Jason Newsted Reveals The Main Truth Behind His Departure From Metallica

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has revealed the main truth behind his departure from the band and recalled the days they finished the band’s fifth studio album Black Album‘s tour.

• read more: JASON NEWSTED RECALLS METALLICA’S LARS ULRICH DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR: “I WAS FUCKING LIVID!”

Jason Newsted joined the heavy metal band Metallica in 1986 as a bass player. They’ve released eleven albums in total together. When the time has become to 2001, Newsted announced that he parted ways from the band, and Robert Trujillo became the new bassist of the band for $1 million.

However, recently, Newsted spoke to Metal Hammer Podcast to talk about his break-up with the band. He revealed the problems he had in Metallica that led him to quit the band.

“By the time the tour [for the ‘Black Album’] was done and we had some money to count and some bass to rest, I went in a totally different direction,” Jason says.

“I liked playing the songs and I can raise myself up to perform the songs for the people and give it all I’ve got, but ‘Enter Sandman’ for the three thousandth time in a certain amount of days, it fucking wears on you.

“I’ve got dozens of new songs we’re working on [with Jason’s long-running project The Chophouse Band] – all the time, of all different instrumentation and shit. And if I’ve gotta sit on one for too long now, I’d go fucking crazy.

“‘We’ve gotta move on, guys. We have 45 minutes. Let’s move on.’ And I’m ready to perform again and everything like that, but I can’t do that thing anymore.

“I can’t just do that Broadway show where it’s the same, same, same, same, same. And that’s what I thought was my advantage and my being able to harness and manage the balance.”

He Names His Heroes Who Chosen The Same Way

Newsted has also touched on his heroes that have chosen the same way he did it. He said that Neil Young and Thom Yorke are his heroes.

“I wanted to be that person that I knew myself to be on and off the stage with Metallica,” he continued. “When people saw me, they knew they were getting everything I had left – every fucking ounce of sweat on the stage every time.

“The way I was able to continue to do that was by playing wacky music with my friends. It kept me cleansed, it kept me strong, it kept me interested in music. If I only had that one-dimensional part of music, I would have called it a long, long time ago.

“But I kept myself healthy by playing with all kinds of people like I still do to this day, and like I will tonight and tomorrow.

“I know that I’m not alone in that, and there are so many people that are my heroes that do the same thing – Neil Young, still to this day… Thom Yorke… any of ’em, still seeking out other things.

“I know I can play the metal. I climbed that mountain – the tallest one. I can do that shit. Tell me what time you want me to throw down. I can throw down that stuff anytime. But I’m not satisfied with just that, and I haven’t been for a long, long time.”