You can't just put any four people together and it goes 'yaaaaah', y'know?

I play the real instruments. I don't waste my time with anything else.

When I came into Metallica, I had to do justice to Cliff's work, but I also had to put my own signature on it. No one could be Cliff Burton; Cliff Burton was the Jimi Hendrix of bass.

You can't just put any four people together and it goes 'yaaaaah', y'know?

Metallica is going to be one of those bands you look back on in the year 2008, that people will still listen to the way I still listen to Zeppelin and Sabbath albums.

It all has to do with art - writing, painting, things I’ve done for a long time but just never had enough time to pursue. I have poetry - things that are designed for songs, but they’re always poems first.

I tell you very honestly, 1 billion percent, I have never regretted leaving Metallica.