What are the band's immediate plans?

Metallica's newest album, Load, is set for a June 4th, 1996 release. Metallica will headline the Lollapalooza festival this summer, then tour Europe, and return to the U.S. for a full tour.



Where can I get tour/Lollapalooza dates/ticket info?



Lollapalooza is not a Metallica tour. It is, basically, a tour that Metallica is part of. Neither the band nor The Metallica Club has control over venue or ticket sales. Your best bet for this info is straight from the Lollapalooza Web page.



How did the band start? How did Lars and James first meet?



Lars had taken out an ad in a newspaper called the Recycler, saying he was looking for people to jam with. James answered the ad, and was unimpressed with Lars' playing--partly due to the fact that Lars' cymbals fell over every time he hit them. Shortly afterward, Lars went to England to follow his favorite band, DiamondHead on tour, and after returning to the States got a spot on Brian Slagel's Metal Massacre album. Using this as bait, he talked James into recording a song for the album. The rest is history.



Where did the name Metallica come from?



Lars stole it. Ron Quintana, "Mr. Metal" of San Francisco, was getting ready to launch a metal fanzine and he had a few names. He asked his friend Lars for help. After hearing the name "Metallica," Lars quickly suggested a different name...and kept Metallica for himself!



Who are all the former and current members of the band?



James, Lars, Kirk, Jason are all current. Cliff Burton died September 27, 1986, in a bus accident in Europe. Dave Mustaine once played lead guitar and Ron McGovney bass, but both were "removed." Damien Philips turned in one appearance in concert as a second guitarist. And Lloyd Grant was never really a member, but recorded some lead work to the first demo for "Hit The Lights."



When and where was the first Metallica show?



Featuring Ron McGovney on bass and Dave Mustaine on guitar, Metallica's first show was at Radio City in Anaheim, CA. The date is said to have been March 14, 1982.



Where did recorded Metallica first appear?



The very first Metallica song, called "Hit The Lights," appeared on Metal Massacre I. That song featured James on vocals, rhythm guitar, and bass. Lars was on drums, Dave Mustaine on lead guitar, and Lloyd Grant added the 2nd guitar solo. Later releases of Metal Massacre included a different version of the song with McGovney on bass and without Grant.



Who designed the Metallica logo?



James is responsible for it.



Where is the "Snake" from?



The snake, seen heavily on the Black Album, is from the Culpepper Minute Men flag, from which the motto "Don't Tread On Me" also originates.



When was Metallica's first tour?



July 27-September 3, 1983



Is it true Metallica has (or was supposed to) appeared on Saturday Night Live?



Yes, the band was to appear in 1987, but front-man James Hetfield injured himself in one of his many skateboard accidents causing a cancellation!



What's Megaforce Records?



Megaforce records signed Metallica in 1983, after the band traveled from their home in SF to Megaforce's offices in New Jersey. Megaforce released Kill 'em All (KEA) and Ride the Lightening (RTL) in North America. Elektra Records came into the picture shortly after the release of RTL, and subsequently re-released both albums on their label.



What is the Make-A-Wish foundation?



It is an organization that attempts to make the wishes of seriously ill youngsters come true. Metallica actively supports and assists Make-A-Wish as often as possible.



Primus/Faith No More/Metallica--What's the connection?



Kirk and Les Claypool from Primus grew up and went to the same school together in El Sobrante, CA. Big Jim Martin (the old guitar player in FNM) and Cliff were best friends as kids and in several bands together. Cliff also knew Mike Bordin (the drummer in FNM and another friend of Kirkšs) and actually suggested Jim to Mike for the guitar duties in FNM.



Metallica moved from LA to SF, why?



Cliff lived in SF and refused to move to LA. In order to get Cliff as the bass player the band had to relocate.



What happened to Cliff Burton, the former bass player?



Cliff was killed in the early morning hours of September 27, 1986, in a bus accident in Toftaholm, Sweden (118 miles north of Copenhagen).



What is Alcoholica?



A nickname for Metallica, given to them somewhere in Europe in 1985, because of their love of drinking, A fan was spotted wearing a T-shirt he had made of the cover of Kill 'Em All, only instead of a hammer and blood, the T-shirt showed a bottle spilling vodka. The band members liked it so much, they adopted it for their own use.



What happened to John Smith, the kid from the Year & a Half in the Life video?



John passed away several months after the video was released.



What is Spastic Children?



Spastic Children was a "joke band" created originally by James, Cliff, Fred Cotton, and James (Flunky) McDaniel. SC never practiced and played rather ludicrous songs. Cliff played bass and James drummed. When Cliff died, Kirk took over the bass duties. According to Kirk: "Spastic Children was a good excuse to drink and be silly on stage." Spastic has not been seen around lately.



What is Voodoo Children?



A group that only made one performance to benefit the blues guitarist John Campbell in the summer of 1993. The lineup was: Kirk Hammett on guitar; Jason Newsted on bass; Tony Prinzivalli on guitar and vocals; Whitey Chrobak on keys; and Tim Lau on drums.



Who are Die Krupps?



Die Krupps is a German band that released a nine song tribute CD to Metallica. Their interpretation of the songs is considerably different than that of the originals. There is some guitar, but mostly keyboards, electronic drums and a strong accent from the vocalist.



What is NWOBHM? It stands for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal--a form that Lars is especially quite fond of. NWOBHM acts like DiamondHead, Iron Maiden, Angel Witch, Samson, Saxon had great influence on early Metallica. This movement is considered to have started mid 1979, and fizzled out by 1982. Rock historians say NWOBHM was hard rock's answer to punk rock's street "vibe" and youthful energy.



What was the Snake Pit?



The "Snake Pit" was a large pit in the middle of Metallica's diamond shaped Wherever I May Roam stage, set aside for a few lucky fans to stand in the middle of the action on stage. It is also an on-line meeting place for Metallica fans on America Online.



Is it true that a group of Metallica roadies formed a band and played before Metallica?



Yes, at the 1987 AARDSHOK Festival in Zwolle, Holland, a group of Metallica roadies--under the name Scrap Metal--opened the nine hour festival that Metallica headlined playing a set of covers!



Who does Metallica's artwork?



Pushead (Brian Schroeder) and Mark DeVito do a majority of the artwork for T-shirts and merchandise, and James came up with the scary guy logo. But each album cover is a different and unique situation.