Enter Night_ A Biography of Metallica - Mick Wall [239]
How would this newfound mutual understanding impact on his own creativity as a songwriter, I couldn’t help wondering. ’Cos that’s the big one, isn’t it? You get happy and suddenly you stop writing…
He laughed. ‘I think every person who goes through something like what I’ve gone through very much worries about that: “Well, that’s where my creativity has come from.” [But] the creativity, it will come from where it has to come from. It is the spark within that is the catalyst. Anything can be digested and be spat out, Metallica-like. When I’m happy, I’m writing the heaviest riff possible. When I’m feeling in a good place I pick up the guitar and I’ll write the fattest riff ever. So it’s quite the opposite, I must say. Being happy is not over-rated. But also, there will always be anger issues with me, no matter what. I have the tools to deal with them now. I can see past the moment into the next moment and not take things so personally. The forties have been the best so far for me, and it’s amazing how much better it could be from here. I don’t know if there is, but there always seems to be another cool piece of the puzzle revealed.’ He paused, then added: ‘I’m not gonna start writing about picking flowers now. I’m just not…’
Also by Mick Wall
Diary of a Madman – the Official Biography of Ozzy Osbourne
Guns N’Roses: the Most Dangerous Band in the World Pearl Jam
Run to the Hills: the Authorized Biography of Iron Maiden
Paranoid: Black Days with Sabbath & Other Horror Stories
Mr Big: Ozzy, Sharon and My Life as the Godfather of Rock, by Don Arden
XS All Areas: the Autobiography of Status Quo
John Peel – a Tribute to the Much-Loved DJ and Broadcaster
Bono – In the Name of Love W.A.R. the Unauthorised Biography of W. Axl Rose When Giants Walked the Earth – A Biography of Led Zeppelin Appetite for Destruction
Notes and Sources
The foundations of this book, in terms of quotes and the facts of the story so far as I have gleaned them, are based on my own original investigations, beginning with the various interviews and conversations over the years I have enjoyed with Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton, Ron McGovney and Jason Newsted, and many others, some of whom for private reasons do not wish to be named.
Those who agreed to be interviewed specifically for this book include Ron McGovney, Brian Slagel, Bob Nalbandian, Patrick Scott, Ron Quintana, Brian Tatler, Lemmy, Joey Vera, John Bush, Gary Holt, Jonny Z, Marsha Z, David Ellefson, William Hale, Jess Cox, Michael Alago, Martin Hooker, Gem Howard, Flemming Rasmussen, Geoff Tate, Bobby Schneider, Steve ‘Krusher’ Joule, Dave Thorne, Mike Clink, Alan Niven, Andres Serrano, Joel McIver, Alexander Milas, Xavier Russell, Geoff Barton, Malcolm Dome, Dante Bonutto and a handful of others who prefer not to be named.
Other voices that have provided me with invaluable information and insights over the years, through magazine and newspaper interviews but also from personal anecdotes or even chance remarks, include Jim Martin, Slash, Joe Satriani, Scott Ian, Dave Mustaine, Ozzy Osbourne, Big Mick Hughes, John Marshall, Peter Mensch, Cliff Burnstein, Ross Halfin, Brian ‘Pushead’ Schroeder, Rod Smallwood, Bob Rock, Fish, Huey Lewis, Dennis Stratton, Dave Murray, Robb Flynn, and again others who would prefer not to be mentioned here. I am indebted to all of them for their honesty and generosity of spirit. I have also spent a great deal of time over the years compiling as much background material as possible from as much published – and, in a few cases, unpublished – material as there is available, including books, magazine and newspaper articles,