Joe Rogan Experience #887 — James Hetfield Transcript

Transcript

0:00 I guess I never, I don't know much about moose. So you're in. Somewhere along the line, they started doing movies for music Yeah. there's always a better album uh maybe there's the never satisfied part to us that will keep us You're filled with angst. And that's how it's been since day one. They smell it, right? okay, now that you're sober or now that you're matured,

4:06 at our shows transform from, God, I just took my tie off or I still have my frigging briefcase, you know, like handcuffed to me. nitro or something, more powerful than that, really. Because it's instantaneous. If no one else is in there, you get to celebrate and listen and just go frigging nuts in your car. Hopefully we save people from road rage. Oh, no shit, man.

5:51 when it would just snow hard you'd go outside and you experience quiet like you never heard it before There's something about it. Those mountains are just the best natural artwork 14,000 feet, peaks. Yeah, there's probably a multitude of things that made it happen. We'll go to Vail and feel snow. And we went there them, you know, but, you know, showing up with a deer on the bumper doesn't fly in Marin County,

9:00 Yeah. People are not playing some game. area, but I've always felt like, I think you nailed it. The Bay area, they love diversity as long as you're diverse the way they're diverse. It's, um, it's so tech oriented. It's so absorbed and I just had to get out of my own head. and they were you know saying we have to ban this this is hard it was it's killed a grizzly bear and they were, you know, saying we have to ban this. This is hard. It was very strange. Like, what was your reaction to all that?

12:12 but we can coexist in this and let's really be diverse. You know, for me, I respect that. I mean, San Francisco is filled with restaurants that are serving meat everywhere you go. And I love the convenience and I want me time, you know. probably only maybe four years how did you get started in that how do you start raising bees It's too high, it's too cold.

15:37 They got some breeding and it was just off. That's a nice euphemism. It's insane. Trust me. I'm sorry. Yeah. there's some i don't know a smell or something in it that is similar to their attack pheromone Yeah, we'd meet down at the American Legion's hall and have a monthly meeting. And, you know, they were counting bees. and we're just kind of sitting there going,

18:44 and everyone's loving it. 500 pounds of honey and you're handing them out to your friends and everyone's loving it. I mean, after you filtered it and it, it really helps with allergies. It helps with something, Ah! But I tell you, those freak bees, the Africanized or whatever, well yeah you know that and the, what's this stuff called? It's from their brain?

21:27 So all the bees that are flying around that you see out here, they're all females. It's hard out there. So those guys are just dead. Wow. Yeah. So she'll go and form a new hive, That's fascinating. And we have a place in Hawaii, It was like, it's coming up. They're more aggressive, and they're very protective. Oh, yeah, for sure. So these bees that came over from the perhaps Africanized bees that when they killed the queen and then introduced those bees to the rest of the bees, did everybody chill out?

25:12 So they will die out. Strange society. It's really, really cool. And it wouldn't be that a bee has to do it. but all these other bees are like loners. first tattoos like yeah wow that's cool i want more right and uh yeah you just start to appreciate and stuff and you can see. You have a place for her to lay eggs. and they all go there we had an incident once on fear factor where we covered these people with

29:00 And then our bees came back and they went back to the hive. There was no bee fucking Braveheart war. That's how they do it. that's like a half a mile this way. Yeah. All right. So just let them go. but they hibernate, they hibernate in the winter. No kidding. It's like bears. Yep. So when you're Like you have like, you're totally like a prepper almost.

32:32 You know, hunting deer, It's perfectly set up because, you know, he's a serious audiophile. something that's you know not really necessary in the modern world just shows you what a serious Wow. Yeah, I mean, for a guy like you that is, I mean, I think you've found like this really And once I realize that it's just a journey, I'm okay with it. everyone in the band is on the same page, which is really a great thing.

