Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night (part of their acceptance is above) and predictably, new bassist Robert Trujillo and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett came across as having some semblance of class and humility, while ringleaders James "Hey everyone, I'm in AA!!!" Hetfield and Lars "No one's said 'no' to me since I was 18" Ulrich both came across like fidgety self-absorbed tweens. My jury's still out on Jason Newstead, but props are in order for the shout-out to his old band Flotsam and Jetsam.
Stunning, however, was the lack of recognition paid by the band to original lead guitarist Dave Mustaine. After getting the boot from Metallica, Mustaine went on to form Megadeth and live a life of making brilliant metal records to critical and commercial success, but all the while stayed bitter and butthurt about his former band's megastardom. Someone should explain to him that it's cooler to be he leader of Megadeth than to be Lars and James' whipping boy, and that Countdown to Extinction totally destroys the Black Album. They should also explain to the world's biggest hard rock band that they should pay a little respect to Mustaine's contribution to their sound by taking three seconds to say thanks.
