Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo discussed the band’s collaboration album with Lou Reed, Lulu, in a new Clash Music interview. Trujillo was asked about the metal scene resenting Metallica’s growth.
“Well, yes and no. Yes, because I know what you’re talking about, and I know that the Metallica fan can think in a confining way – and I don’t mean that in an insulting way; I mean that, in a way, sometimes it almost feels like they want to own us and every creative move that we make. Sometimes it’s not ever good enough. But, again, going back to what I was saying where it’s like we really do what we want to do and what we feel, and I think that’s what makes this band really special: challenging ourselves and not being confined, you know? And, again, just playing from the heart and being passionate. And, hey, sometimes it’s not what people are going to like so much, and sometimes it is, you know? The Lou Reed album is a classic example of that; Metallica fans kinda hated that album, but then you had people like David Bowie and Ian Astbury from The Cult, who thought that it was the best thing ever.”
He later added, “It was challenging. Lou was a character, you know? He had a certain type of personality that you could either let it get under your skin, if you wanted to, or you could kinda look at it like, ‘Man, this guy is super cool. He’s ballsy, he doesn’t take any shit.’ In a way, I feel like he opened some doors for us. He’s all about improv and capturing a moment of magic, first takes and stuff like that. So, with that said, I know that I learned a lot from him, and there was definitely some classic magical moments in that session that are just too hard to explain, where the stars aligned within a song and a creative moment. Again, that’s something for us internally that we digest and we appreciate, and if people feel the same magic, that’s totally awesome, and if they don’t, well, that’s okay too; they can always go back and listen to what they like about this band.”