35:45 But I tell you, there's nobody else I've known longer except for maybe family and Lars. Well, it's also you. I mean, I got to imagine that you you guys have to realize what an unbelievably fortunate and amazing experience you guys are on. But I tell you, it is hard at times, being on the road, doing stuff. That's beautiful. Oh, my God. Without him, there certainly wouldn't be a Metallica.

38:34 h where it said heavy metal like well there's my ad and there's his we should meet there's only two record shit is gonna go away like do you understand what's going on here people And we all stood behind him, obviously obviously he was the spokesman for it he he chose he chose to do that you're an asshole if you're rich or if you've been successful or something, it's like,

41:00 It's so frustrating. And obviously these days you can see there's no copyright laws. you know uh they couldn't sustain We don't want this happening. But we have survived and we feel good about it and we've adapted. be a little bit more desperate, don't realize the potential, especially the potential for income We own it finally finally which is weird i tell my kids hey

45:32 Pretty much. and there's no way we can deal with the distribution up with different ways of doing vinyls and colors and hidden tracks and cool stuff like that and months ago and hung out with some high school puts it on and carry on. My kids got into vinyl. cool cover yep that's how i discovered tons of bands so they go into the room and you know i

48:41 Like, what? Nice. put out. So the event of sitting down and disappearing into the music, being a real music listener. something. And that will never be, I don't know know maybe the friggin goggles or some kind of uh And they fucked up. It's just, what have you done? Right. there's that going on and and then they'll get real. You know, just like it's as minimal as possible.

53:28 you know, and every fuck up on the vocal. It's like, you know exactly exactly right yeah you're not airbrushed yeah you see a photoshop yourself and looking at it going well this is uh we're gonna lose our record sales like you understand that like people have been consuming really the case was it no i don't know i you know i'm all for convenience in the technology moving

56:11 People didn't relate that to their career or something equivalent. And that's now how record companies are structuring their deals. Well, it's the only way they can survive now Would you go into a record store and just lift that, steal it, run out the door with it. You know, would you do that with, you know, okay, there's, you know, there's, there's big corporations that are rich and would

57:57 but the record companies dropped the ball itunes distribution model is a very bizarre one it's very strange how they've they don't know And there's no one way. They don't want to give you any money. And you're like, well, where the fuck is the money going then? in songwriting royalties from 43 million plays of his song that I can't look at the ad because it's a fucking ad block.

1:01:03 That's another thing, but that's another thing. For 43 million, I mean, it's Approach to art if you're just doing art to make money hey, if we do this, we should be able to make money. And fuck you, I saw it all coming. like, oh, it's money. I think when we were kids, But now, you got fucking Mick Jagger's with a fucking axe wound across his face, When it's not fun, then we'll let you know.

1:04:42 but it's not the physicality like say metallica has so right you know you know uh you know charlie watts is not lars ulrich you And he's out. He's the canary in the coal mine. Well, I'll tell you, out of the big four, if you know the big four, Metallica, Slayer, It was a depression on your nerve? your neck and they stretch your neck out did they do that yeah do you have one of those at home i

1:07:14 See it up in that screen. I don't have to wear that shirt, right? This guy just brought it in last week. But I can imagine that all that fucking... I don't want to be that old dude who's hunched over. I got a physical trainer in Vail. Yeah, well, if you're experiencing issues with stenosis too, Louie Simmons. Great guy. We interviewed But that machine, man, anybody with back issues, any back issue at all,

1:10:32 You can see him demonstrating it here. Like, why is it that when you're at one state, they never think, well, you can improve this Singing with two broken ribs, not fun. If it's going to help me, I'm into it. I'd like to, and if it works, cool. No, didn't work. Well, the intensity of your performances. lars's shoulder or this one, you know, high hat.

1:14:52 people that can help me out on the road some people do go crazy like that right they do some like their home or something, You know, that's the main thing. Billy Eichel, I think his name is. You know, really manic, kind of crazy stuff. Hey, do you want to get pumped up while you're shopping? And this one guy was at the salad bar, and he looked like he just took a break from work.

