PRH:

I am glad to hear that you had a great time at your first METALLICA concert. I have been a fan right since album number one --- their very first-ever concert in Buffalo was at a bar called ROOFTOPS in the spring of 1983.

However, here is a little bit of an inside story about Jason Newstead, which is absolutely true by the way:

When Lars Ulrich started bitching about NAPSTER, he alienated many people, including his bass player Jason Newstead. Their split was over the fact of how that band became popular in the mid 1980's --- which was through the cassette tape traders network, the NAPSTER of its' day. In fact, it was through this very trader's network where I first heard of the band, way before the release of their first album KILL 'EM ALL.

Before the release of their first album, they had made quite a stir with the song HIT THE LIGHTS which appeared on a metal compilation album. The name of that album was METAL MASSACRE I --- which is now a much sought after collector's item So, even before they released their first album --- they knew they had a built-in audience who was looking for more, more, more.

With this being the fact of their initial impact with their fans, myself included, I just could not personally stomach Lars' comments about how NAPSTER was ripping them off.

I no longer consider myself a fan of theirs, and although I have a large collection of their music, I do not and have not listened to any of it since Lars' NAPSTER proclaimations.

This brings us to Jason Newstead . . .

Jason joined the band after the tragic death of original bass player Cliff Burton in a bus accident --- and it is NOT hyperbole for me to say that Cliff was the JIMI HENDRIX of the bass guitar. He WAS that good!

Although Jason never made any comments publicly regarding the nature of his disagreement with the band, I can and will tell you that being such a fan as I was, I did have access to some of their inner-goings on. I cannot tell you in a public forum the nature of that access, however, I can verify that the true nature of Jason leaving the band had to do with the same disagreement I had with them --- NAPSTER.

However, just let me say that Jason's PUBLIC comments have not jived with his PRIVATE comments, and let's just leave it at that.

However, upon leaving METALLICA, Jason joined the OZZY OSBOURNE band. The future of OZZY as a performance artist is still in question, after an ATV accident he had where he nearly died. Upon viewing the newest episodes of THE OSBOURNES that are currently making the rounds on MTV --- I can say how sad it is to see how severely injured he was.

I too have been a fan of OZZY and BLACK SABBATH since the original release of PARANOID in 1970. What can I say, I had some very cool aunts and uncles when I was growing up, and they turned me onto all kinds of great music. Music I still enjoy to this very day.

So, this is the true story about what happened with Jason Newstead --- irregardless of what it might say up on the band's website.

There is a METALLICA documentary that has just been released, entitled SOME KIND OF MONSTER. I received an e-mail from someone who was part of the production of that documentary, and he has told me that it contains many interesting moments --- including their time at counselling sessions --- where DAVE MUSTAINE (the band's original lead guitarist and now leader of MEGADETH) was yelling at the top of his lungs about how Lars ruined his life by kicking him out of the band.

It might be worth seeing just for THAT alone!

P.S. - PRH, if you want more details about Jason, please write me privately!

KDB = Buffalo, NY USA