When Metallica and Iggy Pop were announced for the three sold-out Foro Sol stadium shows in Mexico City during early March, Steffan Chirazi got Lars Ulrich and Iggy Pop together for an interview/chat.

Says Chirazi: “I made it a priority to work on getting Lars and Iggy to sit down for a So What!-style casual-yet-detailed chat whilst we were all in Mexico City. It was far easier than I anticipated. Within 20 seconds of mentioning the idea to Lars, he had responded with a roared, “Fuck yeah.” Soon afterward, Iggy’s manager Henry McGroggan cheerfully told us Iggy would be happy to do it, happy to do photos with Ross Halfin, and happy for us to film the proceedings. I can tell you, such things are not always as easy. That it was spoke volumes not just for Pop, but also for Lars (the two knew each other) as well as the respect that Pop holds for Metallica.”

An excerpt from the interview follows:

Steffan Chirazi: “So to start things off, when you first heard this bill put forward, what were your initial thoughts on the other artist?”

Lars Ulrich: “Well, this came on my radar right after Iggy and I were hanging out in San Francisco last year, right?”

Iggy Pop: “You came to the gig, yeah.”

Lars Ulrich: “I was very welcomed in and we ended up having dinner together. There was some wine to be had and there were lots of jolly spirits and good vibes. And within a couple of months of that, as these shows were coming together, we’d had a really deep relationship with these people here [in Mexico] for decades, and we wanted to really put something out there that was a statement. So they suggested that you come and join us and, I mean, I hadn’t even read the whole email before I just replied, “Fuck, yeah, bring it on.” It seemed like it would be such an opportunity to not only ride on the good energy from San Francisco but to just make a statement; any time Metallica can do something that’s a little unexpected and gets a chance to experience something that the four members of Metallica really support, we throw it out there, “All right, boys and girls out there, check this out.” So it was what we, Metallica, call a no brainer to have this pairing happen, absolutely.”

Steffan Chirazi: “And for you Iggy, you hear the word Metallica and what do you think of playing with them?”

Iggy Pop: “I thought, “Wow, yeah, okay.” It took that long, like one second, and it was because it’s a good band... I kinda understate these things. There are only a few. Most of ‘em are not so good. This is a good band, so I wondered if I could play with them, I felt like that was a really good place for me. And then also coincidentally I had just done a South American tour that I really wanted to do, and I wasn’t able to get Mexico in. Yo tenía casita aquí por quince años. I had a home here in Baja California for a long time; I made a lot of friends here. I speak a little Spanish poorly, you know. And it was just really important to me. And I’ve always loved DF [Distrito Federal, former Mexico City moniker – ED], I’ve always loved this town; it’s a really special place. So that was that. And then later it hit me, “I’m gonna open for Metallica.” So you know, “What’s gonna happen to me?” You know? Will I be eaten? Like, be eaten by a horde of cannibals.” [Laughing]

Lars Ulrich: “Now we’re gonna come for ya, ha ha!”

The lengthy interview can be found in full at Metallica.com. Check out some video footage from the interview below: