Talk:James Hetfield

Gibson Les Paul?

According to Metallica's website he doesn't have a Gibson.[1] —Preceding unsigned comment added by VanguardofDestruction (talk • contribs) 01:58, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Broke His Voice?

The article says he broke his voice on their cover of "So What?", but it's rather unclear as to what "broke" means. Is this the reason he doesn't sing the way he did before the Black Album? Cronos12390 11:51, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

No, it's temporary... --Andysoft 16:42, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

i believe he blew his voice right around the end of For Whom The Bell Tolls from the album. If you listen real close you can kind of hear him strugling.--Vandalism destroyer 08:55, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

"So What" does not appear on "Metallica"

And "So What?" is not even on the "Metallica" [Black] album. "So What" is a B-Side/One-Off that appears on the "Garage Inc." album. --QAWXPbC64 05:23, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

"So What" was a bonus track on the Japanese pressing of the "Metallica". 71.174.94.2 23:03, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Dave the Barbarian

Where does that info come from? I can't find any evidence supporting that.--72.16.114.224 00:48, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Plagiarism

I was looking through here, sourcing the statements, and I noticed that the second half of the article, beginning with "He was 9 years old when he first took piano lessons," most of the information has been copied and pasted from http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/james_hetfield/index.shtml ,without permission, I presume. I'll work on rewriting this when I have a chance, but I thought I'd alert those who notice this to that, in case they want to undertake this task.

Ziing 19:20, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

Not about mom

Dyer's Eve is not about James' mother. The God That Failed is. Someone should change that.

How could it not be at least partially about his mom? the opening lyrics to every verse is "dear mother, dear father"... Sort of makes you think doesn't it?

That doesn't mean its about his mother.

Good call... I stand corrected.

Guitar Information Section

"James is a major endorsee of ESP and has been since 1991, best known for playing custom-made Explorer style guitars with an EMG 81/60 set for pickups. Arguably the one person who made the model famous. His popularization of the model could easily be considered a big catalyst in Gibson's decision to sue ESP over loss of profits (Gibson made the model in the later 1950's and has allowed other companies to build replicas...until they make substantial money off of it). He also collects guitars made in 1963, the year of his birth. James' main guitar from the early days, his Flying V, was an Epiphone, and he used this low-end guitar almost exclusively until it broke in the mid 1980's."

I'd really like some independent verification on the information about Gibson suing other companies essentially when they turn a profit from making models of their own guitars. None of this information is explained adequately here; nothing, in fact, is even hyperlinked. Furthermore, the actual article on Gibson guitars mentions nothing at all of any of this. I edited a bit until someone can provide a little more detail, or a proper link. Aside from that, cleaned up the article a bit, as far as grammar goes. I've heard most of the information in the whole of this article before, so I'm confident about it, but this section looks dodgy. --Pathogen 08:53, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Did he really "scare" other guitarists with his sound?

POV Biography

James Hetfield Born: August 3, 1963 From: Los Angeles Personal: Married, 3 Children Instrument: Vocals, Guitar Vitals: Blue eyes, brown hair, 6'1"/1.85 meters tall

When it comes to defining Metallica, most people use James Hetfield as their guide. There's never any bullshit with James and there's never any shirking of duties. Example? When he threw his back out on the Summer Sanitarium 2000 tour, James ploughed his way through three weeks of intense physical therapy in four days, according to his physical therapist. And when the going got really tough, and James needed help in 2001, he sought it out, took it on and came back stronger than ever. It is precisely this sort of fierce, unbending dedication, devotion and spirit which has made James such an inspirational focal point through the years for millions of fans.

Ironically, the voice of Metallica (indeed, a defining voice of his rock'n'roll generation) very nearly wasn't a voice at all, simply because in the early days, James Hetfield didn't fancy being a lead vocalist. Metallica tried a few different vocal/guitar configurations. Some of the options considered included adding another guitar player, having then-lead guitar player Dave Mustaine play the sole guitar and asking John Bush from Armored Saint to sing for the band. Of course common sense prevailed, James decided to fight harder to establish himself as a frontman and the results are, ahem, history

To trace the roots of Hetfield's unflinching dedication and determination, you have to go back to a childhood that was often tough but laid a foundation, which underscores James today. Born to a truck driver and light opera singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles, his family's Christian Science religious beliefs played a large part in the young Hetfield's life, and subsequently form a central point for many of Metallica's lyrics. He was 9 years old when he first took piano lessons before taking on brother David's drums and finally picking up a guitar in his pre-teens.

