever played in my career was with Ozzy – we played for three hours and one minute. We played 28 songs, and 17 of them were old Black Sabbath songs, it was in Montreal. And he would announce songs that we hadn't even rehearsed together, he would just announce them into the microphone, you know, "The Wizard," and they would start playing, and I would think, "OK, how did that one go again?" We had to figure it out, we had to pull it out from memory, from when we were kids playing the songs, and play the songs that we hadn't even practiced. So it was a very good test of my knowledge of Black Sabbath and Heavy Metal, but it was also a great honor to be called to play with Ozzy, so I felt like a kid again, I felt like I was back in high school, looking at my Black Sabbath posters on my bedroom wall, you know.

Geezer Butler is my favorite bassist, he's my greatest teacher, and Lemmy is a close second

W (NM): Yes, I believe so. And since you mentioned Black Sabbath, who are your favorite bass players? Is Geezer Butler one of them?

JN: Geezer Butler is my favorite bassist, he's my greatest teacher, and Lemmy is right behind him. And Geddy Lee, and Rob Grange, as I said, from Ted Nugent's band, and a guy called Bill Church, from the original Montrose band, are the bassists I think are the best.

W (NM): And could you choose a Metallica song that you're very proud of? I know you wrote some songs with Metallica, could you choose one so we can listen to it on the show now?

JN: Yeah, man, let's go with "Blackened".

W (NM): “Blackened”, one of my favorites, from “…And Justice for All”, a song written by Jason Newsted on Wikimetal! Changing the subject again, Jason, some people say that “Out of my Mind of Who Cares” was one of the best songs of 2011, tell us about the experience of – I imagine you lived another dream – playing with legends like Tony Iommi, Ian Gillan, Nicko McBrain, Jon Lord, the late Jon Lord and also Mikko Lindström.

JN: Yes, it was, again, a very surreal thing to be called – it compares to the Ozzy thing, because if you think about it now, I was playing with half of Black Sabbath, that's… Just thinking about it…

W (NM): It's legendary, man.

JN: You know, you get a call from the guy who wrote our song. He's the guy responsible for what I do, he's responsible for what his show is, he's responsible for what our music is. The guy who wrote the first Heavy Metal riffs. He calls me, he calls me by name, “Hey, Jason, you alright, man? You wanna play bass?” And I was like, “Who is this? Why are you messing with me?” I thought someone was playing a prank on me, man. It was him. And he sent me the song, and… You know, he trusted me with his song, he sent me his song so I could see all the tracks, and listen to everything to do my part with the bass. You know, it was crazy to receive this material from Tony Iommi, 12 guitar tracks, one blending into the other, and I could mess with it on the mixing board, like, “My God, I'm mixing Black Sabbath!” It was pretty wild. So it was very special, once again, and it was an honor to be called. It was something I still can't believe happened, you know, because I'm younger than these guys, and they really are our teachers, so to be equal to them for a minute, to be eye to eye with them, after having admired them for so long, was kind of… You know, I didn't know if I was dreaming or awake, or what, for a long time, so it took me a few days to calm down and be able to play my part, because it's a more relaxed song, and I have to relax on the bass, but I was so excited, I kept playing faster and faster. It took me a few days to calm down enough to be able to play my part, so, once again, I felt like a kid, man.

W (NM): I believe you, and you certainly deserve all of this and much more. Anyway, I was reading the interview you gave to Eddie Trunk a few days ago, and you talk about vinyl, you talk about cassettes, you talk about the internet, social media, EPs, basically all the ways of consuming music that exist. Since you've lived through all these changes in the music industry, how do you compare the beginning of the cassette-sharing era of the 80s – as you said, you were very active back then – with file sharing and MP3s today? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the technology, in your opinion?

JN: In the tape trading era, it was much more work, you know, I had to make copies of the tapes one at a time, put them in envelopes, send a note, a photo, or a sticker, or whatever I was going to send to the person, no matter what country they were in. And back then, there were maybe 12 or 17 countries you could trade with, European countries, and you know… There was music you wanted, there were bands that were interesting, but we had to make one package at a time, with the labels, the personalized labels and all those things for each different country, so it was very laborious. And nowadays, as soon as I make my music, I can just press a button and it goes all over the world. So that's incredible in itself, that I can reach every corner of the world while I'm just sitting in California, that's a wonderful advantage. Even if I had the rest of my life to try and get my CDs, the physical product, to Tunisia, or some place like that in the middle of nowhere, I would never succeed, no matter how hard I tried, it would take forever to send those CDs to those people. Nowadays, I can just put them on the internet and they can access them, so that's an advantage. The disadvantage is that anyone can steal, and people feel entitled to take things, and they don't think they should have to pay for the hard work of musicians, and I don't agree with that. I think everyone should be paid for the hard work they do, whether you're a radio DJ, a dentist, a bricklayer, a doctor, a lawyer, or work in entertainment. You should be paid for your work. So I disagree with piracy, I don't think it's right, I never thought copying tapes was right, on VHS tapes, and stealing movies and all that stuff. And our tape exchange, which we used to do, we exchanged our own music. I wasn't stealing anyone's music and copying it onto tape and sending it to someone; I was sending a copy of my own band's music. I was trying to promote my band, just like I try to promote my band on the internet now. So it's not the same as stealing someone else's music. There are some differences there. But technology, if you use it correctly, and now in 2013, the future of music, I think it can be a very, very wonderful thing, because anyway, you still have to win one fan at a time, you still have to get the music to people, and there are just a few things that can't be stolen or downloaded these days: the experience of a live show, and a cool band t-shirt, that still can't be stolen. So you have to keep working on it, find the avenues you have in music and share them with people. And that's it.

