Name: Kirk Lee Hammett
Born:
November 18, 1962. San Francisco, California
Personal:
Married
Speciality:
Kick-ass, full blown lead guitar vocals
Plays:
Guitar, background vocals
Vitals:
Brown eyes, brown hair, 5'8"/1.75 meters tall
Equipment:
ESP Spider, ESP Skull, ESP Ouija, Gibson Les Paul, Jackson Randy rhodes
Model, Esp Flying V, ESP Mummy, Mesa Boogie Tremoverb 2x12 Combo Amp,
Mesa Boogie Triaxis Pre-Amp, Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo power Amp,
Dunlop Picks, Mesa Boogie 4x12 Speaker Cabinet, Mesa Boogie 2x12 Speaker
Cabinet, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp
April 1, 1983, San Francisco, California. A phone rings; "Hi, Kirk? This
is Metallica, we just fired our lead guitar player, and we need a new
one. Interested?"
Things didn't
exactly happen quite that way, but Kirk did play his first show with Metallica
fifteen days later in New Jersey. Metallica's then road manager, Mark
Whittaker, once managed Kirk's band Exodus. When it became time to switch
lead players, Mark was quick to suggest Kirk.
Hammett's
playing brought Metallica into an era of more melodic and controlled guitar
work. He's been in the band ever since that day in 1983, which surprisingly
was less then a month after he and his former band, Exodus opened for
Metallica.
Kirk grew
up in the Bay area town of El Sobrante and began playing guitar at age
15. His first guitar was a Montgomery Ward catalog special and his first
amp a shoe box with a 4 inch speaker. A few years later Kirk "graduated"
to a 1978 Fender Stratocaster. Always searching for his sound,Kirk managed
to "Frankenstein" the guitar with different pick up and amp combinations.
Eventually he traded up to a 1974 Gibson Flying V (just like Michael Schenker's!)
That Flying V is still part of Kirk's collection, and still pops up on
Metallica's albums.
With his
new Flying V, Kirk started playing with other people. This led to a whole
other problem: money. A short stint working at Burger King fixed that
as it earned him enough cash to buy his first Marshall amp. Around that
time, Kirk co-founded Exodus with Paul Baloff. They were the support act
for Metallica twice: on November 29, 1982 and March 5, 1983.
After the
call from Metallica, Kirk scraped up enough money for a flight to the
east coast. He found himself outside his native California for the first
time, on the other side of the country and in a new band. Oddly enough,
the band never really asked Kirk to join, it wasn't until the recording
of Kill 'Em All that he felt confident he was in. After Kill 'Em All and
the tour that followed, he took lessons from Joe Satriani and learned
the virtues of jazz, blues, classical and Hendrix. Currently, Kirk can
be found in the Bay area, with his wife Lani and dog Darla.
FAQ
What
are Kirk's vitals?
Kirk Lee Hammett was brought back to life in San Francisco, California,
on November 18th, 1962; he is 5'7" and 134 lbs.
Is
Kirk married?
Kirk married Lani on January 31, 1998 in Hawaii.
What
guitar equipment does Kirk use?
Various ESP, along with various vintage guitars, uses Dean Markely strings.
Mesa Boogie Amps.
What
does he drive?
LandCruiser, Mountain Bike, 1955 Dodge Coronet ("Kirkstine")
Has
Kirk recorded for anyone besides Metallica?
Kirk's old Exodus demo's have been seen floating around, he has also recorded
a track with Les Claypool and Mike Bordin set for possible future release
(by Primus?), he has produced demo's for Death Angel, he has recorded
solo's for Pushead's band Septic Death, you can also find him on the Spawn
soundtrack playing guitar on the Orbital song called "Satan" (along with
the re-mix of For Whom The Bell Tolls).
What's
that under his lip?
That's a labret, a piercing just under his lower lip.
What
does Kirk like to drink?
Kirk likes Martini's, Sky vodka and green tea.
The
liner notes say: James-guitar and Kirk-guitar. What does Kirk do?
Kirk's duties on the albums are mostly for the full-blown lead guitar
solos, On the new albums Load and ReLoad, Kirk's role as guitar player
has expanded to playing a more important role in the overall sound.
Which
sports teams does he follow?
Kirk is quoted as saying: "I hate sports!" (or "Whatever teams James and
Lars don't like")
What
are Kirk's favorite foods?
Sushi, Mexican food, pasta, Indian and Thai food.
Was
Kirk in any bands besides Metallica?
Kirk was a founding member of San Francisco's Exodus.
What
does like to do in his off time?
Kirk Hammett likes to mountain bike and collect horror movie related stuff,
along with piercing assorted body parts.
Does
Kirk have a tattoo?
Kirk's tattoo was a present to himself for Christmas 1995, it reads: "Made
in SF 11-18-62." It's wrapped around his belly button. He also has hot
rod flames on his thighs.
Why
is Kirk's right hand wrapped during live shows?
That is Kirk's picking hand, which he does hit pretty hard playing his
guitar. The tape cover the lines in his palm that break open as he plays.
Is
Kirk a vegetarian?
Yes, Kirk is a "lacto-ovo" vegetarian.
What
ethnic background is Kirk?
Kirk is part Filipino.
Who
does he credit as his influences?
Jimi Hendrix, UFO, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Joe
Satriani, Warren Haynes, Adrian Belew, Freddy King and Buddy Guy.
Two
things Kirk owns that you might not have known about..
Kirk owns a stuffed, two headed sheep and a stuffed monkey... we won't
talk about what the guy at the morgue acquired for him.
What
are Kirk's favorite cigars?
Kirk likes Habanos 94, a Cuban cigar not available in the USA, he also
like Fuente y Fuente Opus X as his favorite available in the USA, he can
also be found puffing on Cohiba and Lars Tetens.
What
jobs has Kirk worked?
Kirk once worked at Burger King
and as a dishwasher.
What
happened to Kirk's Porsche?
Lost in a bet.
MORE ON
KIRK
Marital
status: Happily married to Lani
Drives:
Land Cruiser, mountain bike, '55 Dodge Coronet
Drinks:
Martinis, Sky Vodka, green tea
Eats:
Sushi, Mexican food, pasta, Indian food, Thai food
Sports
teams: None ("I hate sports!")
Before
Metallica: Played in Exodus, drank
a lot
Likes:
Mountain biking, tattoos, piercing, collecting old horror-movie stuff,
cigars, philosophy, H.P. Lovecraft, Taxidermy, Pinball
Listens
to: Jimi Hendrix, UFO, Black Sabbath,
Deep Purple. Led Zeppelin, Kiss, John Coltrane, Government Mule, Chet
Baker, Prez Prado, Alice In Chains, David Bowie, U2, King Crimson, Robert
Johnson, Radiohead
Heroes:
Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Jimi Hendrix, Chet Baker, Diane Arbus, John
Coltrane, Charles Bukowski, Edward Munch, Joel Peter Whitkin
First
concert: Day on the Green with
the Eagles, Steve Miller, Heart, and Foreigner
Describes
self as: Smelly, ugly, happy,
obsessive, progressive, curious
