In 1986, Jason Newsted Metallica 's new bassist shortly after the tragic death of Cliff Burton , who was killed in a car accident during the band's European tour that year. In one of the band's first interviews with this lineup, the newcomer commented on a certain amount of abuse he suffered from his bandmates.
In the conversation, Metallica discusses the next steps for the tour after debuting the lineup with Newsted in small venues in the United States and Japan. The band decided to move forward as soon as possible after the death of their colleague and held auditions to find a new bassist three weeks after the accident, which happened in September of that year.
After an initial segment of the interview with Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield Lars Ulrich 's turn . The interviewer quickly notices the curious dynamic between the two musicians. "I'm watching you two nervously, there's a sense of abuse coming from Lars. Do they treat you like this because you're the newcomer?" he asks Newsted, according to a transcript from Classic Rock.
“There’s a sense of abuse from everyone. It’s like that with everyone, not just the guys in the band. So the crew, the producers, everyone’s always messing with me, but I expected it and learned to deal with it… So it’s okay. It’s not a big deal, the big problem is that when I reciprocate [that behavior], they can’t handle it,” says Jason Newsted.
Laughing throughout, Lars interrupts to explain his relationship with the band's new bassist. "You can't expect to get into this situation and not receive a little criticism now and then," he says.
Next, Jason Newsted shows composure regarding how his colleagues treat him. “But seriously, I’m expected to be able to handle it, you know? And then when I give it back, they’re like [whining],” he concludes.
Watch the rare interview in its entirety, and the relevant excerpt starting at 25:00.
