In a recently published interview with Louder Sound, Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed an interesting story about how he became a part of the band. According to Hammett, he got the call to join the thrash legends on April Fool’s Day… while sitting on a toilet.
Metallica was set to enter the studio and record their debut album in May 1983 but suddenly found itself in need of a guitarist after firing Dave Mustaine. They called up Hammett to replace him, and the rest is history.
“It was April 1st, April Fool’s Day, and I was sitting on the toilet. I got the call from [Metallica sound engineer] Mark Whittaker, and after I hung up, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I just got that phone call,” Hammett told Louder Sound. “Was that an April Fool’s Day prank?’ A couple of days later I got this tape from them, but I already had the demo and I already knew two-thirds of the songs on there.”
Hammett was a member of thrash metal band Exodus when he got the call, but didn’t find it hard to leave the group and join Metallica.
“Around that time, Exodus were going through some personnel changes,” he added. “We just got rid of the previous bass player, and brought another bass player in, and it was a different dynamic within the band.”
It was definitely the right choice for Kirk Hammett, as he became one of the most appreciated guitar players in the world for his work with Metallica. He recorded 10 studio albums with the band and earned numerous achievements, including nine Grammy Awards.
