During a revealing conversation on the Talk Louder podcast, L.A. Guns guitarist and original Guns N’ Roses member Tracii Guns recounted a heated exchange with Metallica frontman James Hetfield. The encounter took place in the early ’90s at New York City’s infamous Scrap Bar—right around the time Metallica released their iconic Black Album.
“Somehow, we ended up alone at the Scrap Bar in New York. It was like a Tuesday night, and there was nothing else to do. We were both there doing press; he was doing press for his album. And I came in, and he was the only person in there, and the bartender. So I went, ‘Hey, man.’ He goes, ‘Tracii Guns.’ And right away, I knew he was wasted. I knew he was gone. I knew he was off his tree,” Guns recalled.
As the conversation unfolded, Guns shared that he complimented Metallica’s new album, only to be met with a brutal response from Hetfield about his own work.
“I go, ‘I have a cassette of your new album.’ He’s, like, ‘You don’t like Metallica.’ I go, ‘Yeah, I do. This is a f*king great record.’ He goes, ‘Well, I got the Contraband record [early 1990s supergroup featuring Guns]. He goes, ‘F*king great playing, but those songs are sh*t, bro.’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah. Cool, man. Whatever.’”
The vibe turned sour, prompting Guns to make a swift exit.
“He just started getting kind of amped up, and I’m, like, ‘I’m gonna talk to you later.’ ‘Where are you going?’ ‘I’m not gonna sit here and just listen to you be mad at me.’ He goes, ‘I’m not mad at you.’ ‘You sure sound like you’re mad at me.’ He goes, ‘Whatever.’ He was just drunk. I left.”
From Tension to Respect
Despite the rocky past, Guns acknowledged that Hetfield has evolved significantly—especially in the realm of mental health. Known for being fiercely private in his early years, the Metallica frontman has become much more open in recent times.
“So, years go by. I’d see him every now and then,” Guns said. “I saw him at Download Festival when Lars [Ulrich] didn’t show up, and we talked for a few minutes, and I saw Kirk [Hammett]. And there’s always been this cool kind of vibe between me and those guys.”
“But then I saw that he opened up his heart in public. And he started talking about the demons that he has dealt with and how long. You go play stadiums and you go to the grocery store in your neighborhood. So it’s a big shift. And how he used to deal with things.”
Guns offered high praise for Hetfield’s courage in discussing deeply personal issues like addiction and emotional struggles—especially given the pressures of being the frontman of one of the biggest bands in the world.
“It is very difficult for a man to talk about those things with his friends, let alone talk about that sincerely in public, especially being the singer of f**king Metallica,” he added. “So I have even more respect for James now than ever. I just think he’s so bold and so brave. And although I think it’s a shame what happened to his relationship, relationships don’t last forever. But I really gotta give him massive kudos, man. Just, like, way to go, dude. And that healing process.”
A Millionaire’s Pain Is Still Real
Tracii Guns also clapped back at critics who downplay celebrities’ struggles due to their financial status.
“A lot of people are, like, ‘Oh, he’s a millionaire. Who feels sorry for a millionaire?’ It’s, like, dude, what does that got to do with…? Money doesn’t solve everything internally… And he got sober. That’s tough. That’s hard sht to do, man. And on top of it, he wrote all that great music and those songs. I don’t say this very often, but God bless that f**king dude. What a bad*ss.”
