Gary Holt Says If It Weren’t For Kirk Hammett He Wouldn’t Have A Successful Career In Rock Music

In an interview with Alive & Streaming, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt talked about his former bandmate and the iconic guitarist of Metallica, Kirk Hammett, and revealed how Hammett’s support helped him to become the successful musician he is today.

As you may remember, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett co-founded the thrash metal band Exodus along with Tim Agnello, Tom Hunting, and Keith Stewart in 1979 while he was only 16 years old. In 1983, Metallica asked Kirk Hammett to join the band after their lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired due to his substance abuse.

Former Slayer member and the current guitarist of Exodus, Gary Holt has been a member of Exodus since 1981. Holt joined the band after their guitarist Tim Agnello left and since then, he has been the main songwriter. Gary is also known as the only Exodus who has taken place in all the albums of the band.

In a recent interview he joined for Alive & Streaming, Gary Holt looked back to the very first years of his career and opened up about how Kirk Hammett helped him to become the musician he is today. During the conversation, Holt stated that Kirk was the person who showed him his first lick and the basics as well as teaching him how to play some songs. Gary also said that he wouldn’t be doing this now if it weren’t for the support he received from Kirk Hammett.

Here is what Gary Holt stated about Kirk Hammett’s impact on his music career:

“He showed me my first lick and the basics, the building blocks; he showed me my first chords and taught me how to play some songs and stuff.

I wouldn’t be doing this today if it weren’t for Kirk. We hit it off and became fast friends, and like, ‘Let me show you some guitar,’ and six months later I was in the band; in a year, I was playing really good solos.

They rehearsed in my garage, and then they moved to their friend’s house – I was still part of the road crew, we moved 2×12 combos and drank beer and pillaged and wrecked shi.

And at rehearsal one day, he hands me his guitar, ‘Here, play something’, we played ‘Grinder,’ Judas Priest, and then they asked me to join. I said, ‘Fuck yeah!’ Changed my life forever, that song is dear to my heart, always will be.”

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