With the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy providing inspiration, James quickly set about the task of becoming a rock star in his first band, Obsession. Made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums, with Jim Arnold on guitar, plenty of time was spent in the Veloz's garage jamming with Ron McGoveny and Dave Marrs acting as roadies. McGovney subsequently stepped in alongside Marrs and Hetfield when the Veloz brothers incarnation ended.

After moving to Brea, California, James attended Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim Mulligan. The two jammed at lunch time scaring fellow guitarists with their loud and heavy sounds before a guy called Hugh Tanner was seen carrying around part of a flying V guitar at school. Phantom Lord was born with Hugh on guitar, Mulligan on drums and James singing plus playing guitar. The group went through a few bass players until graduation when James moved back to Downey.

Back in Downey, James moved into a house owned by Ron McGovney's parents that was slated for demolition due to an expressway expansion. It was the perfect place for James and Ron to crash, rehearse and jam. James talked Ron into taking up bass, Phantom Lord was no more and the third band under Hetfield's leadership.

Leather Charm, was born. The only difference between Charm and Lord, was James singing without guitar and Ron playing bass guitar, Hugh Tanner and Jim Mulligan retaining their former 'Lord positions. Leather Charm was a largely hard rock combo, playing some originals and covers such as Iron Maiden's 'Remember Tomorrow' amongst 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 (replaced by Troy James), then Mulligan left for a more progressive, Rush-like band. And 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, we can safely say that Hugh Tanner was responsible for the catalytic moment which would change the course of James Hetfield's life and out him on the path to achieving his childhood ambition. How? Simple...Tanner introduced James to Lars Ulrich. The rest, as you'll read elsewhere, is a long, illustrious (occasionally curious) and still-evolving history...

James is the main songwriter in Metallica, co-creating the framework and structure for most Metallimaterial. When he's not writing, singing or playing, James enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hunting, snowboarding, water and jet-skiing, sketching, annoying neighbors with guns and loud pipes on his chopper "The Saga", watching his favorite Oakland Raiders and going to hot-rod shows. He also collects older guitars (particularly those from 1963) and enjoys working on old cars. Amongst his favorites are a '55 Chevy BelAir (which he helped built and restore himself), and 'The Beast', a fearsome all-terrain 4-wheel drive Blazer that is designed to survive everything from earthquakes to nuclear holocausts. Aside from these pursuits, James is often happiest spending time with his wife Francesca and three children, Cali, Castor, and Marcella.

• The first artist to object to peer to peer sharing I beleive.

Tell us his wife's Maiden Name

Otherwise it looks like a wild coincidence.

Middle Name

I could have sworn that James' middle name was Virgil, like his dads. But I may be wrong. From: Middle of the country 7:25 FEB. 27, 2006

• Nope, Virgil is his dad's first name. James' middle name is Alan. Droog 23:18, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

As far as I know, James & Francesca gave one of their boys the second name Virgil. But I have no quote for that, I read it on the Metallica-message board. (Warper)

Atheist?

His MySpace listed himself as a Catholic, in the film St.Anger you can see hes crosses and beeds in his car. He is a Catholic.

The article says that he has had a "subsequently turbulent relationship with religion". No statement is made about his beliefs though. Is he atheist? -- -ramz- ^ask? 23:03, 16 April 2006 (CET)

• I don't think that he's necessarily an atheist. It's possible that he could be though. However, all I know is that his "turbulent relationship with religion" was due to his mother refusing medical attention because of her religious science beliefs. She ended up dying a slow, painful death because of this (I believe of cancer). This traumatized Hetfield and led to him penning the song "The God that Failed".

I tend to understand that he has some sort of Christian faith. The obvious is the tattoo on his chest that is of a large crucifix. Unfortunately, it is hard to determine exactly how one person views such an ambiguous topic such as religion without asking.

• This guy up here must be some sadistic little creep,a "slow painful death".Why did you feel it was necessary to describe her death with such intense words.I feel for james,but it sounds like you're a,let's just say a "smm".

He's not atheist ,he's from scientific christian family and his mother died of cancer MetalCro 00:13, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

It's never been said, or at least I've never heard any direct mention of his beliefs. Intense words are necessary to describe what effect it would have had on James faith to see his mother die in such a way. How is it sadistic to describe someone's death? He isn't saying it was a good thing.But I don't know that leaving the Christian science faith means he left Christianity. I personally think he's a Christian of some sort, but he isn't a Christian science follower anymore. Cronos12390 11:45, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

The Beatles?

