Kirk Hammett
Kirk Hammett
Kirk Lee Hammettis the lead guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stone's list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2009, Hammett was ranked number 15 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth18 November 1962
CountryUnited States of America
Kirk Hammett quotes about
I went through a whole blues period in the Nineties, and that had some influence on 'Load' and 'ReLoad.'
For me, one of the most perfect times to watch a horror movie is when it's cold and raining outside and there's pretty much no outdoor activity to be done. It kind of sets the mood.
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.
Guitar players in the nineties seem to be reacting against the technique oriented eighties.
When you're first starting out, there's always the temptation to hide behind distortion because it lets you get away with murder. But, when it comes to rhythm work, you've gotta back off that gain control a bit, especially if you're playing with another guitarist.
The movie 'Black Cat,' from 1934, is one of my favorite movies.
It really shocked me just to hear of the fans' response to 'St. Anger' not having guitar solos.
It's definitely true that Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of my all-time favorite guitarists.
We never see ourselves as being on a higher level than our fans.
I was really, really wild in my early twenties and a bit self-destructive.
The main riff for 'SandMan' was just something I wrote one night.
Jeff Beck is one of my heroes and has been since I first picked up a guitar.
One of my favorite horror films of the Nineties was 'Event Horizon.'
I've learned that there's a signature Metallica sound, and if we stray too far from that, our fans get impatient, or they just don't understand, or they miss the point. And I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing; it's just something we have to contend with.