At New York’s Scrap Bar in the early 1990s, L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns crossed paths with James Hetfield during their press events. The night took an unexpected turn.
“Right away I knew he was wasted. I knew he was gone. I knew he was off his tree,” said Guns to .
The mood shifted when Hetfield spoke his mind. “He’s like, ‘You don’t like METALLICA’ … He goes, ‘Fucking great playing, but those songs are [bad], bro,’” Guns shared about Hetfield’s thoughts on the Contraband tracks. Despite this statement, Guns wasn’t offended. He said, “He was just drunk. I Ieft.”
In 2001, Hetfield’s drinking hit rock bottom. His wife told him to leave their house. He spent seven weeks getting clean and stayed sober for 15 years after that.
The story didn’t end there. Hetfield went back to treatment in 2019, and he still talks about staying clean today.
Years later, Guns admires how the Metallica frontman changed his ways. He thinks it takes guts for Hetfield to speak openly about fighting addiction. “It is very difficult for a man to talk about those things with his friends, let alone talk about that sincerely in public,” Guns stated. “I just think he’s so bold and so brave. And although I think it’s a shame what happened to his relationship, relationships don’t last forever.”
When critics point to Hetfield’s wealth, Guns stands firm. “Money doesn’t solve everything internally… And he got sober. That’s tough,” he said. Now, the musicians chat at music events often. L.A. GUNS released its latest album, Leopard Skin, on April 4. It’s the band’s fifth release since Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited in 2017. It continues their successful collaboration with Cleopatra Records after their Black Diamonds record in 2023.
