During a recent interview with Zane Lowe Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich took a trip down memory lane and reminisced about bassist Jason Newsted.
Jason joined the band in 1986, months after Cliff Burton . After 14 years and five studio albums, Newsted announced his departure. Since leaving, Jason has heard many comments regarding the situation, and now Lars, two decades later, has commented on what happened.
“If you think about it, Jason is the only member of Metallica who left of his own accord, and that in itself is a statistic,” he said (via Blabbermouth ). Lars recounted that at the time he didn’t try to understand Jason’s side, and the same happened with vocalist James Hetfield . “And so we weren’t prepared at the time to do a deep dive into why he was leaving. And then, of course, now you can see 20 years later, it makes perfect sense.”
In the interview they also talked about the band's creative process and how Newsted's departure affected it: “We write the songs; we make the decisions; we do all that. You don't have creative outlet in this band; you don't have a creative voice. And then when you go and do something that gives you satisfaction and a way for you to express yourself to the rest of the world, then we get upset with you. And then that resentment makes you leave the band (...), But we weren't prepared to see that side. Twenty years later, so now it all makes sense.”
Listen to the full interview below.
