In a recent interview with Bass Player magazine, Metallica‘s Robert Trujillo spoke about the challenges he’s faced since joining the iconic metal band over two decades ago. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the pressure of filling the shoes of legendary predecessors or joining a group of living legends that topped his list.
While he acknowledged a newfound appreciation for the San Francisco Bay Area., he contrasted it with his hometown of Los Angeles, describing San Francisco as having “a funky ’70s flavor to it.”
“I feel like I’ve had so many challenges. You know, I live in Los Angeles, but since I joined the band I’ve been spending more time in the Bay Area, and I actually really like it. Los Angeles has become so overpopulated and blown out. San Francisco has such a nice balance, almost like a funky ’70s flavor to it. The way LA used to be back in the Cheech & Chong days,” Trujillo recounted.
However, according to Trujillo, the most daunting aspect of his role in Metallica has been the bass playing itself. He asserts that few bassists could handle the demands of the position he’s held for 23 years.
“But the biggest challenge has been with my bass playing. I’m not being disrespectful to all the bass players out there, but there aren’t many bassists that could do this job. Playing with Metallica is the most demanding gig there is.”
Despite the difficulty, Trujillo expressed admiration for his predecessors, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. He praised Burton‘s innovative approach and stage presence, noting: “Cliff was amazing for Metallica. His ideas, his presence, and where he was taking the bass and taking metal, were so special. And his stage presence – he was such a physical player. He played what he felt, and that was the bottom line. His approach was, ‘I’m gonna play what I feel, and if you don’t like it, screw you!'”
“He used to ask Kirk to show him Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar solos so he could play them on bass, and not many bass guitar players were doing that back then. I thought that was so cool. Cliff was a force on a lot of different levels.”
Trujillo also commended Newsted‘s contributions, acknowledging his unique style and ability to maintain a solid foundation for the band: “I really appreciate Jason Newsted. Considering he’s a pick player, and the speed and dexterity involved in this music, I think it’s a tall order. But he was really keeping it and holding it down, keeping it solid – more simple than Cliff, but in a good way.”
“I love the fact that we’re all different. We all have our thing that we’ve brought to the band, but I also have my own style and I like to express that,” he concluded.
