In a candid dialog on The Surfer’s Journal’s Soundings podcast, Robert Trujillo shared the unforgettable expertise of becoming a member of Metallica and the overwhelming second captured within the Some Form of Monster documentary. As followers would possibly bear in mind, throughout an early assembly along with his new bandmates, Trujillo was awarded a $1 million signing bonus, a second he described as “bizarre” and “surreal.”
Reflecting on the expertise, Trujillo mentioned (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Nicely, that was bizarre and that was surreal. I assume I did not imagine it. It did not appear actual. It is humorous, ‘trigger you do not truly ever… It is there, however it’s not there. Everyone says, ‘Wow, man.’ After taxes, it is slightly completely different than 1,000,000 {dollars}. I assume I bought so consumed with the workload to the place I used to be, like, ‘Okay, that is cool.’ However then in my head, I am, like, ‘It is time to get to work. I’ve bought this mountain of catalog to be taught.'”
“After which there was this new album, ‘St. Anger‘, that they hadn’t even performed reside but, ‘trigger that album was created within the studio,” Trujillo remembered. “So now I’ve gotta be taught these songs. And I simply noticed it as, like, ‘I’ve bought lots of work forward of me. I am not gonna fear about… I am not gonna take into consideration the cash. I am not gonna have fun what is going on on as a result of I’ve bought work to do.’ I bear in mind I did not go house for, like, six months, virtually. I’d’ve gone house for an evening or two to go get some garments or no matter I wanted and to carry it again up north, however I mainly moved to San Francisco proper at that second. And my life modified perpetually.”
Trujillo recounted the audition course of for Metallica to be divided into two: “And it wasn’t two in a row. There was one after which there was one other one — I do not know — 5 months, 4 months, three months later; I do not bear in mind.”
On the time, Trujillo was a part of Ozzy Osbourne’s band, and the transition wasn’t with out its problems. He recounted a pivotal second when Osbourne himself reached out to ask about future excursions. Trujillo defined, “When issues bought extra critical after the second audition, it was fascinating as a result of I had gotten a name from Ozzy, and Ozzy by no means known as me. You all the time hear from somebody from the administration crew or perhaps Sharon would possibly name — Sharon Osbourne, his spouse. However Ozzy by no means known as me. And I get this name from him, and he is, like ‘Hey, Rob. Hey, pay attention, let’s go on the highway, man. I am prepared. Ozzfest. We’re enjoying, proper?’ And I am, like, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Trigger I hadn’t heard from Metallica about whether or not I bought the gig but. So I used to be, like, excited. ‘Yeah, I get to return to work.’ ‘Trigger he began doing Black Sabbath on the time — they reunited, and so all the things was revolving round Sabbath, which is superior. However I wasn’t working. So I used to be, like, ‘Wow, it is thrilling. I get to return on the highway and get again to work.'”
Simply as Trujillo was getting ready for Ozzfest, Metallica got here ahead with their very own supply, placing him in a tricky place: “And actually, like, two days later or the following day, I get a name from Lars saying, ‘Hey, we wish you to return up right here and we wanna discuss to you.’ So I am, like, ‘Okay.’ They don’t seem to be telling me I bought the gig. I all the time consider worst-case situation. And so they’re the type of guys that will have you ever fly up there to inform you you did not get the gig. They’re simply type of wired that method. Like, ‘We simply needed to inform you in individual, ‘trigger we respect you, you did not get the gig’ — one thing like that. So I am getting ready for that. However I am unsure. And Ozzy had simply known as me, so I used to be, like, ‘Wait, that is loopy. That is bizarre.'”
“So I am going up there, and, yeah, that is the place the assembly was with the cash supply and all that. And, once more, my head’s spinning, like, ‘Okay, I’ve gotta be taught 30 years of catalog.’ It was simply type of like a washer rinse cycle going off in my mind. And so, mainly, now I am interested by Ozzy, and I instructed ’em — and I do not even know why I mentioned this, however I used to be all the time making an attempt to be loyal to Ozzy and Sharon; they did a lot for me. So I used to be, like, ‘Nicely, I do not assume I can do these dates. However after I end my dedication with Ozzy‘ — no matter, eight-week run it was — I will bounce on board,” Trujillo reminisced.
“And I bear in mind Lars goes, ‘We respect your loyalty. It’s totally honorable. However this practice is leaving, and it is transferring quick, and you have gotta bounce on board and bounce on with us.’ I am, like, ‘Okay.’ So I flew house that night time, and I truly went to Sharon and Ozzy‘s home and met with Sharon and mentioned, ‘Yeah, I am gonna be a part of Metallica.’ And it was heavy. Yeah, it was simply heavy ‘trigger I feel when it is all mentioned and completed, each musician, you are writing music, you are creating, you are performing, so it is all passion-driven. So it is arduous whenever you’re shedding a crew member. Particularly I had been enjoying with Ozzy for, like, seven years. So it was tough, however I additionally felt that I wanted to be there in individual to inform him and inform her. And in order that’s mainly type of how that went down. There have been by no means any dangerous vibes… Often, when that occurred previously, it might get fairly ugly with anyone. I imply, you are leaving a crew, and it isn’t good. After which, once more, like I mentioned, my life modified. Hastily I used to be part of a brand new household, and I used to be dwelling in a brand new space and it was only a completely different existence.”
