Some Kind of Monster
It’s always entertaining to watch heavy rockers turn into huggy, touchy-feely guys..
I ended up watching the documentary “Some Kind of Monster” over the weekend. For those not in the know, it’s the documentary that was filmed over two years during the recording of Metallica’s “St. Anger” album.
It started out as a film about recording a new album – and quickly got derailed as the band struggled with the firing of their longtime bass player, chemical dependency, egos, and creative differences. To combat this, they hired a top-gun shrink that specializes in getting highly-paid egomainiacs to co-exist. In the midst of all of this, they had to confront their control issues, 9 months in treatment for the lead singer, and all kinds of personal baggage that comes with a bad family life and 20 years as a rock star.
Along the way, they took two years to create the album – and it’s pretty amazing to see the process and the progress they made. I always liked the St. Anger album – since watching it I haven’t really stopped listening to it. It’s got a really different vibe than the rest of their music and now I see why.
In the end, they had auditions for a new bassist that included a who’s who of heavy bass players. Apparently, putting up with that lifestyle and those personalities pays well – they offered new bass player Robert Trujillo (ex-Suicidal Tendencies and others) a tidy little signing bonus of $1 million “Just to show they were serious”. Wow.
Get this one off Netflix if you get a chance – it’s a great watch!
