To celebrate the release of S&M², Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich spoke with GQ and took them back to the band’s very beginnings, from their first nail-biting show to the one piece of advice he lives by. Following is an excerpt from the interview. 

The first time you played in front of a live audience…

Lars: "Metallica is the only band I’ve ever been in and only musical experience I’ve ever really had, so the first show Metallica did was in March 1982. I was 18 and we were playing at a place called The Woodstock, which was a club in Anaheim, California. It was a Sunday and we were the only band playing on the bill that night. There were 50 or 100 people there, most of them, obviously, just our friends. Halfway through the first song our guitar player broke a string and the time he spent changing the string was, at the time, the longest period of time I’d ever experienced in my life, sitting up on stage trying to hide behind my drums and being severely uncomfortable."

The first time you got given a rider…

Lars: "It would have been in the early 1980s. They were obviously not particularly glamorous and they weren’t broken down into, you know, 'brown M&M’s not allowed,' which is the stuff of legends. It was a few bottles of water, Coca-Cola, a substantial amount of whatever beers were available in that particular town and towels. If we were lucky, maybe a bottle of vodka and a couple of sad packs of boloney or some other nasty lunch meat."

The first time you were given any really excellent advice…

Lars: "At some point in the 1980s or 1990s, it’s a bit blurry now, but our manager, Cliff [Burnstein], told me, 'Ask questions, be inquisitive. It’s a great way to connect to people. It helps shape a dialogue.' I’ve always been curious and I’ve always been interested. Asking questions for me is a natural thing, so I really took that to heart. In any kind of situation you’re in where you’re communicating with people, if you ask questions you will always walk away from that experience being in a better place. Obviously, you have to listen to the answers."

The first Metallica song that comes to mind as your all-time favourite...

Lars: "'Sad But True'. I  just love playing that song. I play it a little differently each time. I love the tempo and giving it a different interpretation every time I play it."

Read more here.

Metallica have released the video for "No Leaf Clover", from S&M²: Metallica And San Francisco Symphony Together Again. Live, out now. Watch the new clip below.

S&M² can be ordered in a number of formats. Get it here.

Tracklisting:

"The Ecstasy Of Gold"
"The Call Of Ktulu"
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"
"The Day That Never Comes"
"The Memory Remains"
"Confusion"
"Moth Into Flame"
"The Outlaw Torn"
"No Leaf Clover"
"Halo On Fire"
Intro to Scythian Suite
"Scythian Suite, Opus 20 II: The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Dark Spirits"
Intro to The Iron Foundry
"The Iron Foundry, Opus 19"
"The Unforgiven III"
"All Within My Hands"
"(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth"
"Wherever I May Roam"
"One"
"Master Of Puppets"
"Nothing Else Matters"
"Enter Sandman"

"No Leaf Clover" video:

"For Whom The Bell Tolls” video:

"Moth Into Flame" video:

"All Within My Hands" video:

"Nothing Else Matters" video:

Trailer: