Quotes by Kirk Hammett - Page 2

There's something about a wah pedal that really gets my gut going! People will probably say, 'He's just hiding behind the wah.' But that isn't the case. It's just that those frequencies really bring out a lot of aggression in my approach.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Hiding
Gut
Pedal
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Horror movies started to wane around the onset of World War II, and after World War II, when all the troops came home, people weren't really interested in seeing horror movies, because they had the real horror right on their front doorsteps.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Home
War
Horror
Real
Troops
World War Ii
Horror Movies
World War
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For a while I was collecting Satan and devil stuff - you know, anything that had to do with old Beelzebub or Lucifer. But I had to put the brakes on it, because there's a lot of stuff out there, and the collection was just growing too quickly.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Collecting
Devil
Growing
Satan
Stuff
Brakes
Quickly
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I feel really fortunate that, in playing guitar and surfing, I've found two things that mean so much to me, and which really complement each other. There's definitely a spiritual thing to both of them; they totally connect you to a higher realm.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Complement
Fortunate
Higher
Spiritual
Surfing
Totally
Connect
Definitely
Realm
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The word 'retirement' doesn't really sit well with me. There comes a time when you reach a position in society or culture where people will not let you retire. You can say, 'Alright, I'm going to hang up my guitar,' but people will still not let you retire.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Alright
Retirement
Hang
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A lot of the main characters in horror movies are outsiders as well, so that outsider syndrome reverberates within horror fans and geeky collectors. It's kind of a rallying call that brings fans and collectors together who are a little socially retarded, maybe.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Character
Collectors
Fans
Outsiders
Rallying
Retarded
Together
Brings
Geeky
Horror Movies
Socially
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The concept of clearing one's mind before performing a task so that it is consumed by nothing but that task, yet is open at the same time to anything that might happen - that concept can be applied to playing guitar, and it's enormously helpful for improvising.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Clearing
Consumed
Improvising
Performing
Applied
Concept
Task
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When you're first starting out, there's always the temptation to hide behind distortion because it lets you get away with murder. But, when it comes to rhythm work, you've gotta back off that gain control a bit, especially if you're playing with another guitarist.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Distortion
Gains
Guitarist
Rhythm
Starting Out
Temptation
Behind
Gain
Gotta
Hide
Lets
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I've learned that there's a signature Metallica sound, and if we stray too far from that, our fans get impatient, or they just don't understand, or they miss the point. And I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing; it's just something we have to contend with.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Impatient
Metallica
Bad Thing
Contend
Good Thing
Just Something
Signature
Stray
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For the 'Load' album, I was experimenting so much with tone that I had to keep journals on what equipment I was using. For 'Hero of the Day,' I know I used a 1958 Les Paul Standard with a Matchless Chieftain, some Boogie amps and a Vox amp - again, they're all blended.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Boogie
Equipment
Hero
Load
Tone
Amp
Blended
Experimenting
Journals
Les
Standard
Paul
Vox
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For the 'Load' album, I was experimenting so much with tone that I had to keep journals on what equipment I was using. For 'Hero of the Day', I know I used a 1958 Les Paul Standard with a Matchless Chieftain, some Boogie amps and a Vox amp - again, they're all blended.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Albums
Hero
Tone
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On 'Metallica,' I recorded six or seven different guitar solos for almost every song, took the best aspects of each solo, mapped out a master solo and made a composite. Then I learned how to play the composite solo, tightened it up and replayed it for the final version.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Different
Guitar Solos
Made
Metallica
Seven
Six
Solo
Almost
Aspects
Version
Composite
Each
Master
Final
Learned
Mapped
Recorded
Tightened
Took
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Basically I just had to say, 'Screw everyone around me - from now on I'm just gonna play what I think is important to me and our music.' So I gave the big finger to all the current trends in technical wizardry, and just went off and did what I felt was best for the songs.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Play
Song
Thinking
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I've always been attracted to the darker things in life. I was never one to go for light, airy stuff, even as a child. My whole aesthetic has always been one of the darker side. That rings true also in my tastes in music. It's just always something I've gravitated to naturally.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Aesthetic
Rings
Life Music Always
Naturally
Attracted
Darker
Tastes
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One thing I've noticed over the years is that young players - I mean 10- and 12-year-olds - really like my guitar style. There's something in my guitar style that they totally can latch onto and learn quickly, and then go from there to your Yngwie Malmsteens or your Steve Vais or whatever.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Noticed
Onto
Steve
Young Players
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I think the whole concept behind lyrics is you better mean what you say, or you should like, become a storyteller. I mean, there's a lot of bands who are just storytellers, and then there are bands who actually have something valid to say. And the bands who have valid points are few and far between.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Band
Mean
Thinking
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I've always loved horror, I've always loved collecting, I've always loved weird and macabre things, and I've always loved conventions. So what could be better than having your own Fear FestEviL where all those great and crazy things can be enjoyed by like-minded people under one pretty cool roof? Nothing!
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Collecting
Conventions
Crazy Things
Enjoyed
Roof
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Musically, there's a movement called the flatted fifth that's really evil-sounding. It was outlawed by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. That movement is what gives you a real evil sound that conjures up dark, fantastic images. It's like an audio horror movie. It personifies what a horror movie is about.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Audio
Catholic
Catholic Church
Dark
Evil
Fifth
Middle Ages
Real
Ages
Horror Movie
Images
Musically
Outlawed
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Technology has given us convenience, but at the same time it's making musicians work harder in that if you really want to make money making music and selling albums, you have to go out there and perform. And hope you sell stuff like merch, and get on YouTube, and all the other ancillary sort of things that go along with that.
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Convenience
Selling
Youtube
Time Work Hope
Work Hope Time
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After months of playing air guitar to 'Free Bird', what really got me into guitar was watching a documentary about Jimi Hendrix and picking up the Woodstock soundtrack. Listening to his version of 'Star Spangled Banner' and 'Purple Haze.' My brother played acoustic guitar and, idolising him, I thought, 'I'm going to get a guitar.'
Kirk Hammett / Guitarist
Acoustic Guitar
Air Guitar
Banner
Bird
Brother
Haze
Hendrix
Purple
Stars
Woodstock
Acoustic
Version
Documentary
Picking
Soundtrack
Spangled
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