METALLICA Bassist On Touring Australia: 'We Feel Privileged And Honored To Be Here Again'

The Australian branch of MTV recently conducted an interview with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MTV: So why did your band choose to put out an EP of live performances from Australia instead of many other regions?

Robert: To be completely honest, I don't know why we chose to put out the live productions from Australia. You know, it’s fitting us being down here and it’s been a while, a few years. I gotta say this — I think we are a much better band than when we were here in 2004, so I hope people don't critique what they hear, but it's a way for us to show the people of Australia we are excited to be here and we want to give them a little something... I love surfing, I love the lifestyle here in Australia and as a band we are very excited to be here.

MTV: Your EP "Six Feet Down Under" covers a bunch of past METALLICA shows, some of which weren't even recorded by you. How did it feel to discover the huge network of bootlegs of the past?

Robert: I have only heard maybe three or four of the tracks and obviously some of it is very raw, and I guess there is a magic in that… But that is the beauty of METALLICA; we are ready to deliver warts and all. I mean, we are not trying to hide anything — I think it's good people can experience the past and the present, and maybe the next time we are here we will give them something for the future… who knows?!

MTV: And the EP covers the "St. Anger" tour. How has the tour changed for you since the last time you were here?

Robert: I really, honestly think that we have matured. We made "Death Magnetic" together, we experienced the whole process of recording as a team and being creative and also [producer] Rick Rubin in our camp, so we've had a lot of fun. We've all had a lot of children born in the last few years so the life experiences alone are really special. We feel privileged and honored to be here again and we are ready to kick some ass and I think people will have a good time.

MTV: Joining the band late in its career can be tough. Is there anything you would do differently? And are there things about the other members of METALLICA that still surprise you?

Robert: You know, when I first joined the band, it was a fragile camp. Things were definitely in a positive direction, but I think James Hetfield [guitar, vocals] was still pretty fragile coming out of the rehab and all the stuff that was going on in his life. And when we got into recording "Death Magnetic", I noticed a big difference from the "St. Anger" days. He was just a lot looser, kind of a funner spirit. Before it was kind of like walking on eggshells. Everything was according to a schedule so if you were ten minutes late, you would get the death look or you would have to have a meeting about it, and for me, coming in as the new guy… I was living in Los Angeles at the time and relocating and all that it was a lot to take in, learning all the songs… Now it's like he has got his juju back, his fire. "Death Magnetic", for him, was a major accomplishment. He was very focused and we had a lot of fun in the process and it's just great to be with these guys now and he is so excited to be here.

Read the entire interview at this location.

Photo below courtesy of MetOnTour.com