>> Taking a swing at Metallica’s new bassist

by JOHNSON CUMMINS
Montreal Mirror
Jul 17-23.2003

Interviewing new Metallica bass player Rob Trujilo is just like hearing your staple "after the trade" baseball interview - a lot of "I just want to play the best I can with these guys," chatter about "communication" and "focusing." But check this out and tell me it doesn’t sound the back of baseball trading card. Previous Metallica bass player Jason Newsted leaves the band and goes down to the minors when he joins his idols, Montreal’s Voivod. Former bush leaguer (when he was with Suicidal Tendencies) Rob Trujilo quits his current gig with big leaguer Ozzy and switches teams when he joins heavy hitters Metallica. Coach Ozzy retaliates and calls Newsted up from the farm team in hopes to win the race for the metal pennant. Confused yet? The Mirror talked to team player Trujilo over the phone just before he was ready to "knock one out of the park" in Barcelona with team Metallica. Alright, sports fans, let’s play ball.

Mirror: So how many shows have you done with Metallica?

Rob Trujilo: Um, let’s see. I think 10.

M: What’s the difference playing in Metallica as opposed to Ozzy and Suicidal?

RT: It’s extremely physical and really challenging. Maintaining the energy and being physical on-stage while being able to execute and getting in the groove technically.

M: Was it hard for you to learn the songs considering St. Anger was completed by the time you joined?

RT: An hour after I was asked to join the band, they asked me if I could hang out for two days to learn 11 songs. I locked myself in a room and just focused.

M: Did they make you feel comfortable with being the new guy?

RT: Yeah, definitely. The important thing to them was communication. The first day I came in there I didn’t even play. We just sat around and talked.

M: So you got the call while you were still with Ozzy?

RT: Well, they called when it was downtime for Ozzy and I hadn’t heard from them after that, and then Ozzy called up and said "I heard a rumour" kind of thing and then talked about a tour. It ended up that the next day, Metallica called up and I had to make a decision.

M: Was Ozzy pissed?

RT: I think initially he was, but after a while he called me up and said a lot of nice things and congratulated me. He actually called me twice because he forgot he called the first time. It was a real emotional departure because they were such an important part of my life for so many years. Things worked out.

M: Is there animosity from your camp towards Jason Newsted?

RT: No way. I’ve known Jason for a while and he’s always been an amazing person and a great bass player.

M: Are you feeling any pressure from the fans about filling some big shoes?