Honestly, i mulled over writing about this, particularly since i’ve addressed, in depth, my struggles with James Hetfield’s positions in the past. i’ve also been very open in the grief i got from friends due to my love of the band, and eventual cessation in listening to them for a while, because of some of those positions.

i eventually did return listening to them (obviously); and while they were a not insignificant part of my life up to that point, it wasn’t until 2021 (when i was involved in a near-fatal accident where i lost a limb) where their music became a significant part of my healing journey. i’ve also written about the points where their music has literally saved my life, inspiring me to call the hotline, as i was seconds away from ending my life.

i do not take my experience with, and feelings about, this band for granted. i consider Lars Ulrich to be my biggest musical inspiration, and have said as much to him. He’s also been there in my life, in most of the the moments i’ve met him, when i was at my lowest moments- from being directly in the midst of ideation, to having experienced an assault from a man at one of their shows.

i’ve met everyone in the band, and they’ve all been incredibly gracious. i participated in their official documentary. i’m even about to attend a couple of shows at the Sphere (in Las Vegas) to commemorate my 50th cycle on this planet.
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i decided to write this piece because i’ve been encountering a lot of declarative statements/assumptions regarding James Hetfield’s recent comments: “I just gotta say; Metallica’s not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit, okay? We’re here to forget about all the outside shit. Metallica’s agenda is love, energy, and heavy music, baby!”

It’s crucial that we address the primary issue- What Hetfield said here is hardly anything new. He has uttered this exact same message for at least 20 years at this point, perhaps even going back to the mid-late 90s. The primary critiques stem from what are being observed as similarities to Ed Sheeran’s recent comments, in light of Macklemore being booted as an opener from his tour, at the behest of zionist Robert Kraft: “I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won’t ever change… I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep the conversations open, not closed.”

i would not have known about Hetfield’s comments, had friends not texted me with this news. i’ve been avoiding as much as possible about these Sphere shows, so as to not get spoilers, but alas, here we are. In making the decision to write this, i decided to actually listen to Hetfield’s comments for myself, versus maintaining a focus on the headlines which were presented to me.

James Hetfield did not appear angry or spiteful. He came with the same energy he always did, when making this same comment at almost every show i’ve seen- and i have seen the band 29 times at this point. Every single time he’s delivered this message, i maintained that i wholeheartedly disagreed with it for one reason and one reason only: making a generalized, ‘everyone’s welcome’ statement is still going to isolate someone, even if that isn’t your intent.

If you are advocating for a safe space for everyone in attendance, this ultimately means that it is imperative that fascism, racism, predation, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, and all of the other forms of toxic and hateful ideologies and action be prohibited from the venue, thereby isolating that portion of the community. If you say ‘everyone is welcome’, then the venue may not be a safe space for everyone, as many of us have actively seen in our show-going experiences.

i maintain that EVERY band and artist should stand ten toes down and take a clear position against the toxic elements of the communities which attend shows.

Given that, like most bands of that caliber, Metallica take a ‘everyone is welcome’ position, you are going to have people aligned with fascism and imperialism (like police and military), racists, misogynists and more at these shows… which again is ultimately not a safe space for all.

Regardless of what position you take, someone is going to be isolated. This is something those who claim ‘apoliticism’ need to understand. Taking an ‘apolitical’ position is still a position; it is one which sides with the status quo, and in many cases, the primary oppressors which exist for the majority of the world.
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As much as i vehemently disagree with James’ intent for these types of comments (and again, have for years), i don’t consider his intent to be malicious.

i not only vehemently disagree because everything is political (due to social and class delineations being forced upon us, among other things- you can never be apolitical in a society with such stark hierarchies as ones existing under capitalism); but also, art has never not been political. Hetfield, who is a ginormous fan of bands such as Discharge, should know this.

Effective art has always reflected the will of the masses, whether it was Africans utilizing gospel to inform them of ways to escape their enslavers; whether it was jazz artists depicting the sentiments of the Watts (California) rebellion, to ‘What’s Going On’ reflecting on the impact of the invasion of Vietnam, to Public Enemy, Kreator, Testament, Miriam Makeba, Bad Religion, Odetta, Leadbelly, Propagandhi, Cattle Decapitation and Napalm Death; to bands like Panopticon, the Linda Lindas and so many more.

It does say something that for many, the songs interpreted in the catalog as ‘political’ (even if Metallica don’t see it that way) have the most impact, which is why Hetfield’s comments have been met with disappointment, sadness and (st.) anger- you know i had to do it.

