Bro… brofessional, really?!
Jason Newsted is back in the public eye with his new band called Newsted (I think you can figure out how they got the name). They recently released a new track, and a full EP named Metal (in case you're wondering the genre of the music) comes out this Tuesday, January 8th.
Newsted is giving interviews promoting the new venture and was asked by Metal Shrine recently about an imaginary scenario where current Metallica bassist, and Newsted's replacement, Robert Truijillio broke his leg and the band came to him to rejoin the fold, would he do it. Here is the scenario Newsted laid out for him to be back in the fold:
If they were cool and they were bros. Actually, here´s the word, if they were brofessional about it and if they came as my brothers and they were professional with the meeting and they called the meeting and they´re sitting there and looking me in the eye and the managers aren´t around and we´re doing this as we used to do every fucking thing, with just us and then the managers did what we told them to do… if it was like that again and the money was crazy, then I would consider it.
No need to go inventing words, Jason. We get it, if they came to you without the legal mumbo jumbo. Anyway, he continued:
I would consider it, but it would be only for that thing and it would to be absolutely delegated and it would have to be these 30 shows in these 45 days for this squillion dollars, then I would say most likely I would come and crush every fucker in my sight. But it has to be that.
Squillion is not a numerical value, Jason. Newsted is credited playing bass on the black album, one of the highest selling records of all time. He really never has to work again if he doesn't want to. He went on to make it clear that he has no problems with the band and will defend Metallica to the death:
I love those guys and I always will and I will defend them to the end of time. I don´t dig it when people talk shit about them and I don´t dig it when they put them down about certain music they didn´t like that they did or whatever. Fuck those people! As soon as the people can put out a better album than Metallica, you let me know and I´ll listen to it, but until that time, just back off! I don´t come and tell you how shitty you´re doing your accountant job or whatever, you know what I mean. I don´t like that part, but I´ll always have respect for those guys because they gave me my chance, ok. They gave me my chance and I´ll never ever forget that.
Also interesting, is he defends being hazed by the band when first entering the fold:
Now, we´ve had our differences over time but that shit is under the bridge a long time ago. The shit that has transpired in the last 10 years of the rumors stuff and “Oh, Jason got treated so bad. Poor fucking Jason.” and everything, it´s such shit! It´s so wrong and it´s not the truth and it really bothers me. I understand that it gets sensationalized and blah, blah, blah. What I try to say man is trainloads, trainloads of joy, accomplishments and wonderful experiences and one little, tiny fucking symbol full of shit. It was joyous and victorious and accomplishing things and setting the fucking standard, you know what I mean? People go “Oh, he got treated bad and he got hazed those first couple of times.”. No shit! You think they´re just gonna let any fucker come into the biggest band in the world? Hello! And people go “Oh, he was just a fan boy that got lucky.”, but could you maybe tell me one of the 52 people that auditioned that wasn´t a Metallica fan? The 52 that tried out for bass that wasn´t a Metallica fan? If you could find one in that bunch, I´d like to meet him! But any of those people that would´ve gotten the gig would´ve been a fan too. Come around to your senses, man!
They had a big thing going and they knew they had a big thing going and they just lost their great teacher and friend, the guy that taught James how to play guitar harmonies. Do I need to say more? Come on! He taught him to play the guitar shit that he does now that made the magic of all the songs. The guy was just taken away from them and they throw some other guy in some 25 days later and it´s like “Oh, yeah! Let´s just be peachy and everything and here we go!”. Come on, man! If I was in their shoes I would´ve greased me a lot more than they did. People need to really get some perspective on that.
Personally, I don't ever really see Truijillo deciding the leave the band, so a scenario like this does not seem very probable, but it's good to know Newsted would be cool with it.
