JAMES HETFIELD
Instrument: Vocals, guitar
Specialty: Angst-ridden,
soul-rending, growling,
loud-ass vocals
Birthday: August 3, 1963
From: Los Angeles, California
Vitals: 6'1" & 180 lbs; blond
hair & blue eyes
Marital status: Single
Drives: Chevy Blazer, Dodge Ram
Eats: Coors Light, Pacifico, Bombay Gin
Martinis
Food: Mexican, meat-n-potatoes,
beer
Sports teams: LA Raiders
Before Metallica: Played in Obsession,
Phantom Lord, Leather Charm
Pre-Metallica career: Worked in sticker
factory
Likes: Hunting, fishing, contemporary
fiction, anonymity
Listens to: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Ted
Nugent
Heroes: Older brother David, Clint
Eastwood
First concert: Aerosmith & AC/DC,
1978, Long Beach, California
Describes self as: Rugged, honest,
stubborn
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James Hetfield's FAQ
What equipment does James use?
James uses ESP Explorer guitar's with EMG
pick ups and Ernie Ball strings,
and a Mesa Boogie mark II simul-class amp.
James uses many different
guitar/amp combos for different sounds in
the studio.
What happened to James' hair between the
Roam tour and the summer 1994
tour? And what happened in 1996?
In '94, James was involved in an ATV
accident while hunting which required
40 stitches in his head--so he quite
simply got it cut.... Before the
release of Load, James decided to get his
hair cut, and this time even more
of it went!
Where did James get his skull ring and
wolf pendant?
The ring formerly belonged to Cliff. The
pendant is from a store called The
Great Frog in London (the same place Cliff
got the ring).
Has James ever recorded for anyone besides
Metallica?
James has recorded backing vox for "Twist
of Cain" and "Am I Demon?" on
Danzig's first album.
Why did James get burned at the Montreal
show (Aug. 8, 1992)?
The band was informed of a pyro change:
pyro would be ignited along the
"wings" of the stage during "Fade To
Black." The pyro-tech however, failed
to tell the band that new pyro would be
going along with the old pyro.
Assuming that the new pyro canceled out
the previous pyro, James was
standing exactly where the old pyro
occurred when a 12-foot flame was
ignited, severely burning the left side of
his body.
Why did James switch from the Flying V to
the Explorer?
The Explorer used to be James' back up
guitar. When the V's neck broke, he
switched to his back up guitar, only to
discover that the Explorer was
perfect.
The liner notes say: James--guitar; and
Kirk--guitar. What does James play?
James is responsible for the great
majority of the guitar work in
Metallica's recordings. James handles all
the rhythm guitar and most melody
and harmony guitars, not to mention the
acoustics and the occasional guitar
solo. Kirk's duties on the albums are
mostly for the full-blown lead guitar
solos. However, on Load, the guitar duties
for James and Kirk have expanded
quite a bit--both play rhythm and
leads.
What is James' favorite Venom
album?
Welcome to Hell.
What does James do in his free
time?
James is an avid hunter.
Who were his main influences?
Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Ted
Nugent.
Does James still skateboard?
No, but rumors abound that past tour
contracts have included a "No
Skateboarding" clause, just in case. He
has recently taken to
snowboarding--apparently it has a slightly
softer landing.