Metallica's Kirk Hammett on Big Rock Hall Team-Ups: "Lou Reed Wants to Hear More of Me!"

Watching Mick Jagger face off with Bono and Bruce Springsteen backing up Billy Joel may have given fans at the two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concerts a thrill, but the musicians onstage got a jolt from their all-star team-ups, too. Case in point: Metallica's Kirk Hammett, who gushed to Rolling Stone backstage in the On 3 gifting suite that his band's performance with Ozzy Osbourne, Ray Davies and Lou Reed was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"We really like how things are sounding," he said just hours before the big show. "You're going to see me with the biggest shit-eating grin from here to here tonight when I'm onstage. One of my favorite moments was when Lou Reed turned around to the monitor guy and said, 'Hey, I need more Kirk Hammett in my monitor!' .... Lou Reed wants to hear more of me! That's right on."

More Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
• Mick Jagger Joins U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin at the Rock Hall’s Epic 25th Anniversary Bash
• Night One in Photos: Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, CSN and More
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Turns 25 With All-Star Sets From Springsteen, Wonder and More
• Photos: Backstage at the Rock Hall 25th Anniversary Concerts
• Morello, Raitt, Crosby Pay Tribute to Fellow Legends Backstage at First Rock Hall Concert

For complete Rock Hall coverage, visit our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

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