1:17:37 fucking thing oh uh it was uh it's just part of our promo tour thing, you know. So we're getting to, you know, getting to have some fun You know? The Roots are good, man. They are a great band. We're serious about your art, our art. When we write a song, there's an, it's, we're serious like when someone fucked up the song, fart on stage where we're up there and they play

1:21:06 later to go up and say hey you want to hear faded black again you know you got to joke about it or else you you it's it's like you become it's like you got to expose your vulnerable parts people I think also there's a, people differentiate the big difference between a mistake and someone look down at my notes and there it is and i'm just angry at myself but just sometimes it just

1:22:17 there's no words. I don't just a field goal it's like oh i missed that one i can't believe i did then the next one oh my god But if you just decide that you're not as good as you used to be, and then you talk with him later it's like what are you talking about he has no idea what yeah I lived with my brother. you know, we're survivors, we're survivors and we're gonna, we're gonna talk through it no matter

1:25:34 How long did you have to go for? I mean, I was raw meat when I came out. and working through that stuff. did that. And you know, I don't need to preach to them. They got their own stuff, but now they, And I realize that there is help in a loving way. am i without this i'm a i can't talk to people i'm i'm. I'm shy. I'm all of the stuff that I thought booze was

1:29:35 But inside, you know, it's kind of a cliche saying, you know, There was drink and drug and all kinds of stuff just thrown at you all the time. and there's a song on this album called Moth Into Flame Well, you're a very down-to-earth guy, What is that like trying to like find yourself while you're also kind of worshipped? just like I had my own version of Lemmy.

1:32:54 Dude, music does that to me. So when you're not that, I, you know, I don't want to sign stuff. Oh, I got to leave. russia this was uh in the airfield oh my god so we've done. What the fuck was that like? It was a sea of Russian people. But they flew us in there. Just go with that one. Wow. Go right up there, that one, on stage, facing those people.

1:36:14 They're freaking communist country, man. you know hitting people from the from the helicopter and down on the front there there What does this sound like? you know i learned english from your lyrics like oh shit man i failed english just so you know When did you start hunting? I like getting scared out there. It's like, okay. fun well kuyu represents to me this really interesting sort of uh integration of technology and uh almost like gadget geek mindset

1:41:05 Yeah. A lot of elk up there, man. Oh my God. Colorado has twice as many elk as any other Absolutely. I mean, you know, I like, I like the venison, but elk, that's probably the thing I would eat. Dude, that is something. That's a big boy. That's from Tohon Ranch. I should have let you guess. Dude, that's massively thick. I've shot one there last year with a bow.

1:43:22 But if you want the meat, it's the best way to go. i'm a meat hunter and that's the way to do it you know and how often do you bow way to do that yeah but bow i bow hunting requires so So what bow? three years ago it's well it's like a little behind the times you know you got some new If you want to get hooked up with Hoyt, I'll have one sent to you.

1:46:05 You know, it's down to like six pounds, you know, with the scope on it. They brush your teeth up in the mountain. Yeah. Yeah. I've used that where they blow ozone on you and it confuses the scent. something but i never know if that stuff works, you know, because we're traveling, doing different They're just, that's what they're designed for. Just bound away.

1:48:43 don't have to wash. Maybe the fake cleaning product won't. once we figure that out then it's really on how much how much shit did you have So that was offered to me. And yeah, I probably had it could have had a choice whether I did it or not. So what we did was we made this silly video. and release the fox and all the hounds go Was it frustrating when they were distributing that picture that wasn't even you?

1:53:02 You know, once it's out there, you know, But now I wear clothes. But we did have meat there. So it's not my favorite thing, so I probably wouldn't hunt it again Tastes like chicken, you know. We probably flew two hours in this thing that looked like it survived World, you know, know i was like you know the um um through the safari club you know and uh it was just one of those crazy things like hey i'm