Q&A: Metallica's Lars Ulrich

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Which is better — traveling to Metallica shows with your family or the way you used to do it with the band? Four on the bus, like a fist.
The four fists on the bus, one fist and four beers on the bus [laughs] — that was a lot of fun. But if you're going to do this in the prime years of your family life, when you're rearing the kids, then basing becomes the way to solve it. Park yourself in a city — Copenhagen, London, Paris. You hop in and out. It may not be the most cost-effective way of touring. But big picture — it's the way of keeping everybody sustained. Everybody gets their elbow room. What you don't need is a party policy, where people are dictated to, what they can or can't do. That's not going to make it fun. It's not going to give people what they need to administer their own survival skills, to get through this insanity.

Is there a price that comes with that? The unity of the band?
To me, it has to start with getting along. If we don't get along, everything else is irrelevant. If you've got four guys that are content, who get along, everything else will happen automatically. When we come to Europe every year, it's basically what we call Summer Vacation. Bring the families, park ourselves, play gigs. Where else would you rather be than western European capitals in the summer? Playing festivals with great bands, cool vibes, the long days? This is fucking paradise.

I don't take any of this shit for granted. There are no absolutes in my life. I don't think in black and white. I think in grays. Who knows where it's gonna go? But for right now, this works. It works for the family. It works for the band. And I don't think there's ever been a better internal vibe in this band. And the place where that shows and makes a difference — those two hours onstage. Because the reports I'm hearing from the people I trust — there's more fire, more spunk, more in-your-face-ness. Somehow, through the bloat of the Nineties, the excess, it's gotten back to being on fire again. Maybe it shouldn't be overanalyzed. If people are content, with themselves and their families and each other, then it shows in those two hours onstage.

In the beginning, what was your definition of success? What kind of fame did you want?
There was never a discussion about it. It was obvious there were two paths. You become or want to become Led Zeppelin, Kiss, etc. Larger than life. Mystery. No pictures on the records. Or you do feet on the ground, access, reaching out, inviting people in. It was pretty clear early on that we were going this way, with the access. Be part of it. You're welcome. This is who we are, for better or worse, warts and all. We're going to feed off your energy, that relationship.