He says it is from the physical abuse of playing with the band for so many years. I wonder what abuse he refers to? Maybe he has arthritis developing in his hands? Or was he just partying too much and wants to settle down? Either way...as a part-time Metallica fan, it is lousy news as I really liked Jason. He wasn't better than their first bassist but he was a formidable replacement. I wonder who they get to replace him? Let's not turn this thread into a "Metallica is pop" and "old Metallica rules" thread because, quite frankly, I don't care what Metallica music you like....only that you like any of it at all to give a rat's ass about Jason leaving. Surf ------------------
Lars probably caught him using Napster and fired him. ------------------ "I have to say, I don't understand why these Rockets' fans are booing Scottie." -Calvin Murphy
Say it ain't so Surfguy!! ------------------ "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi
Man, the grind of the road is brutal. Consider poor health from bad food, tendenitis from playing, lack of sleep, torn up knees from running around on stage and jumping, etc., etc. It is a very tough and demanding life espeically when you tour as incessantly as Metallica. ------------------ I am very very sleepy.
I like the music, i dont get why LArs is being such an ass about Napster specially since boot leg tapes basically helped propel metallica in to superstardom. i spect to get flamed for this, its just my 2 cents. ------------------ The next time I have meat and mashed potatoes, I think I'll put a very large blob of potatoes on my plate with just a little piece of meat. And if someone asks me why i didn't get more meat, ill just say, "Oh, you mean this?" and pull out a big piece of meat from inside the blob of potatoes, where ive hidden it. Good magic trick, huh?
LOL ------------------ Francis out top, 9 seconds on the clock, he gives a no look pass to Cuttino Mobley, 4 seconds left, Mobley passes to an open Langhi in the corner with 1 second left! Langhi at the buzzer.......YES!!! How Sweet It Is!!
I've loved Metallica since the first Garage Days. I never saw them until they came to Texas Stadium last year, and DAMN were they bad ass! Newstead's energy was contagious. I've never seen a bassist with the energy he had. He fronted most of their songs, as James threw his back out and couldn't perform. Jason, you are awesome and you will be sorely missed. Here is the email I received: STATEMENT FROM THE MEMBERS OF METALLICA Metallica regrets to announce that after 14 years as Metallica's bass player, Jason Newsted has chosen to leave the band. Jason Newsted: "Due to private and personal reasons, and the physical damage that I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love, I must step away from the band. This is the most difficult decision of my life, made in the best interest of my family, myself, and the continued growth of Metallica. I extend my love, thanks, and best wishes to my brothers: James, Lars, and Kirk and the rest of the Metallica family, friends, and fans whom have made these years so unforgettable." Newsted joined Metallica from Flotsam And Jetsam in the fall of 1986 after the tragic death of bassist Cliff Burton. He participated in the recording of 6 Metallica albums: And Justice for All, Metallica, Load, Re-Load, Garage Inc.,and S&M, which have sold over 55 million copies worldwide to date. In addition, he played on numerous worldwide tours to millions of fans representing over 1000 gigs in all. While with Metallica, the band won countless awards including 5 Grammy Awards and 2 MTV Video Music Awards. James Hetfield: "Playing with someone who has such unbridled passion for music will forever be a huge inspiration. On stage every night, he was a driving force to us all, fans and band alike. His connection will never be broken." Lars Ulrich: "We part ways with Jason with more love, more mutual respect, and more understanding of each other than at any other point in the past. James, Kirk and I look forward to embracing the next chapter of Metallica with both a huge amount of appreciation for the last 14 years with Jason and the excitement of rising to the challenges that lay ahead to make Metallica shine brighter than ever." In the spring, Metallica will begin writing and recording a new studio album with release sometime in late 2001 or early 2002. Kirk Hammett: "Jason is our brother. He will be missed." ------------------ "Salt Lake City, Utah. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany." --Olaju-Won Kenobi, to young jedi Steve (Fran)'chiseWalker
I too am saddened by Newsted's absence. No one could scream "Die!" during Creeping Death like him. But despite his energy during live performances, I don't think Metallica fans are going to miss Jason's presence that much. He never really had any say in the writing of the music, simply because he couldn't write music. And it is apparent through watching any videos you might see of Metallica when they are not performing for a crowd, that he never really fit in with the group. I predict that Metallica signs a new bassist who is much more similar to good ol' Cliff than Jason, simply so they can have someone who helps them write music, instead of just screaming it live. I wish Jason would take Lars with him. ------------------ "Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it!" Homer Simpson
Nomar, we've been all over this. I'm certainly not going to flame you but, as a musician with a stake in this, I'd like to respond as best I can. I don't give a rat's a** about Metallica. They make millions and aren't hurt by downloads. However, the comarison to bootleg tapes is really unfair because of the audience and the quality. Bootleg tapes are never in mass production like records and certainly don't have anywhere close to the audience found on the internet. Besides that, tapes are usually pretty poor quality in comparison to mass produced CD's (even the good one's) and the songs, while live, are 99.9% of the time songs that are already on record somewhere. Most people want the studio version AND the live version. It isn't like the snuck into the studio and got mixes of unreleased material and put it out. That, of course, would be copyright enfringement and would land the person in jail or at least in court. People like Metallica do not concern me in this process. The one's I worry about are the smaller artists - indie artists, fringe major label artists, etc. When you are unsigned, MP3's are a great vehicle to getting you heard. When you are multi-platinum seller, MP3's are just another way fans can get your music. When you only sell a couple hundred thousand CD's, MP3's can be the death of your career. Think of it this way. A survey done for Spin not long ago found that record sales dropped an average of 25% when Napster was up and running but, when they went down, sales went nearly back to normal. The problem is that 25% for some artists who make less than $30,000 per year as musicians can mean the difference between a continued career as a musician and taking a day job. That is bad for all of us because it eliminates so many possibilities. What if we lost 25% of the artists on labels? Do you think the Backstreet Boys and Brittany Spears of the world would be the one's dropped? Hell no! It would be bands like Metallica was before the release of And Justice for All. It would be half the really good bands we get to hear on occassion on the radio. I read something recently that stuck out to me. Of 12 artists signed to record deals, 10 lose money, 1 breaks even and 1 makes enough to cover the losses of all the others. That is the nature of the business. However, the record industry already spends less and less every year on helping those 10 to promote themselves and make money. They spend increasingly more time on the 1 that makes the big bucks and the 1 that breaks even. Places like Napster erode sales and create even more dropped artists. That means less variety of music for all of us and I consider that a very bad thing. I would love nothing more than to see the RIAA take its lumps given the ugly nature of the business, but I am realistic. I understand that the recording industry will just pass the losses on to the artists, which effects us and I don't want to see that happen. ------------------ I am very very sleepy.
I think they should all retire. Aren't we all sick of their new music anyway? Maybe they can tour with Dream and have a farewell send off . Plus, their concerts are all the same....just headbang away and watch the explosions and bad language. Blah blah blah. Screw 'em all. Surf ------------------
bummer.. i was at dallas show and he did a great job..Also i hope they continue to march on and continue to produce great music. ------------------ How Sweet It Is! How Sweet It Is! Gene Peterson on the rockets winning the 1995 championship over the Orlando Magic
You know, Jason was not exactly all that well liked among some of the band members. If you look at musical preferences, he is the most radical among the group, and I think that if he was giving his input into the writing of the songs, it most likely was not well received. I don't have to strain my imagination much to imagine a forced retirement from Metallica. I mean, who in the hell would leave Metallica! ------------------ "Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it!" Homer Simpson
