PRIMUS' Les Claypool On Auditioning For METALLICA - "They Knew I Wasn't The Guy When I Walked In The Door"
June 10, 2011, 13 years ago
Greg Prato recently spoke with PRIMUS singer/bassist Les Claypool for Rolling Stone. An excerpt follows:
Q: What do you remember about your METALLICA tryout in '86?
A: "I remember it being extraordinarily loud. I didn't realize Metallica was as big as they were. I just thought it was my buddy Kirk's band – we went to high school together. I wasn't really following metal. For me, at the time, metal was like the old JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS records we used to listen to in high school. And BLACK SABBATH. I wasn't into metal – I was into a whole other space, like, experimental music. So when I went in and there was this kind of "air of royalty" to these guys from their caretakers, it was a little strange. It wasn't off-putting; it just made me realize, 'Maybe this is a bigger thing than I thought'. But it was loud. I remember being told by Kirk to turn down."
Q: Remember which songs you played?
A: "'Master Of Puppets' and 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'. I didn't know that the intro of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' was the bass! [Laughs] So they're waiting for me to start it, and I'm just looking at them. I think that's when James knew… well, they knew I wasn't the guy when I walked in the door. I had two different colored tennis shoes on, skater pants, and a blonde Mohawk. I didn't fit – they were all in black. There's a reason why I didn't get the gig."
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