We must remember though, that the band never took a clear position as a collective, outside of ‘apoliticism’. And despite the intention being ‘good’, the delivery was ultimately poor.
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Because of the expectations that at one point, Metallica were a ‘political’ band, it is interpreted that James’ comments are connected to his wealth.

i do not consider the primary role of apoliticism to be directed by wealth; as we can see, apoliticism certainly does not apply to billionaire CEOs who exploit labor and steal resources. They’re pretty open in where their ideological and political loyalties lie. There have also been particular figures who rejected their class positions, and organized for revolution, such as Fidel Castro.

From my observation, the many people we see claim ‘apoliticism’ (particularly in later years) never exactly had a clear political, ideological or organizational home. A lot of people who claim ‘apoliticism’ were being incendiary for the sake of it, or were performing their idea of ‘anti-authoritarianism’- but they never specifically identified as being on the left, or even liberal.

i look at Metallica in similar ways. Many lament the end of a ‘revolutionary’ band, due to their more recent trajectories, but if we really pay attention, the lyrical content of the band has been fairly general: ‘War bad’ or ‘Control of people bad’- a position many people take, regardless of where one stands ideologically. There is this idea that taking an ‘anti-war’ position is inherently liberal, when it’s clear that in my lifetime, presidential administrations led by Democrats were just as imperialist and war hawk-y as the Republicans. Both parties have never fully ceased the blockade on Cuba. Both parties have utilized both soft and hard power to extract resources and gain political control in Africa- AFRICOM being a major example. Both parties have blank checked billions into supporting Israel’s crimes. Both parties have participated and supported regime changes around the world, in their favor. Both parties have contributed to funding police and surveillance states, as well as the increase of corporate mergers.

Metallica exist very much like the Ramones did, and like many other bands do: You have members who are more conservative/right leaning, and others who are liberals, and they coexist. They coexist among each other, just like we do with our blood relatives, or coworkers and peers. There is a particular expectation put onto a band- a band which again, exists in the same ways many of us do.

How many among us proclaim ‘neutrality’ and don’t struggle with those in our lives, in order to ‘keep the peace’? How different is that from Hetfield’s intent?

Not delivery, but intent.

Despite this reality, Hetfield’s comment has been interpreted as one the band fully endorses, of course by many who don’t necessarily follow the band in any significant way outside of the headlines.

The band’s collective stance on ‘not endorsing any particular political positions’ is (obviously) also one i vehemently disagree with. And i knew it was a take that would one day come to haunt them. While they have taken this position for decades (even during the …And Justice For All days), i think it was strengthened due to what i call the ‘2008 fiasco’ of James endorsing his band’s music being used for torture (another thing i wrote about in my piece mentioned earlier, and the primary reason i stopped listening to them for a while). Lars (in particular) and Kirk publicly came out and had to state they emphatically disagreed with how their music was being used. Not only was this not in alignment with their personal politics; they also understood that this fucked with Metallica’s brand.

While the band is not going to leave totally scathed; despite Hetfield’s most recent snafu (ironically an acronym stemming from the US military, meaning “Situation normal: all fucked up”) being not as harmful, it again, is far too close to the recent slate of events that it potentially could negatively impact their brand in some ways.
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i don’t think i could be any clearer that i disagree with both the band’s intent in order to ‘keep the peace’, and with Hetfield’s comment. i also disagree with most interpretations of the comment.

Before even listening, i disagreed with any interpretation that he was being ‘anti woke’, or ‘pro Israel’, because i’m so used to the countless times i’ve heard the comment. It’s simply another way of saying, ‘We don’t care whether or not you eat meat, what your race, political stripe, religion, etc. is’- something James has said numerous times. At this point we all understand that James is more conservative leaning (and is for sure, a second amendment guy); he’s also been more openly accepting of varying experiences, languages, cultures and people- even since 2008.

Hetfield’s personal feelings about ‘wokeness’, or anything else, did not appear to be congruent with how he delivered the comment.

i may definitely be wrong on my interpretation as well; however, given his patterns, i interpret his comment to be more libertarian in nature, if you will- not the original anarchist libertarianism, but the one appropriated by people who hold similar views as Hetfield. It is a more reactionary ‘anti-authoritarian’ perspective: No one- whether artist, individual or government- should tell anyone how to live their life.

Comparing this scenario to Sheeran’s response, to me, is incorrect; because while Hetfield has publicly said he doesn’t follow politics (which does seem kind of disingenuous to me given some things (like him supporting the West Memphis 3 and hanging out with Ukranian soldiers), he never said on stage at that moment, ‘Metallica aren’t political’. He said, ‘Metallica aren’t here to influence you’. To me, this is on brand with Hetfield’s choice of libertarianism.