James Hetfield writes great lyrics, he's very good at many things. But Snake, from Voivod, is the best lyricist I've ever known.”

W (NM): Those are great words, Jason. Jason, about your experience on TV with the VH1 reality show, Rockstar Supernova, is that something you enjoyed doing, is it something you would consider doing again?

JN: It actually aired on CBS Television… At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it, when they called me I was kind of apprehensive, but after CBS talked to me and told me what was going to happen, and what I could do, and how much money I would earn, I kind of said, “OK, I can play bass with Tommy, we’ve been friends for a long time.” He’s a really good drummer when he focuses, if he doesn’t get distracted too much he can be a very, very good drummer and a very sensitive musician, actually. But he has so many distractions in his life that he can’t concentrate on the music. So it was a good experience overall, I really learned a lot from it – and that’s the main thing – it was a very good learning experience. As I said before, the money was excellent, and it helped me to be able to pay for my musical projects, and that’s how I do it, you know, I work a little here and there, like this Supernova thing, to earn enough money to be able to continue doing what I do with my music, and that’s exactly what happened. And it was cool to appear on TV, I think everyone would like to appear on TV, you know, it's very exciting. And a lot of people responded positively, I received a lot of positive energy from people during that. So some people didn't like it, but not many, and I liked it, and that's what matters. So I'm very happy that I didn't go on tour with them, I'm happy that I recorded this album, I'm proud of this album, I'm proud of my bass playing on the album, but it was a very different way of making an album. It was in Hollywood, and that's the exact opposite of who I am, and I had a lot of difficulty getting everyone together to rehearse as a band, to really work on these songs. It's different from what we do in Northern California, in San Francisco, with Metallica, Flotsam, and Voivod. We practice a lot, we're disciplined, hardworking, and we want to make the music the best it can be. The guys in Supernova were more interested in being Hollywood stars, so that's the difference there.

W (NM): We want to hear from Voivod. You recorded three albums as Jasonic, right, with that legendary Canadian band. What was that experience like, and could you choose a song from those three albums you recorded with Voivod?

JN: Sure. Voivod, as I mentioned earlier, was, I think, my best musical experience, in terms of what we produced. The music is fantastic, and more importantly, the meaning of the songs, the lyrics, the meaning of the songs is what I'm most proud of. They have depth and they're true. And, you know, James Hetfield writes great lyrics, he's very good at many things – not everything, but some things. But Snake, from Voivod, is the best lyricist I've ever known. Anyone can learn something from Snake, he's the best. So having that, and all the musical partnership of Voivod, and how good they are with their instruments, and you know, virtuosos, especially Piggy – may he rest in peace – he was an underrated genius. I mean, when you meet with this guy to play, he wouldn't let you make a mistake. He'd show me a song, I'd try to play it once, and if I made a mistake, “Stop! Wrong!” You know, it had to be perfect, and that was a huge challenge for me, and at that time in my life, I needed a challenge, and I think that's probably why I enjoyed it so much. They were my heroes too, but I got to play with them and they respected me, they treated me with a lot of respect, unlike Metallica. So Voivod has a very special place in my heart – they're still one of the best bands of all time, and I'd like to share the song "The Getaway" by Voivod with everyone.

W (NM): That's great! I love this band, I think they're very original and have a very unique sound. You can listen to Voivod and, after 30 seconds, or 20 seconds, you say "That's Voivod." That's not very common in Metal, I would say.

JN: That's true, they are completely unique, nobody else sounds like them, many people have tried to sound like them, but nobody succeeds, they are unique. And in this world, and especially in the world of Metal, it's difficult to be unique. And they always have been. They still are, I saw them play three weeks ago, and they blew me away.

W (NM): And do you think that has to do with the fact that they have no prejudice towards other musical styles? For example, Voivod did covers of Pink Floyd songs when that was absolutely forbidden, nobody mixed other styles with Metal, and Voivod is always bringing new influences to Metal. Do you think that has to do with it? Do the guys from Voivod listen to many other musical styles?

