See the statement.
In a joint video interview with Iggy Pop, drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about various moments in Metallica's career, and discussed the album Lulu, a collaboration with Lou Reed. Ulrich recalled the release and said that the singer was hurt by the criticism the album received.
"It was difficult for him because he was so proud of that album. He felt some kind of spiritual connection to the work, he talked about it all the time, how he had finally found the right band to support him, that he had been looking for someone for decades and all that. Then the album came out and as you may know, some critics weren't... weren't very nice to the album. And he was really hurt."
“We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs over many years, and if we like something and enjoyed the experience, that’s what matters to us. But I think he was really sad about Lulu’s response, and I was… It was strange. The roles kind of reversed in the end because I felt kind of maternal towards him, kind of having to comfort him through that difficult period after the album’s release, after it was completely destroyed by the critics.”