Where and when does he mention The Beatles as an influence? He usually mentions Aerosmith. Droog 23:18, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I think he's stated that he hates The Beatles. I remember reading a quote from him in some sort of tribute to Black Sabbath were he said he hated the Peace, Love, and Beatles of the 1960's and how great Sabbath was. MrMurph101 05:39, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

• No he never said he hated the Beatle's.He said he hated the peace,and the love of the 60's not the Beatles.

There was a Guitar World that had a double interview with JH and Tony Iommi that was very good. TI said he loved the Black Album (the issue was maybe in '92) and obviously James was gushing over TI. Anyway, in establishing Black Sabbath's influence on him, he contrasted his view of Sab with that which he "hated": hippies, Love, Jethro Tull, and the Beatles. I remember in the article Love was capitalized, so the writer might have understood JH as referring to the folk/rock band rather than hippie philosophy, although they're a bit obscure for JH to choose to pick on... not liking Tull I figured stemmed from the ridiculous Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental debacle (Tull won over And Justice...) in '89, although since Tull have some classic heavy riffs like aqualung and locomotive breath, and since Iommi had briefly been in Tull, I thought they were the wrong band to contrast with Sabbath. Anyway, James is on record saying he hates the Beatles. I'm not gonna edit, since I don't have the issue number handy to write an accurate footnote at the moment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.164.147.147 (talk) 20:31, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

God that failed is not about hetfields mother.

The song God that failed is about growing up in a world that is revolved around the religion that he grew up with. He was able to play sports because that would involve a physical which is James' religion is wrong!

As true as the above statement is, still most of the reason why Hetfield distrusts that religion is because of his mothers hardship. As well as that, he was also ousted from many cliques of children while growing up because of the circumstances surrounding his religion. i.e. physical exemptions for football, or exemptions from health class. However, no matter what any particular song is about, Hetfield has used music to help him cope, and in his passion for making music has allowed many some very strong coping help.

James himself has declared that this song was about his mother.

Also rubbish^ It is about his mothers death, as described in interviews available on YouTube. James is a Catholic

James political

Does anyone know James Hetfields Political status? Like is he Independant republican or democrat?

Its hard to pinpoint the political status of Hetfield, likewise for the band as a whole. In 1991, the year "The Black Album" was released, the U.S. liberated Kuwait in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Some viewed the song "Don't Tread on Me" as a "pro-troops" or "pro-war" anthem. This has never been confirmed by the members of Metallica. However in the song "Where the Wild Things Are" from ReLoad, some lyrics insinuate bridging the gap between the troops and childrens toys. "Hand puppets storm the beach, firetrucks trapped out of reach. All clowns reinforce the rear, slingshots fire into the air. Stuffed bears hold the hill 'till death, crossfire from marionettes. We shall never surrender." This suggests the exact opposite from "Don't Tread on Me." While this information may not clear up the political status, it proves one very republican point, and one very democratic one.

Well considering the whole master of puppets is anit-war, he sounds more like a pacifist.

Also two things: he likes to hunt (characteristic of right-wingers). And Also the song "One" may say something about it... I think he can't really be labeled.

That is great information, and I think its best not to label The Hetfield.

I'm just wondering... the song "Master of Puppets" is about a cocaine addiction, where in the world could anyone get the inferrence that the "whole master of puppets" is anti-war, when that song in particular (amongst others--the thing that should not be, leper messiah, sanitarium, just to name a few of them on that album alone)are not even about war in the first place... it may be better not to call him a pacifist, or pro-war... just let Hetfield be Hetfield

One was based off of the book [Johnny Got His Gun]], a strong anti-war novel. However, remember the times they wrote that song in. This was back in the 1980s, heavy rock about death and warfare was hardcore and badass (it still is, IMO). It was part of the Metallica image. (USMA2010 22:24, 17 October 2006 (UTC))

I would say he's closest to being a libertarian. The "...And Justice For All" album is the most political of their albums. A lot of it is about government corruption and abuses of power. MrMurph101 21:51, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I think I remember a playboy interview where he said he wouldn't vote Democrat because quote "I don't want anyone to take my guns away". I can't speak for his political beliefs, but I think that he is pro-death penalty, anti-gun control, and apparently anti-war given how his lyrics portray war. Cronos12390 11:48, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

During an interview on Live Earth James stated he dislikes both Democrats and Republicans because of them being politicians '[...] and politicians only get in the way'. Of course this is only the very recent news. --Dharion 20:30, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that in the official Metallica magzine "So What!?" James said that he tends to lean more to the left. i've got the issue somewhere in my room. It might also be in the book "So What!?" which basicaly just takes the highlights of the magazine. if i find it I'll get back to you. 71.174.94.2 22:58, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Well fans tell the story of buying a KKK knife from a Neo-Nazi in the early 1990s, he also made racist remarks on the Video/DVD Live Sh**t and also (along with other suspected Neo-Nazi Jason Newsted) gave Nazi salutes during Am I Evil performances during the late 80s early 90s. So theres a hint. His cars sport lots of Iron Crosses, he has been seen wearing an SS helmet whilst riding his bikes and has an Iron Cross guitar. Not a positive reflection on his politics.

