Name: James Alan Hetfield
Born: August 3, 1963. LA, California
Personal: Married, 3 Children
Plays: Vokal, guitar
Vitals:
Blue eyes, blonde hair, 6'1"/1.85 meters tall
Equipment:
Ken Lawrence Custom Explorer Natural, ESP Custom Deerskull Inlay Explorer,
ESP Custom Black Explorer with Diamond Plate, ESP Custom Black Silver
Diamond Plate Explorer, ESP Custom Black "Fuel" Les Paul Style with Gold
Pinstripe, ESP Custom Flying V with Green Flames, ESP Custom Flying V
with Hot Rod Flames, ESP Custom Black Explorer Bright Diamond Plate, ESP
Custom Black Explorer with Wood-Burn Deer, ESP Custom Black & White Pin
Stripe Les Paul, ESP Custom Black & Gold, ESP New Model Explorer Black
with Mother or Pearl Inlay, Dunlop Custom Nylon Picks, Mesa Boogie 4x12
Speaker Cabinet, 2xMesa Boogie Strategy 400 power Amplifiers
James Hetfield
is the voice, among other things, of Metallica's songs but it wasn't always
planned that way... In the early days, Metallica tried a few different
vocal/guitar configurations. Some of the experiments included adding another
guitar player, or having then lead guitar player Dave Mustaine play the
sole guitar. John Bush from Armored Saint was even asked to sing for the
band at one point. Hetfield was born to a truck driver and light opera
singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles. His family's Christian Science
religious beliefs are often mentioned as the root of James' "tortured
soul" lyrics. Musically, he began at age 9 with piano lessons, then banging
away on his brother David's drums and finally to guitar.
With his
guitar in hand, James aspired to become a rock star in his first band,
Obsession. The band was made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums
and Jim Arnold on guitar. A pair of friends, Ron McGovney and Dave Marrs,
acted as the band's roadies. This meant sitting in the loft of the Veloz
garage running a control panel for makeshift lighting effects. After Obsession
broke up, the Marrs-Hetfield-McGovney trio continued jamming together.
Phantom Lord
was James Hetfield's second band. After moving to La Brea, James attended
Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim Mulligan. The two
would jam at lunch time with another guitar player, but eventually scared
him away with their loud and heavy sounds. Hugh Tanner was discovered
carrying around part of a flying V guitar at school.. and shortly thereafter,
Phantom Lord was born. With Hugh on guitar and Mulligan on drums, James
sang and played guitar. The group went through a few bass players until
graduation when James moved back to Downey. In Downey, James moved into
a house owned by Ron McGovney's parents that was slated for demolition
due to an expressway expansion. This house was the perfect place for James
and Ron to crash and hold rehearsal and practice jams. James talked Ron
into taking up bass, and promised to teach him...
And as Ron
joined the group, Phantom Lord was no more.. they were now Leather Charm.
James
Hetfield's third band overall, Leather Charm was formed from the members
of Phantom Lord, except that James performed sole singing duties (no guitar)
and Ron was added to play bass guitar. Completing the line-up were Phantom
Lord carry-overs Hugh Tanner and Jim Mulligan.
Leather Charm
was more of a glammy attempt at music. The band played originals and covers
like Quiet Riot's "Slick Black Cadillac," Iron Maiden's "Remember Tommorrow"
and a few others. The band managed to perform at a few parties and recorded
a demo, but then began to fall apart. First Tanner left the band and was
replaced by Troy James. Then Mulligan left for a more progressive, Rush-like
band. With no drummer, the band was forced to call it quits. Although
it was Mulligan's departure that led to James searching for a new drummer,
it was Hugh Tanner that introduced James to Lars Ulrich.
Ultimately
it was Leather Charm's break up, through Jim Mulligan's quitting, that
led James and Lars to meet... and to form Metallica. From the very start,
James has been the main songwriter in Metallica, from the riffs to the
lyrics. When he's not writing, singing or playing, James indulges in hunting
and various sports. He's recently taken up snowboarding, as he has hung
up his skateboard after a series of mishaps.
Guitars are
a major part of his life and he has started collecting older guitars...
particularly those manufactured in 1963, the year he was born. He can
be found in his garage working on a new passion: hot rods. He currently
has a Chevy BelAir that he built himself.
James is married
and has 3 children.
FAQ
Is he married?
Yes, with Francesca, from august 1997., they have three kids.
What equipment
does he use?
James uses mostly ESP Explorer guitar's with EMG pick-ups and Ernie Ball
strings, Mesa Boogie amp's are James' main set up. James uses many different
guitar/amp combo's for different sounds in the studio.
What does
James drive?
James has a Dodge Ram pick-up, 1955 Chevy BelAir hot rod, Chevy Blazer,
custom-built Harley Davidson Motorcycle (chopper).
Have the
he ever recorded for anyone besides Metallica?
James has recorded backing vocals for "Twist of Cain" and "Am I Demon?"
on Danzig's first album, he also contributes vocals on "Man Or Ash" from
Corrosion of Conformity's "Wiseblood" album, and on Jim Martin's recent
solo album.
