Recently speaking to Classic Rock, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor looked back at the Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s ‘gracious’ gesture while discussing his stories with notable names in the music industry.
After mentioning his memories with artists like Lemmy Kilmister, Dimebag Darrell, Ozzy Osbourne, and Dave Grohl, the singer shared a story with Metallica, explaining:
“I can still see where I was when I heard ‘Kill’ Em All’ for the first time – sitting in my best friend Che Schmitt’s basement. I was, like: ‘Wow, this is f*cking incredible.’ So, to get to know those guys is pretty surreal. I’ve met them in so many phases of their career. The first time was when they headlined over Slipknot at a show in the early 2000s.”
Hetfield’s Supportive Offer To Taylor
Detailing his first and next encounter with the Metallica members, he continued:
“James and Jason invited us into their dressing room to hang out, and we were in such awe of them that the only thing we could do was raid their food and drink. Those guys were watching us, rolling their eyes and laughing. When we hung out with them the next time, James was sober. I had gotten sober myself, and he said: ‘If you ever need a talk, if you ever need anything, just call me.’ He’s a gracious dude.”
Hetfield’s Impact On His Sobriety
Like Hetfield, Corey also struggled with alcohol addiction for years before getting sober in 2010. In a September 2023 conversation with Consequence of Sound, he reflected on James’ role in his journey towards sobriety, saying:
“[I was] dealing with my own various addictions and fighting the depression that I had to deal with for years – the trauma that kind of came from when I was growing up. I think one of the people who helped me kind of figure it out was James Hetfield. When he first started his journey, getting sober and getting healthy and whatnot, I looked at that, and I was like, ‘Well, sh*t, if he’s strong enough to do it, maybe I can try it.'”
The rocker further explained that these traumas included experiences of sexual abuse and the absence of a paternal role model. Corey also mentioned that it’s hard for addicts to quit something that has been important to who they are for a long time. He revealed that Jerry Cantrell was the other name who inspired him to get sober.
