The following in an excerpt taken from the December 2012 issue of Guitar World. For the full story, as well as features on the Beatles, Maroon 5, Bring Me the Horizon and more, pick up the issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.
If you made a horror film about Metallica, which monster would play each band member?
I would be a vampire, because they’re stealth, lurk in the shadows, and appear and disappear. There’s also a goth element to vampires that I really like, which doesn’t exist in werewolves, the Frankenstein monster or the mummy. James [Hetfield] would probably enjoy being a Frankenstein monster…but then again maybe not! Rob [Trujillo] would definitely be a werewolf, because he’s already halfway there in appearance. [laughs] And Lars [Ulrich] would probably make a pretty good vampire, like myself.
What was the first collectible you had as a child?
When I was a kid the first collectible I got was the Aurora Frightening Lightning [Strikes] glow-in-the-dark Frankenstein monster. I wish I still had it. I had multiple copies of that model, because as a kid I would pour lighter fluid all over it and set it on fire, or blow it up with firecrackers, or tie parachutes to it and throw it off the roof… If anything, I still have that intent in me! [laughs]
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever collected?
Hmm... For a while I was collecting Satan and devil stuff—you know, anything that had to do with old Beelzebub or Lucifer. But I had to put the brakes on it, because there’s a lot of stuff out there, and the collection was just growing too quickly. As far as eclectic stuff, I went through a really big taxidermy phase where I collected lots of animals. I’ve since had to go through and sell off stuff, because not only does it take up a lot of room but also there are little critters that like to move into taxidermy. And it’s not my thing to have little critters moving around my house.
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For the full interview, pick up the December 2012 issue of Guitar World now in our online store. Kirk Hammett's new book, Too Much Horror Business: The Kirk Hammett Collection, is out now.
Brad is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor and video producer. He is the former content director of Revolver magazine and executive editor of Guitar World. His work has appeared in Vice, Guitar Aficionado, Inked and more. He’s also a die-hard Les Paul player who wishes he never sold his 1987 Marshall Silver Jubilee half stack.