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 recorded
Metallica. 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; although with the latest Metallica album's the guitar duties for
both Metallica guitar players has expanded quite a bit.. Both have played
rhythm, and both have played leads.
What are
his favorite foods?
Meat-n-Potatoes, Bar-B-Que, Oysters
Has James
been in any other bands?
Obsession, Phantom Lord and Leather Charm were bands James were a part
of before Metallica. He was also the drummer in Spastic Children.
What was
the first song James learned on guitar?
Flight Of The Bumble Bee.
What does
James do in his free time?
James is an avid hunter and sportsman, also likes to tool around in his
garage working on his Chevy Bel Air or Harley. He can also be found watching
his favorite sports teams and NASCAR.
Who were
his main influences?
Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Waits, Nick
Cave.
What current
stuff does James listen to?
Rocket From The Crypt, Gov't Mule, Corrosion Of Conformity.
James' skull
ring and wolf pendant where did he get them?
James once wore that ring that belonged to Cliff. The pendant is from
a store called The Great Frog in London (the same place that Cliff got
the skull ring.)
Why did
James switch from the Flying V to the Explorer?
In the early days of Metallica, the Explorer was James' back up guitar.
When the Flying V's' neck broke, he switched to the back up guitar, only
to discover that the Explorer was a perfect fit for James. James know
also plays a ESP Flying V on tour, this guitar is his first "signature"
series guitar available from ESP.
What sports
teams does James follow?
James is lifelong, diehard Raiders fan; San Jose Sharks and D.C. United.
James can be seen on the opening of the NHL's Cool Shots TV program, and
was also part of an NHL commercial.
What jobs
has he had before Metallica?
James has worked in a sticker factory, as a high school janitor, and as
a mover.
What happened
at the Montreal show 8-8-92, Why did James get burned?
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 inform the band that new pyro would be going ALONG with the
old pyro. Assuming that the new pyro canceled out the previous pyro; James
stood atop of where the old pyro occurred, a 12 foot flame was ignited,
severely burning his left hand and that side of his body.
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.
What happened
to James' hair between the Roam tour and the summer 1994 tour?
He was involved in an ATV accident while hunting which required 40 stitches
in his head. Then he quite simply got it cut... Before the release of
the Load Album James got his hair cut, this time even more of it went!
How does
James switch guitar sounds during a show?
James' longtime guitar tech (roadie) Andy Battye, handles James' guitar
effects during the concert. Andy also cares for and maintains James' guitars
and equipment.
What are
James' favorite guns?
James' favorite guns are a Remington 30-06, Weatherby 7mm and a Browning
300 Magnum.
What does
James smoke?
A. Fuente Hemingway Short Stories are his cigar of choice.
What bones
has James broken?
Two broken knuckles, left wrist, both bones of left forearm (compound
fractures) with a total 156 stitches.
James really
stopped drinking??
Yes, he no longer drinks alcoholic beverage. He can now be found sipping
Non-Alcoholic beer and mineral water.
What now
defunct bands would James like to see reunite?
Thin Lizzy (Live And Dangerous line-up), Tank (first line-up), Motorhead
(with Eddie)
Witch are
the greatest song of all the time for James?
01. "Free Bird
– LYNYRD SKYNYRD
James Hetfield: "Nothing tops this workingman's ballad. 'Free Bird' fit
my life for the first 20 years on the road — not really getting too attached
to stuff, living life for the moment and moving on."
02. "Stairway to Heaven" – LED ZEPPELIN
James Hetfield: "When I first got a guitar, I figured out the first couple
of fingerings to this, and I ran around the house saying, 'Check it out
— I can play this!' My family was like, 'Where's the rest of the song?'"
03. "Jailhouse Rock" – ELVIS PRESLEY
James Hetfield: "I remember seeing that video of him jumping around behind
bars with all his buddies. It encapsulates rebellion, which is really
just misguided creativity."
04. "Behind Blue Eyes" – THE WHO
James Hetfield: "This song had all that teen angst bubbling under it.
It's about asking for help but not really wanting it. Reminds me a lot
of me."
05. "Candle in the Wind" – ELTON JOHN
James Hetfield: "'Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting' was more my
style, but few songs can top this melody."
06. "God Only Knows" – THE BEACH BOYS
James Hetfield: "I got on a BEACH BOYS kick again about six months ago.
I gew up in Southern California; to me, this songs speaks to a higher
power."
07. "Yesterday" – THE BEATLES
James Hetfield: "It instantly connected with me. It makes you think, but
not too gard."
08. "Black Sabbath" – BLACK SABBATH
James Hetfield: "This song scared the shit out of me. It's beyond heavy."
09. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – NIRVANA
James Hetfield: "When all that Eighthies hair metal was getting overproduced,
NIRVANA came along with this thrashy garage sound and a huge hook. It
was what music needed."
10. "The Boys Are Back In Town" – THIN LIZZY
James Hetfield: "Phil Lynott was never afraid to write from the heart,
even if it was a little corny. THIN LIZY inspired a lot of METALLICA's
guitar harmonies."