Fervent zionists David Draimon and Sharon Osbourne stepping in and supporting the band due to these comments clearly will not assuage any anxieties that they are in support of the genocide of Palestinian people, which again, for me, was not read in Hetfield’s delivery. While i understand that he may have potentially been addressing particular individuals, i interpreted his emphasis of the word entertainers as not targeting anyone specific. i think his comment was a general passive-aggressive grievance that he and his band be expected to comment on particular issues (whether on stage, or in interviews), and that this should not be an artist’s role, because music is about escapism- again, a position i wholeheartedly disagree with.

Music should indeed be a space that is fun, but to state that music is, or should be primarily about escapism is ahistorical. Not even pop music historically has been all about escapism.

Hetfield’s position is also a bit disingenuous to me, given that there was a whole entire documentary greenlit by the band (again, a documentary i was in), which interviewed people who felt inspired by their music in the midst of war, political violence, and all sorts of trauma. Did people feel a sense of escape in some capacity? Of course! However, we all connected with the music because of our respective situations.
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The thing which perturbs me the most about the range of interpretations and complaints i’ve seen is the assumption that most people who love the band (and are attending the Sphere shows) are rich, similarly ‘apolitical’ and are conservative/right wing.

It is absolutely undeniable (and unfortunate) that a not insignificant portion of the fan base aligns with Hetfield’s position. Given that one of the objectives of the documentary (according to Lars) was to show the range and diversity of the community- a diversity i am increasingly seeing for myself with every show and conversation, i consider it absolutely unfair to assume this is a majority position.

It warmed my heart to see, among the crowd during their more recent London (UK) show, a young man wearing a Palestinian shirt. i could only imagine the hurt he’d feel, if Hetfield’s intent was to decidedly take a position on the side of Israel. While he did not do that, his comment about music being an escape from ‘outside shit’ is undoubtedly callous- again, in light of many recent events. After those two hours, a lot of us have to face the ‘outside shit’ he never has to experience.

i can think of many a band who has said on stage, that music is a way of bringing us together as a means of healing from the pain of ‘outside shit’, while at the same time, saying ‘Free Palestine’- Turnstile, a band James also loves, is one of the biggest examples of doing this. Not every band is KNEECAP (a band i am currently in Mexico City to see, as they are not allowed in the US) or Macklemore; but every band CAN make a statement, and keep it moving.

There are plenty of young people (who are politically aware), many from colonized communities, and folks who have to budget their income who love this band. People who share a criticism of the comment hold a position on the other end of the spectrum of those who monopolize ticket pricing: It’s inconceivable that someone who doesn’t have a heap of expendable income would want to see bands like Metallica.

It also falls along the lines of what Hetfield is saying: that music is entertainment, and people at the margins trying to connect with it in any other way is ‘bullshit’.
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Even with all of the criticism i hold for Hetfield (and the band)’s decided ‘apoliticism’; i also hold empathy for him. i can only imagine how horrible or remorseful he feels after this fallout, via a comment he most likely had no ill intent to make. The band has actively done a lot of work to repair their past actions, and because he’s not actively on social media (as far as i know), i am not sure how aware he understood the impact of these words, because they’re similar to something he’s said countless times, with little fanfare, outside of the base.

Just as (again) Hetfield’s intent was not to be malicious (at least i don’t view it as such); neither is my intent. Metallica is one of my favorite bands of all time (if you didn’t guess with all of the posts i’ve made on this site); and similar to many of the bands and artists i love, if i were to only listen to bands i staunchly aligned with ideologically and politically, my vinyl collection would be one box in the Kallax. Even Amiri Baraka (RIP) fucked up one time with his support of Obama, which he massively regretted.

If the band were collectively/openly echoing conspiracy theories which put people in harm’s way, spouting stochastic violence and openly supporting fascism and/or white supremacy (among other indefensible things), i’d absolutely reinstate my moratorium.

While it is important to have a space for critiquing our favorite artists, it is equally as important we actively practice self-criticism, and examine our own contradictions. It is easier to critique Hetfield because in our circles he holds the ‘incorrect politics’. However, there are many of us who identify as ‘leftist’ who have reiterated status quo sentiments and actions, whether it’s the emphasis on electoral politics (and not moving past that), whether it’s wholesale disagreeing with how people facing occupation and genocide are utilizing resistance, or whether it’s (again) not actively struggling with the people closest to us, in order to do the work needed to struggle in the outside world.

This critique is, of course, in love. Love of the band, and love of my fellow lefties.

Someone i’ve recently developed a friendship with reminded me of the wonderful lyrics to the aptly titled (for this piece) Propagandhi song ‘Apparently I’m a “P.C. Fascist” (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)’, and i will echo them here:

I’ll call you on your shit, please call me on mine
Then we can grow together, and make this shit-hole planet better in time