Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo recently spoke with Toby Morse in a new interview and reflected on stepping in to replace Jason Newsted.
Regarding the pressure of fan expectations and criticism, Trujillo explained: “As far as all of that that you’re talking about the pressures, you have to remove it. You have to go, ‘You know what? They want me in this band. I’m experienced and I’ve played with everyone from Ozzy to Suicidal Tendencies. So I have the confidence in what I do and I’m not taking anything for granted. I want to improve and grow with these guys but I’m not going to listen to what’s being said and whatever. I respect Jason and I respect Cliff [Burton].'”
He also mentioned some of the fans who were unhappy with the band’s new lineup. “The first tour I did, I remember everybody, for the most part, was cool, but occasionally you get one guy that’s giving you the finger. You get something weird like that, and it makes you feel uncomfortable. There’s like 20,000 people, and there’s one guy, and he’s doing that, and you’re just fixated on that one guy.”
Trujillo recalled an incident in Los Angeles where a man with gang ties caused tension. “I had a guy in LA actually who was like a gang banger and James had said Rob Trujillo from the West Side Venice!’ All of a sudden I started hearing some people go ‘Yeah,’ and then I heard some people go ‘Boo, what’s up?’ Then I was getting hit up. Nobody knew except me but I was looking at this one guy and he had his bandana and he was throwing signs at me and sh*t. I was just fixated on that energy. So whether it was like a guy who whatever didn’t like that I was Hispanic and over in like Indiana or some sh*t because it did happen a couple of times. I mean, it hasn’t happened since 2003.”
It has been over two decades since Trujillo joined Metallica, but his audition almost didn’t go as planned.
It was a two-day audition, but the first day was more fly-on-the-wall,” Trujillo shared in a clip from Beneath the Bassline documentary. “Bob Rock had already recorded bass guitar and he was also producing ‘St Anger,’ so I’m just there at the studio watching guitar tracks go down.”
Metallica’s M72 World Tour is ongoing, and their final performance of the year will take place in Los Angeles, California, on December 12 for the All Within My Hands Helping Hands concert and auction.
