Gene Hoglan recently shared a fascinating story about his first encounter with James Hetfield. The story reveals an awkward interaction that took place decades before they would work together professionally. The drummer recounted this tale during an appearance on the Garza Podcast.
The story centers around a backyard party in 1981 where a young Hoglan desperately wanted an Iron Maiden shirt from a teenager who would later become Metallica’s frontman.
“When I was on the road with Metallica back in 2010, Metallica would take their opening acts out to dinner after their show. We were in Moscow and I was with Fear Factory at the time and we had Gojira also at the table. And it was just Lars didn’t make it but everybody else did,” Hoglan said. “So we were all talking about like the what was your first instrument and what was your first record and what and so I had asked James (Hetfield) I was like, ‘Hey, James, do you remember your first Iron Maiden shirt?’ And he was like, ‘No, I don’t think I ever had a Maiden shirt.’ I was like, ‘Well, you did and let me tell you.'”
Hoglan then proceeded to tell Hetfield about their first meeting at a July 4th party in 1981.
“So I proceeded to tell him that at this backyard party on July 4th, 1981. I was 13 at the time. That would have made him 17. I see this guy wearing an Iron Maiden shirt that was like this was like I said this is 81 so nobody knew who Maiden was. It was the first album cover, a white print on a black shirt. And I went up to this guy and I was like, ‘Oh my God, you have this major shirt, but I’ve never even met anybody who even knows who Iron Maiden is.’ I knew two people that knew. I’m like, ‘Where did you get that shirt?’ He’s like, ‘I made it. I made it at school.’ I was like, ‘Oh man, well, can you make me one?’ And he’s like, ‘No,'” he continued.
Despite offering increasingly larger amounts of money, the young Hetfield refused to make Hoglan a shirt.
“And I was like, I’d fish in my pocket. I got five bucks like and at that time even concert shirts were maybe five bucks. So the lot of money then. I said, ‘Here’s five bucks. Can you make me one?’ He’s like, ‘No.’ So I went and found my sister at the party and got five bucks from her. I came back to him with 10 bucks. I said, ‘Here’s 10 bucks. Will you please? I’ve never met anybody. Nobody will ever have an Iron Maiden shirt. Nobody will ever know who these guys are because they’re so heavy. Nobody’s ever I’m never this is my only chance to ever get an Iron Maiden shirt.’ And he’s like, ‘No, f*ck off.’ I was just like, ‘Yeah, screw you,'” Hoglan recalled.
The story came full circle months later when Hoglan attended a Saxon show at the Whiskey.
“And so a number of months later in March of 82, I went to go see Saxon at the Whiskey and as me and my buddies are walking in the door, the opening band is going on. And I was like, ‘Hey, wait a minute. That’s a motherf*cker that wouldn’t make me the Iron Maiden shirt. F*ck you.’ And turns out that was Metallica. And when I was telling James that, he was like, ‘That was our second show, you know,'” he concluded.
This encounter represents more than just a humorous anecdote between two metal legends. It highlights the interconnected nature of the early metal scene and the lasting relationships that would develop between musicians who started as strangers in the underground community.
Hoglan’s story reveals the tight-knit early metal scene from which both musicians emerged. The drummer would later become known for his work with bands like Death, Testament, and Dark Angel. He has maintained a professional relationship with Metallica that extends beyond touring. Drummerworld reported that Lars Ulrich once admitted to Hoglan that he had borrowed a drum beat from one of Dark Angel’s songs to use on Metallica’s 1986 track “Battery.”
The influence between the two drummers appears to be mutual and ongoing. Metal Injection noted that Hoglan has recognized strong similarities between Dark Angel’s “Darkness Descends” and Metallica’s “One.” He observed shared drumming styles and lyrics. Rather than viewing this as theft, Hoglan has welcomed the inspiration as a form of mutual influence between artists in the metal community.
The professional respect between the musicians has grown significantly since that awkward first meeting in 1981. Loudwire documented that when confronted about the similarities between the songs, Hoglan responded positively to Metallica’s acknowledgment of Dark Angel’s impact on their music. This mature perspective demonstrates how the metal community has evolved from its early underground roots into a more collaborative environment.
The story also underscores how small the metal world was in the early 1980s. Iron Maiden was still relatively unknown in the United States at that time. Metallica was just beginning their journey as a live act. What started as a teenage refusal to share a homemade band shirt eventually blossomed into a professional relationship built on mutual respect and artistic influence.
