Born on 3 August: James Hetfield, controversial leader of Metallica
A libertarian and a gun enthusiast, the singer and guitarist of Metallica is a polarising figure. More than 40 years after his thunderous debut, he still loves heavy metal just as much...
Born in 1963 in Downey, California, James Hetfield celebrates his 61st birthday on 3 August. But his venerable age doesn't seem to affect his love of decibels.
Whether it's the German Scorpions with "Still Loving You", Aerosmith and their 1980 "Dream On" or Guns'n Roses with the epic 9 minutes of "November Rain", almost every heavy metal band has sacrificed at least once to the exercise of the ballad, often with dripping violins, often with an unquenchable heartbreak but always, at one time or another, with a guitar solo from behind the gaggles.
On their second album, "Ride The Lightning", in 1984, Metallica took up the exercise with a vitamin-packed ballad that was to become a hallmark of their repertoire, alongside the trash and speed metal that remained their trademark.
In fact, like most of his hairy brethren (when they were young at least), James Hetfield had his greatest success with 'Nothing Else Matters', on the eponymous album (nicknamed 'The Black Album') in 1991, which remains a stand-out track in the band's repertoire.
Like Deep Purple with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1999, Metallica also teamed up with musicians more accustomed to scores by Verdi or Wagner than electric guitars. The same year as the creators of "Smoke On The Water", Metallica dared to marry beauty and the beast by teaming up with Michael Kamen, at the head of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Satisfied with the result, Metallica repeated the experience on 18 January 2017 in Beijing with star pianist Lang Lang...
A staunch Libertarian (like Elon Musk) and a great collector of vintage American cars, James Hetfield also has a series of less pleasing foibles, among which his penchant for the bottle is but a trifle. A keen hunter, he is a staunch supporter of the NRA (National Rifle Association) and the gun lobby in general. To top it all off, he has on several occasions claimed to be in favour of the death penalty. Nobody's perfect ...
(AK - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: James Hetfield with Metallica at the Heavy Sound Festival in Poperinge (Belgium), 10 June 1984 (© Etienne Tordoir)
In August, Metallica will be touring North America. Some dates:
August 4 : Gillette Stadium - Foxborough (MA) - USA August 9/11 : Soldier Field (IL) - USA August 16/18 : Bank Stadium (MN) - USA August 23/25 : Commonwealth Stadium - Edmonton (AB) - Canada August 30 : Lumen Field - Seattle (WA) - USA September 1 : Lumen Field - Seattle (WA) - USA September 20/22/29 : Foro Sol - Mexico City - Mexico December 13 : You Tube Theater - Los Angeles - USA
