News Segment

METALLICA’S LARS ULRICH RESPONDS TO DAVE MUSTAINE ATTACK:

July 12, 2004

There are two sides to every story–and the Metallica/Megadeth rivalry is certainly no exception. The latest chapter in the decade-and-a-half saga has been the new Metallica film, Some Kind Of Monster–or, more accurately, a certain scene in the film in which Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich sits down to hash out hard feelings with guitarist Dave Mustaine, who had been fired from the band in the early years and went on to form Megadeth.

Last week, news broke that the new issue of Record Collector magazine would feature comments from Mustaine, who called the inclusion of the scene a “final betrayal,” as he had asked the band to cut it from the finished film.

Lars Ulrich tells LAUNCH that he has no idea why Mustaine is complaining: “The only thing I can say is, I myself felt that when I saw some of the scenes, individually and out of context, they were awkward. But playing in the context of the movie, I think it flows very well. And I hope that he gets a chance to see the film, or sneak in and see it, or somebody sends him a copy, maybe he’ll feel different about it.”

Ulrich also tells LAUNCH that the scene was accurate: “It’s a pretty accurate representation of what went on in the room that night. Look, I don’t know–we send him a copy of the scene, and he asked us if we would not put that in the movie. And we sat down and really respected his inquiry, and we decided it was too integral a part of the movie to leave out. And we kept asking, ‘Why?,’ and ‘Is there anything…?’ Look, I can’t tell you. I haven’t spoken to him since that day.”

Ulrich says Mustaine’s on-camera outburst was shocking: “I was stunned by the fact that when he looked back on his 15 years of being in a very successful hard rock band called Megadeth, that the main thing that he saw in that rear-view mirror was Metallica. It just stunned me.”

Ulrich says that–despite what Mustaine might be saying–he has positive feelings for his former bandmate: “Look, I’ve always had a soft spot for him. I’ve always thought he was very gifted, and kind of a sweetheart. And we’ve had some good moments over the years. But I was glad that we had an opportunity to throw some of that stuff onto the table. Especially for him, because he just needed to get some of that stuff out there.”

Lars says the air isn’t clear yet: “Well, James wasn’t there. So that was a big part of it. I think I’ve always been a little bit more forgiving than James, and I think I was more forgiving of Dave than James was, especially early on. So I think that James and Dave have some stuff that they kinda have to wind through.”

Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster is in theaters in New York and San Francisco, Metallica’s hometown.

Courtesy of Launch