The Metallica Report

The week of May 1, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan spends the day/night with Metallica’s bass-master, Robert Trujillo, as he slaps and grooves with a blast from his past as a member of the funk/metal supergroup Infectious Grooves. Steff hangs with the band during their sound check at their last stop on a mini eight-city tour in Berkeley, CA. Robert fills us in on the familial vibe of this to...

The week of April 24, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée are joined by long-time Metallica tech Zach Harmon. Now a veritable Swiss Army Knife of tour and studio operations, Zach recounts the winding road to his current position that began nearly 40 years ago. He also provides insight into his unique relationships with Metallica’s pioneering bass players throughout the band’s tenure. T...

The week of April 17, 2024 on The Metallica Report… It’s Q & A day! Team Metallica asked local fan club chapter members to submit their questions for the band, then Steffan and Renée took those questions and grabbed Kirk and Robert to give us some answers. Check it out! The Metallica Report - your official, weekly guide for all things Metallica, straight from the source. New episode every Wednesda...

The week of April 10, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Riff master Brian Tatler cranks up the Wayback Machine to share stories of Diamond Head’s biggest (and possibly only) fan in America in 1981: a 17-year-old named Lars Ulrich. Turns out, that same kid was starting a band of his own. A few traded covers and several decades later, and the rest is history! The Metallica Report - your official, weekly...

The Week of April 3, 2024 on The Metallica Report… A seemingly unlikely pairing, the paths of Elton John and Metallica have crossed over the years more than you might think. Ahead of PBS’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song broadcast honoring Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Kirk and Rob join Steffan and Renée to share a few fun stories about Sir Elton. Premiering on Monday, April 8 at 8 PM ET (check lo...

The week of March 27, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée bring us the inside scoop on James Hetfield’s love of cigars, including the new BLACKENED “S84 Shade to Black” by Drew Estate. Then they check in with Robert Trujillo, who is in the midst of a few gigs with his Infectious Grooves crew, including shows in Australia! The Metallica Report - your official, weekly guide for all thing...

The week of March 20, 2024 on The Metallica Report… It’s time for part two of our conversation with our producer, Greg Fidelman. This one is for all of you who wanna know what it’s like being at the helm of the control room at HQ! Greg shares what it was like working with Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and the only other artist who’s actually recorded at HQ, Lou Reed. And don’t miss the story of how S&M2...

The week of March 13, 2024 on The Metallica Report… When it comes to Metallica’s creative process, Greg Fidelman has become the “unofficially official” fifth member of the band. He began his music career in the late ’80s as the lead guitarist of his own group, but Greg really hit his stride on the other side of the studio glass about a decade later. From engineer to mixer to producer, this Grammy-...

The week of March 6, 2024 on The Metallica Report… In honor of International Women’s Day later this week, Renée takes on solo-hosting duties and brings along a few other women who keep the Metallica mothership moving. Make no mistake… there are plenty to choose from! We're talking about members of management, legal, accounting, marketing, merchandising, digital, recording, touring, the record labe...

The week of February 28, 2024 on The Metallica Report… If you’ve seen a photo of Metallica, chances are you’ve seen one of Ross Halfin’s shots.  Steffan and Renée chat with the man who’s been behind the camera, capturing Metallica and pretty much every other big name in rock for decades. Ross shares stories spanning his first shoot with the guys in El Cerrito in the early ’80s through today. He em...

The week of February 21, 2024 on The Metallica Report… The second installment of two episodes recorded at the band’s creative ground zero for over 20 years: Metallica HQ. Steffan and Renée tour the building with one of its longest inhabitants, Jeff Yeager - webmaster, touring photographer/videographer, and network manager. Sprinkled with fun facts and historical context, the group makes its way th...

This week of February 14, 2024 on The Metallica Report… The first of two episodes recorded at the band’s creative ground zero for over 20 years: Metallica HQ. Steffan and Renée set up shop in the Jam Room with three people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the Metallica Machine moving. Jeff Yeager - webmaster, touring photographer/videographer, and all-around “do whatever it takes” guy...

The week of February 7, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée are joined by a man intertwined through Metallica history in a way maybe no one else can claim to be. A producer, a collaborator, a motivator, a fill-in, a support system, and the master of getting that sound “just right”... it’s none other than Bob Rock! The Metallica Report - your official, weekly guide for all things Metall...

