Today I listen to music in cars or airplanes. Twenty years ago I sat in front of a stereo and listened to music. I think that happened because of Steve Jobs.”
Wikimetal (Rafael Masini): An album I really like, "Master," turned 25 years old. Lars, what do you think of this album?
Lars Ulrich: Obviously it was a great album for us, I love the songs on it, they're great. It flows well, I think whatever we were doing at the time was working. It's been a lot of fun, five years ago we played "Master of Puppets" in its entirety all over Europe. The whole thing, from beginning to end, which was a lot of fun. It's aged well and I'm proud of that. Every album is a time capsule. When I think of "Master of Puppets" I remember Copenhagen in 1985, very dark and very cold, we were staying at the SAS hotel, Clifford was there, Flemming Rasmussen too. We were drinking a lot of Danish beer, recording, making this record. We had a lot of fun, it was a crazy time. The thing I remember most about these older albums is the feeling that when you're younger things are more instinctive, you never question what you're doing. The hardest thing about getting older and getting better at what you do is that you start noticing different things. The thing I think about most regarding those old albums is, “Today James Hatfield is going to play a riff or some good part, we can play it fast, we can play it slow, we can improvise, make it slower, this or that.” There are so many options because we’re so good at what we do and we can take it anywhere. When I remember 1985, we only did it one way, I think about what it must be like to only know one way. Because today I know so many ways and that fascinates me. What’s it like when you’re 25 and you don’t think, you just do it? Why is it that when you’re 45 you think? Why does it come from up here when you’re older? And why does it come from down here when you’re younger? What the hell is that? I don’t know. I think about it a lot.
W (Daniel Dystyler): Hey Lars, what about music? What have you been listening to lately?
LU: I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers. I've been listening to Lou Reed's album for the past few weeks. Many different sounds compared to 10 or 20 years ago. Today I listen to music mainly when I'm commuting. 20 years ago I listened to music mainly when I was sitting down. It's interesting how that changes; today I listen to music in cars or airplanes. 20 years ago I sat in front of a stereo and listened to music. I think that happened because of Steve Jobs. I have 10 of those, many iPods and many computers in my house that were all made by Steve Jobs. What happened, the biggest difference, is that 20 years ago, when I came to Brazil for the first time in 1989, most of the music I brought was new at the time. So in 1989 I brought music from the last 6 months when I came to Brazil. Now when I go to Brazil I have music from the last 40, 50 years. So the difference is that, because you can carry so much music with you all the time, I spend less time listening to new music and more time listening to all kinds of music, whereas 20 years ago I would listen to old music at home and carry new music with me. But now I listen to old music as much as new, or even more. So I would say the biggest difference is that I'm less adventurous than I was 20 years ago, since I spend more time listening to music I already know.
W (RM): Lars, what did you think of participating in Rock in Rio?
LU: I know you hear this from everyone who goes there, so I don't want to keep repeating what everyone says, even though it's difficult. The Brazilian audience is very special. We haven't played in Rio since 1999, and we played two shows in São Paulo and one in Porto Alegre last year. And they are very special.
W (DD): And now we'd like to know, Lars, what are your memories of Brazil? You've been here to Brazil a few times, what do you remember from here?
LU: I think I remember the people more, how everyone accepted you and made you feel welcome. We had some good times there. The '80s and '90s were crazy years, but always fun. The soundtrack of that summer was Lou Reed, that's the kind of sound I remember when I think of 2007. I think of Lou Reed's album, but when I think in terms of movies, I remember a film I saw in England in July that broke my heart. An absolutely incredible film, about Ayrton Senna. The film really connected with me. So I contacted the people who made the film and got a copy, I've seen the film six or seven times, so when I think of the summer of 2007 I think of Lou Reed and Ayrton Senna. That's my summer of 2007. I even took Lou Reed to see the Ayrton Senna film. So I have a connection to Brazil because of Senna, who has a very beautiful story, not only about him, but about Brazil as well, obviously about car racing and also about spirituality, all those beautiful things. That made a big difference to me that year. It really moved me. When I saw the film for the first time in the cinema, I didn't know the ending. So I literally sat there after the film ended, crying. Because when Ayrton Senna died in '94, it was around the same time Kurt Cobain died. And I was far away in a place in the Pacific called Micronesia, and I didn't know that Kurt Cobain had died until I returned to the United States, because in those Pacific islands where I was diving there was no radio, TV or newspaper. I was completely isolated, so I didn't know that Kurt Cobain had died until I returned to the United States. And Ayrton Senna died just a few weeks later. So I didn't know, I'm not a big Formula 1 fan, but I didn't know that Ayrton Senna had died. That's why when I saw the movie my heart broke. It was insane, a really good movie. And it made me fall in love with Brazil all over again.
W (RM): Excuse my boldness, but if Cliff Burton hadn't died in that tragic bus accident, would Metallica's sound be different today?
LU: No, no, I can't answer that. But clearly I don't know. I'm not very good with "what if..." questions. "What if you had turned left instead of right last Thursday?" I'm not very good with those questions. Of course, Cliff was a big part of the Metallica sound and a big part of shaping the Metallica experience. Not just for the fans but for the people in Metallica, he brought a lot to the band. He was the first guy, I think, in Metallica to talk about Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Peter Gabriel, Misfits. He brought a lot of different things. But I can't tell you if Metallica would sound different today, I have no idea. Cliff was always interested in experiments, in taking risks, he wasn't one to always play it safe. Maybe the band would have been more experimental and crazy, I don't know, I like to think we tried to be as unpredictable as possible, I don't know.