JN: Yes, completely, you answered your own question. They listen to all different kinds of musical styles, and they come from a place that's so far from anything else… They actually live in the middle of nowhere, in the ice – that's where the band started, you know? So they had to be creative and create their own world, and that's what they did. They created Voivod, and they created Warriors of Ice, and their stories and their world. They had to do it with their minds, so they were always one step ahead, they were always ahead of their time. You know, Michel Away was doing computer graphics for album covers in the early '80s, when there was only, like, a Commodore 64 computer. You know, they were so advanced with their stuff – they were in the computer age when there wasn't even a computer age yet. And they're a very, very innovative kind of band.

Andreas Kisser is one of my all-time favorite human beings

W (NM): And do you think that the fact that Voivod was far from everything is a bit similar to what happened with Sepultura when they were very big in the early 90s, and they were also creating a unique sound? I know you have a very good relationship with the guys from Sepultura. Do you think that might be the reason why Sepultura also has a unique sound?

JN: Absolutely, I think that's very true, and it's very important to go to a place that doesn't have distractions when you start making music. Voivod doesn't have distractions, and that's why they can do something unique. Sepultura also did that, and they were the kings of the country, they were the biggest that Brazil produced in that kind of music, so they were able to create their own world too, and that's why their sound is unique. They had no competition, they could do their own thing, and do… You know, whatever they did was the right thing, they were creating the standard for Brazilian Metal, and then it became something known worldwide, played by them, because of where they came from. Little had come from there before, like Voivod. So I support that kind of mentality. The place where we are now, where I'm talking to you from, where we're making the next batch of songs for the Newsted project, is a small farm in the middle of a cornfield in central California. There's nobody there. I mean, it's just a farm and fields and barns, you know, there are no distractions, no Hollywood, no strip clubs, nothing... None of that. We go here, we isolate ourselves, we create our own world, and we make this music. And you can hear, from our music so far, that it works. You know, you go to your place and that's all you can think about talking about. You drown in the music and create.

W (NM): Great, so, just out of curiosity, are you still in contact with the guys from Sepultura?

JN: Yes, yes, ever since I've been on the internet, I've stayed in touch with Andreas and his wife. Andreas Kisser is one of my all-time favorite human beings. He's probably my favorite guitarist. He's the most versatile guitarist; we can play heavy metal, we can play more upbeat music, we can play acoustic music on the balcony, we can play drums, you know… He's a very complete musician. We haven't seen each other in a long time, but we made some really good music together, and he's still one of my favorite people.

W (NM): Great, he's also a great friend of ours. Very good. And about Newsted again, Jason, what can we expect in the future? I'll say, Wikimetal is… We're trying to build a 360º hard rock and heavy metal project, so we'd be very happy to get involved in trying to maybe bring you to Brazil, or promote a tour here, we'd like to support you, so let us know, let our listeners know what your plans are for the future with Newsted.

JN: OK, so… The band Newsted now, we have the first four songs, the first 22 minutes of old-school Metal, which are available for pre-order on iTunes, and available for download on January 8th, 2013. Then the second batch of songs is scheduled to come out in March, and the third batch of songs is scheduled to come out in May, and that will complete the album. So on iTunes, you'll be able to press the "complete album" button, and finalize it, and at that point, there will also be a complete album on vinyl, CD, with all the lyrics and artwork, and everything else, so that's the plan. Since the music came out a few days ago, we've received many calls from agents and managers and people who want to help, so we're trying to see how the live situation will be. I want to play at European festivals, I want to go to South America, I want to do all the things I've done before, many times, you know, travel the world a few times, and bring the music to the people. So if this works, and we can go to various places, and we're sure there's enough money for the shows, and that the band will be safe, then we'll bring the music to the people again. So that's basically the plan.

W (NM): We're almost at the end of our interview, we just want to say that we encourage every Wikimetal listener to request the EP "Metal," the Newsted EP. You can listen to the first 90 seconds of each song; there are four songs: "Soldierhead," "Godsnake," "King of the Underdogs," and "Skyscraper." It's really good music… "Soldierhead" is the first single, right?

JN: Yes, we just finished a video last Saturday, and it will be ready in a few weeks, so everyone will have access to it. We're planning to release the video for free; everyone will be able to see and hear what the band is like. So that's the main thing, keep an eye out for the "Soldierhead" video in a few weeks.

W (NM): Alright, so we want our listeners to buy the CD, it's available for pre-order now, it will be released on January 8th, and we would like to thank you very much, Mr. Jason Newsted, for participating in Wikimetal. We want you to know that we have enormous respect for this great bassist, singer, producer and composer, Mr. Newsted, at Wikimetal! And before we finish, we want to say that we are eager to see the development of Newsted Heavy Metal Music, and please count on Wikimetal to help promote this project in Brazil, at any time.

JN: Thank you very much, God bless you. Thank you!

W (NM): Thank you, Mr. Jason Newsted, thank you very much for participating in Wikimetal! Great, man, thank you very much. Thank you very much for your time.

JN: OK, good job man, thanks for the help, see you later.

W (NM): Let's keep in touch, man, for sure.

JN: OK. Bye, bye.

W (NM): Bye.