The week of January 31, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée revisit some of your favorite performances and infamous moments in Metallica’s award show history. No spoilers here, but we bet you can guess a few... They include surprise outcomes, a bit of NSFW language, and a lot of very heavy music! Plus, Clint Wells - a man many of you may know as the host of Metal Up Your Podcast - join...

The week of January 24, 2024 on The Metallica Report… A fortuitous call from Kirk sets the stage, framing the metal scene in the early days and the roles Ron, Brian, and KJ played. Brian recalls the enthusiasm surrounding Metallica’s first album by the band members and, if you will, the founding Metallica Family members - many of whom would be acknowledged decades later. KJ traces Lars’ passion fo...

The week of January 17, 2024 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée are joined by old friends KJ Doughton, Brian Lew, and Ron Quintana for a trip back to the humble beginnings of Metallica. From fanzines to tape trading to shows at the legendary Stone in San Francisco, these guys have seen it all and are bonded for life to each other and the band through their undying love of music.   Ron, the...

The week of January 10, 2024 on The Metallica Report… We have a visit from an old friend as Steffan and Renée check in with bassist Jason Newsted.   Amid an unusually quiet time in his creative world, Jason talks about plans, projects, and how he’s allowing himself to enjoy the simplicity of his day-to-day life.  Of course, we still have to touch on his artistic side, from keeping his visual art s...

The week of January 3, 2024 on the The Metallica Report… For better or worse, few people know the absolute power pyrotechnics can bring to a performance like our own James Hetfield does. He joins Steffan and Renée to get into the history of pyro within Metallica and the energy it brings to a live show.  And, of course, James touches on safety, which brings us to our second guest: M72 Pyrotechnic P...

The week of December 27, 2023 on The Metallica Report… With the new year right around the corner, Steffan and Renée check in with James and Robert to reflect on 2023 and look ahead to 2024. Hear James’ perspective on the light and dark sides of  72 Seasons. Find out which songs off the new album have been their favorites to play live so far and which setlist stalwarts still excite them. Plus, what...

The week of December 20, 2023 on The Metallica Report… We’re going to sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the highlights of the first 20 episodes of The Metallica Report. Remember Lars and that iPod? (think Blue Oyster Cult!) What about Kirk catching waves or James’ love of a good music festival? And who could forget Robert’s night on stage in Dallas? First, Steffan gives us his review of a night o...

The week of December 13, 2023 on The Metallica Report… Rob Trujillo brings us behind the scenes of “Are Bass Players Human Too?”, the new docuseries from Rush’s Geddy Lee. As the focus of one of four episodes, Rob spent two full days with Geddy, showing him around his Southern California world through surfing, biking, and skating. He also gave Geddy a spin on Jaco Pastorius’ famed “Bass of Doom” w...

The week of December 6, 2023 on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée do a deep dive into both the physical and mental iPods of Lars and Rob, as Lars shares more of his musical obsessions and Rob throws down his five favorite funk cuts. They also speak with Auburn University’s Professor of Music and Marching Band Director, Dr. Corey Spurlin. The musical themed show kicks off with Lars and his de...

The week of November 29, 2023 on The Metallica Report… Coming off the holiday, Steffan and Renee dip into their M72 interview archives to give you a more in-depth look at the tour. First, James thinks back to the first time he saw the massive circular stage mapped out with cones in the middle of an empty MetLife Stadium. He also touches on the logistics of a simple guitar swap and the importance o...

The week of November 22, 2023 on The Metallica Report… Inspired by Metallica’s love of covering other artists, Steffan and Renée open things up by musing on tracks they’d like to hear the band tackle. Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown of M72 special guests Pantera chat about playing for Metallica’s fans - the ones who already know and love them and those who are in for a fun surprise. They also touch on...

This week on The Metallica Report… Steffan and Renée check in from the Motor City for the final two shows of 2023 on the M72 World Tour.  Steff tells us of his time touring resurgent downtown Detroit with Robert, visiting the historic Motown Museum and Fox Theatre. James explains why he created Messengers: The Guitars of James Hetfield, and we hear more about and from the multi-generational fans w...