Jason Newsted on the artist who “disrespected me the most”
After Cliff Burton’s tragic passing, Metallica auditioned over 50 potential new bassists. Jason Newsted showed up last and impressed the band with the one thing other players neglected to do: study the band’s music. Not only that, Newsted already knew their setlist, which gave him the edge and resulted in him being recruited for the position without question.
On the surface, everything that happened after Newsted’s arrival was exactly what the band could have ever hoped for—the person who had been dubbed ‘Master J Newkid’ soon became an integral part of the Metallic fabric, with the bassist himself crafting many riffs in well-known songs, including ‘Blackened’ and ‘My Friend of Misery’.
However, while there wasn’t ever any real question about Newsted’s capability, he ended up becoming central to much of the band’s frustrations, particularly James Hetfield, who often operated on intimidation and aggression when he wanted things done a certain way. As anyone would in that situation, Newsted felt belittled and, in turn, refused to back down.
The difference in Newsted’s case was that music was his be-all and end-all: in his own words, he shunned any prospect of other life experiences like marriage and having children so that he could dedicate everything he had to music and creativity. While he was, for the most part, happy to do this, it once resulted in an altercation that left both men with a bitter taste in their mouths.
While the band would take breaks following recording and touring, Newsted poured all of his energy into a project and presented it to Hetfield with all intentions of putting it out to their fans. However, Hetfield said no, creating bad blood between them. The conflict between the two had already been bubbling, but it came to a head during an argument about Newsted’s other project, Echobrain.
According to Newsted, the argument occurred because “my dedication was being questioned”. Hetfield allegedly insinuated that Newsted’s distraction from Metallica was detrimental to the band, and so he felt stuck in between the two. “The person I respected the most disrespected me the most,” the bassist said, not appreciating Hetfield’s attempt at maintaining control.
In the face of Hetfield’s rage, Newsted explained that the urge to stand up for himself “hit me in the head like a brick” had he made the big decision to depart from the band, once and for all. However, Hetfield wouldn’t be too far behind, as he would soon take a leave of absence to check into rehab following a long battle with alcohol abuse.
