Rarely has there been a rock star as maligned for a single incident as Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. In 2000, he became the poster child for bands lashing out at the online world when the band sued Napster following the leak of “I Disappear” via the peer-to-peer service. Ulrich stands by what he did, but wants fans to know he did it for the right reasons. “Nine out of 10 people go, ‘What was that about? It was about money.’ Fuck you — it wasn’t about money. It was about control,” explains Ulrich. “I’ll give away all my shit for free. But I’ll decide when and where and how.” Click below for more from Ulrich’s conversation with Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, including why he lives his life more openly and how tours have changed since 1983.

• Q&A: Metallica’s Lars Ulrich

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