Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo: “I’m not like past members”

Rob Trujillo as a Metallica bassist just talks about his life. He has joined the band in February 2003. Nowadays, the band and his unknown and testing times of their careers.

In this new and fresh interview with Metal Hammer, he also shares his opinions for the old bassists. At this time, there’s a “Some Kind of Monster” documentary that comes out and shows the band toughest times. Since Trujillo joining the band he has performed on 2008’s “Death Magnetic” and 2016’s “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct” albums. However, he didn’t appear on “St. Anger” released the same year he joined the band. For this album, we also see last time producer Bob Rock with the Metallica.

Rob Trujillo shares his thoughts about Metallica and the old band members:

“Yeah, it seemed like James was walking a tightrope, on thin ice – he seemed very guarded and he had a lot of things going on in his personal life. Everything was according to a schedule. Now it just seems like he’s got his juju back. He’s sober of course but he’s got that Hetfield attitude that’s confident and powerful and creative, but he’s also very inspired by ideas that I’ll have.”

Then he talks about old bassists:

“I have the utmost respect for Jason and Cliff, and what I love about Cliff is where he was coming from as a bass player in this genre of music, metal, he had a real voice and he was speaking with his instrument. Very melodic, this wonderful stage presence… he was just a very unique individual and very talented, obviously.

Jason Newsted offered a more meat and potatoes kind of vibe to the band. Jason’s a leader in his own way and I think that’s captured life. But I think that can be a critical thing when it comes to his contribution to the music. I wasn’t there, I don’t know how it played out, but we’re all different, and none of us, me or Jason, are trying to be Cliff. I’m not trying to be Jason. We’re our own entities, I just try to give everything I’ve got.”

He also answered the question: “What’s different on Metallica the one you joined in 2003?”:

“When Metallica get together and plugin they just turn into these big teenagers. It keeps the music exciting. That’s why I know the next phase is going to get even better; it feels like there’s something new happening right now with us.

You always have to hit those walls and barriers, with age things happen and in the world of Metallica, around St Anger, that’s what happened. Now that I feel like I’m in the band I feel like there’s a lot of unity and we share a lot of the same kinds of interests. I can ask them about how to change a diaper and what happens in the terrible twos, you know, potty training…”

You can watch the amazing bass skills from Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo below.