JASON NEWSTED On Being Diagnosed With Throat Cancer: 'The Level Of Depression Was So Severe'

On the latest episode of "Nashville Now", Rolling Stone 's podcast where senior editor Joseph Hudak dives deep into the hottest genre in music, country, former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted spoke about how his recent battle with throat cancer inspired him to hit the road with his long-running THE CHOPHOUSE BAND this summer. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "About a year ago, they found some throat cancer, and so I had some pretty serious procedure. And so I'm, yeah, 300 and whatever days out, nearing 400 days out. And I've got some healing to do. They told me to wait till about August or so to start trying to do anything, but I really want to bet on myself and have some incentive and all that kind of thing."

Jason continued: "I had to claw back. I had to claw my way back. The depression, the level of depression was so severe that you just... A couple of times, I'd never been the kind of person that would say that or even had that kind of thinking, but [I felt], like, 'Dude, fuck this.' I done did what I did, been blessed very much. Great friends, a way to be still, just fucking let... Like, 'Okay, man, just take me now, motherfucker,' that type of thing, for a couple weeks. And I started getting back out of it. I started swimming again, got back on my bike, doing my things, doing my things, getting some sun, playing some music, meeting some people, keeping my head out, writing some more songs, doing all the things. The planets started aligning. I thought, 'I need to go out and play these songs for people.' You felt so close to dead. How you go the exact opposite of that, all the fucking way over here like this, is to go out and play for people. Express. Let them hear your stories, your new songs. Tell your stories with your songs. Fuck no, they ain't perfect. No. No. Nope. They're just what they are. I do what I can with what I got and what's left, okay? So now stepping into new worlds, even though I've been where I've been, a bunch of new things for me, like starting over."

Newsted, who played with METALLICA from 1986 to 2001, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2025 but wasn't declared cancer-free until earlier this year.

"May of 2025, about 370 days ago or something, I had a procedure for throat cancer and they took tonsil, lymph nodes, and all this kind of thing out of here and it was a very harrowing type of thing," he told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" in May. "I didn't really tell anyone other than my family and closest circle. I didn't want anybody to know. I wanted to keep it private until I knew what was going to happen. I got my free and clear a few weeks ago, and so that's when I started talking about it and telling my friends about it."

Regarding his decision to play live again so soon after his cancer battle, Newsted said: "I was betting on myself that I was going to heal and I was going to get better and I was going to be strong enough to do these shows. I kind of put it out there as an incentive thing, but also to prove to myself I could and to feel as alive as possible, because I'd never been that close to death before. And it was very eye-opening at the same time, and it makes you appreciate everything that you've had and the opportunities you've had and maybe you want to take some more opportunities while you're able. That's kind of where it's at for me to feel as alive as possible is when I go out and sing and play and interact with the people. That's the one thing that I miss the very most. It's not the money. It's not any of that shit. It's not the trappings. It's meeting the people."

Newsted previously told the "Let There Be Talk" podcast that he initially suffered with earaches and a sore jaw but simply wrote it off as minor ailments that were only slightly affecting his ability to sing. When he finally noticed a lump on his neck, he decided it was time to get checked up.

"The doctor calls [back] and he says, 'You need to come in,'" Jason recalled. The 63-year-old musician initially thought "there's no way…" before remembering how chaotic his years in METALLICA had been. "I expected [a diagnosis like that] maybe 20 years from now… but then I started thinking about it," he said. "Our accelerated lifestyle [in METALLICA]… with the big tours, you're doing a couple of hundred shows a year… Those touring years are dog years."

Newsted and his THE CHOPHOUSE BAND kicked off their first-ever North American headlining tour on July 1 at Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts.

JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND are playing eight headlining dates in cities including Albany, Alexandria, Grand Rapids, Knoxville and more. The group is also supporting BLACKBERRY SMOKE for 10 shows in July.

The 18-date run is visiting major markets across the South, Midwest, and East Coast, and conclude with a two-night stand at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on July 24-25.

Since 1992, JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND have performed periodically at select benefit shows and charity gigs, supporting causes like veterans' relief and animal rehabilitation, as well as youth music and arts education programs.

Newsted leads the 2026 JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND lineup, in which he is joined by Jesse Farnsworth (guitar, vocals),Jimbo Hart (bass, vocals),Humberto Perez (guitar) and Robert John-Tucker (drums, vocals).

Newsted told the Fairfax County Times about JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND's current lineup and tour: "I hand-selected my favorite players from over the years, put together people I wanted to jam with for a long, long time. We've been doing monthly rehearsals and we're getting ready for pre-production. We've written some new songs, we're playing mostly original music and a few songs from some heroes."

Regarding his reasons for returning to the road, Jason said: "First and foremost, I'm doing it for the fun. It's my elective thing. I'm not making any money on any of this. I'm just doing it because I want to do it with some friends. I'm looking forward most to reconnecting with people that I've made great connections with in the past."

When the tour was first announced in April, Jason said in a statement: "We're fired up to finally take this to the people, and it's an honor to head out on the road with the BLACKBERRY crew for our first proper run. BLACKBERRY SMOKE has built a loyal following that knows and enjoys good music.

"We'll be performing THE CHOPHOUSE BAND originals and selections from a few of our heroes. Even at places like the Ryman, we will play some acoustic-based tunes, but throughout the set it is guaranteed to get heavy!"

JASON NEWSTED & THE CHOPHOUSE BAND play a gritty brand of outsider Americana, with roots outstretched into traditions of bluegrass, folk, soul, rock, and a bit of heavy metal. At the same time, Newsted's lyrics cut deep as he threads personal stories into the fabric of this music, presenting perhaps the most intimate and uncompromising portrait of who he is thus far.

Jason stated: "I've realized that this is where I can place my energy effectively now. THE CHOPHOUSE is the continuation of my ambassadorship of American music. THE CHOPHOUSE BAND plays everything from bluegrass to fucking slabs of metal. We're covering a lot of ground. There could be country flavor to a song, but it'll still have sharp teeth. We are looking forward to an exciting summer!"

Named after Jason's four recording studio facilities around the U.S. and featuring a fluid roster of players, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND began in 1992 when Newsted founded The Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco.

THE CHOPHOUSE BAND is led by Newsted, playing guitar and performing lead vocal, accompanied by 
close friends/musicians of all walks and styles.

Jason previously told the Palm Beach Florida Weekly about THE CHOPHOUSE BAND: "We all get along great because there's not money involved. They've got their own bands, their own families, their own gigs. We do benefit gigs, six a year, and that's it. I record and write and play songs the whole rest of the time. They could all run circles around me musical theory-wise. They could tell you everything they’re playing, and all the relating chords. I surround myself with the badasses, and they make me look really good. I'm playing cowboy chords the whole time, and they're doing their fancy shit to make me look good. I just concentrate on singing, and getting across the things I want people to hear."

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001, but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

Twelve years ago, Jason shelved NEWSTED, the heavy metal project he operated between 2012 and 2014, saying that it cost him "an awful lot of money — hundreds of thousands of dollars." He added: "I couldn't continue because the business is such a harsh thing now and so different than what I had known."