11 Months in Rehab!!?

I have changed the 11months in Rehab to 9 months. If you watch the MTV Icon - Metallica program, they tell you that after "9" months of Rehab james came back, and bla bla ...

somebody edit this!

There is quite a bit of abuse on this article about James using his penis to perform homosexual acts of other members of his band and fans etc. Admin needs to lock this article and edit it out... Didn't know how else to bring this to attention. Thanks

• Hi, the defamatory content was vandalism by 216.20.52.2. I've already reverted the article to a previous revision. --KFP (talk | contribs) 14:19, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

Someone has also defaced the beginning of the personal life section.

About his turbulent relationship with religion

What religion were his parents and why did their religion teach not to take medical treatment? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.136.57.119 (talk) 01:06, 13 March 2007 (UTC).

They were Christian Scientists. As I understand it, one of the teachings of Christian Science is that every person, being created by God in his own image, is perfect, and that "sickness" is something brought on by sin, being unsure of your faith, etc., and that if you pray, atone for your sins, or reassure yourself of your faith your "sickness" will go away. Seeking medical treatment would essentially be admitting that you're unsure of your faith and God's power, which obviously his parents wouldn't do. intooblv 14:44, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Children?

Does Hetfield have any children? I read the whole article and it says nothing about it. If there is please tell me or write that in the article. Thanks. Pro Game Master87 09:34, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Look at the official site--Andysoft 07:18, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

James HETFIELD Technics

I am a guitar beginner and,like every Metallica fan, wanted to learn from James HETFIELD. Wathing him playing in concerts, i wonder how he can change from clean to distorsion sounds by only tuning his guitar . But, on the internet, it's written, in some fans websites that he uses pedals to do that. Can anyone confirm me his use of one of the two technics above ? Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bartez999 (talk • contribs) 01:57, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Are you nuts?! 172.142.152.191 (talk) 13:26, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Personal life

The section Personal Life in the article has the following info that confuses me:

He put his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro up for sale on eBay, with the proceeds going to a Music for Schools program. The car was used in the video for "I Disappear" and was given to him as a gift upon the video's completion. Years later, James donated the car to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

It says he put the car on Ebay with the proceeds going to a charity. I assume because there are proceeds that the car was sold. The last sentence states he donated the car. How could he donate it if he sold it for charity? --Rockfang (talk) 02:37, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps maybe he was given a second after the video was shot, which he then donated? I'm not sure. ArdClose (talk) 13:36, 24 December 2007

He could not have. The sentence refers to it as "the car", wich means that its the same one. 69.18.107.48 (talk) 06:56, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Residing

The personal life section says he resides in Novato, then goes on to say he resides in Belvedere. Which is it? ArdClose (talk) 13:35, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Picture

Could someone please replace the picture of James Hetfield with a more recent photo if there is such a photo. Thank you. 69.18.107.48 (talk) 06:58, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

What are you on about? It looks pretty recent to me. Even if it's not, the picture is fine.--Jeff79 (talk) 08:58, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, in your opinion it is, but its been there for months and its always good to keep it current. 69.18.107.85 (talk) 06:34, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

i wish they had an older one because he looks so lame and bad with short hair.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.225.25.37 (talk) 23:26, 28 February 2008 (UTC) 

Hairdo

Maybe we need a timeline of hairdo and beard. :-) David.Monniaux (talk) 18:32, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

Flying v

i have seen many places that the white flying v ho owns is a cheep copy he bought for about 200$ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.199.144.18 (talk) 19:43, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Copied Content

I just wanted to point out that many sentences (and sometimes entire paragraphs) seem to be copy/pasted directly from the James Hetfield bio on metallica.com. i.e. - He was 9 years old when he first took piano lessons before taking on brother David's drums and finally picking up a guitar in his pre-teens. (from http://www.metallica.com/Band/james.asp). The interests section also looks like it's been cut and pasted with only a few minor changes Bookbaby2004 (talk) 10:09, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

Dear James Hetfield