W (Nando Machado): We've always noticed in Metallica's shows and movies that you're practically the brains behind the band. Can we say that? Do you enjoy being the center of the band's decision-making?
LU: Do I like it? Oh, I think so, I don't know anything else. That's all I know. You know what? I'm not going to lie to you, of course I love it. I'm not doing it because nobody else is, I enjoy doing it and I'm open about it. I do like it. I feel like I have a good relationship with Metallica. Everyone has something to contribute, including me, and Pete and Cliff, our managers, or this person or that person. So in the end, everyone in the Metallica circle has something particular that they bring, something unique. And I think the difference is that today we're all comfortable with who we are, when 10 or 20 years ago it was different. We're not competitive with each other, we're competitive with ourselves. To be the best we can be, always. But yes, I like what I do. I love what I do.
"Of course, Cliff was a big part of the Metallica sound and a big part of shaping the Metallica experience."
W (RM): Changing the subject a bit, let's talk a little about this latest double album you guys released. How was the partnership, the collaboration, between Lou Reed and Metallica?
LU: We played a show together for the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden in New York two years ago. And we really enjoyed playing together, we had a lot of fun. And when we were leaving the building's garage, Lou asked if we would consider making a record together. We were parting ways at Madison Square Garden and I said, "Of course, that sounds fantastic." He called us a week later and said, "I was serious." We replied, "Okay, we just have to go around the globe a few times and finish the 'Death Magnetic' tour." So after we did that, we went to the studio and made… The idea was to make an album of Lou Reed's forgotten songs; he wanted Metallica to play 15 or 20 songs that he had chosen that had been kind of overlooked, and he wanted Metallica to improve them.
W (NM): Lars, was Lou Reed ever an inspiration for you? Is he an influence on the guys from Metallica?
LU: I grew up in a house that was very musical, generally speaking. So in '68, '69, '70 and '71, the music that played around the house was The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Velvet Underground, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, that kind of sound. So Velvet Underground was part of what was playing, but when I started Metallica, Lou Reed wasn't the reason I wanted to play music, but I was well exposed to Velvet Underground and Lou Reed over the years.
W (DD): E Lars, what was it like working with producer Greg Fidelman?
LU: He produced and mixed the album. He's one of Rick Rubin's guys, he was involved throughout the whole "Death Magnetic" experience. Greg Fidelmand was involved with every aspect of Metallica's recording. That was with Death Magnetic and with this latest project.
But I didn't know that Ayrton Senna had died. That's why when I saw the film, my heart broke.”
W (RM): Lars, Metallica's lyrics and Lou Reed's lyrics are very different, they're different styles of lyrics. What was it like recording together?
LU: Well, I think Lou Reed and James Hetfield have some similarities, and they both write as if they're from the outside, looking in. They're both kind of outsiders, coming from an isolated place. Obviously, they use different words, but I think they're both incredible lyricists who come from a place of autonomy and being somewhat excluded. So I think there are similarities. But obviously, the biggest difference in this project is that the lyrics were written first. So when we started, James could just worry about the music, without having to put so much weight on the words and find a melody for them. James was much freer and more engaged with the guitar. That made a difference in the project. I think James was concerned with writing lyrics a little earlier in the saga because lyrics are always the last thing that happens. It was inspiring for James to have done that earlier.
W (NM): Now Lars, tell us; why record with Lou Reed and why exactly was Lou Reed chosen to record the album with you?
LU: I could give you any answer and mislead you, but I don't see things that way. The freedom of being in Metallica and the success of Metallica makes us do things like that. It's only in interviews, six months later, when we sit down and talk about things, that we suddenly have to understand how things happened. I never ask why. So Lou Reed said, "Want to make a record someday?" and I said, "Okay." I don't think it needs to be more complicated than that. I'd say that when the next Metallica album comes out, maybe in a year or two, I should have more answers to that, because I still don't know. I haven't looked at things from a distance yet. There's a lot of music, it's very overwhelming, a lot to digest still, so I really don't know the answer. But hopefully in a few years I can look back and give you a better answer. I think it's definitely unique, but whether it's unique in a good or bad way, I have no idea yet. I think the people whose opinions I trust say it's very good, and it looks very good, it's fun to do, but whether it's creating a new sound or breaking new ground, I have no idea.
W (RM): Well, what did the other guys in the band say when Lou Reed said, "Hey, let's record an album together?"
LU: Everyone was really into it. Metallica lives and survives on its ability to do this kind of thing, and I think after 30 years you have to do this kind of thing to stay alive. If you get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, it becomes automatic, you go on autopilot. For me, this isn't the band I want Metallica to be. Some people would like Metallica to make the same album every two years. But that's not what I want Metallica to do, I'm not interested in that.
W (RM): Lars, tell us who your favorite Rock N' Roll drummers are?
LU: Okay, in no particular order, it would be Phil Rodd from AC/DC, Charlie Watts, a great rock 'n' roll drummer, Dred, who was in Rage Against the Machine, a fantastic rock 'n' roll drummer, very underrated. Good balance, good feel. Ian Pace from Deep Purple. Who else? Bonzo?
Unknown: Dave Lombardo.
LU: Okay, now we have a great selection.