METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT: ROCK HALL 'Was One Of The Best Events To Happen In Our Career'

John Soeder of The Plain Dealer conducted an interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett before the band's September 29, 2009 concert in Dallas, Texas. The question-and-answer session follows below.

The Plain Dealer: METALLICA has enjoyed its share of momentous occasions. How big a deal was getting into the Rock Hall?

Hammett: Are you kidding? It was one of the best events to happen in our career.

After 25 years of hard work — a lot of sweat, a lot of tears — it's great that we've been acknowledged by the Hall of Fame. It means a lot to us.

As a guitar player, it really meant a lot to me to be able to hang out with my childhood heroes, my idols: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood and Joe Perry. Those guys have been a source of inspiration for me for decades. To be able to sit down and talk to them and play music with them, it was phenomenal.

The Plain Dealer: Between the big pre-induction party that the band threw at House of Blues here and all the hotel rooms that you booked, METALLICA single-handedly sustained Cleveland's economy for a few days there.

Hammett: [laughs] Right on.

For me, it was important to have my mother, my brother and my wife there. My mother, for obvious reasons. My brother, because he was the one who pushed me into pursuing playing guitar for a living and becoming a musician. And, of course, my wife, who's my foundation.

We had the party for a lot of people who've helped us over the course of our career. We got to hang out with people who we haven't hung out with in decades. That was very special, too, because those people played a big part in our ascension, which led to the Hall of Fame itself.

We wanted to do a bit of acknowledgment ourselves, so we flew out, I don't know, about 150 people to Cleveland, to share that moment with us. It was a lot of fun.

The Plain Dealer: Which artists would you like to see get into the Rock Hall?

Hammett: Man, I would love to see RUSH in the Hall of Fame, as well as MOTÖRHEAD and DEEP PURPLE. Those are three that come to mind, only because I'm a hard-rock guy, and those bands had a lot to contribute to the genre.

Those bands have been around a lot longer than we have. It's almost embarrassing that we're in the Hall of Fame and they're not. But everyone has their opinions. There's a bit of a bureaucracy and there's a bit of politics that come along with it.

The Plain Dealer: The "World Magnetic Tour" has been lurching along for nearly a year, with more dates stretching into the foreseeable future. How are you keeping it fresh?

Hammett: We're playing a different set list every night. Sometimes we play songs that we haven't played in decades. We challenge ourselves. Sometimes we overreach in that department. But it keeps it exciting, it keeps us on our toes and ultimately it turns us into better players, which has always been the goal — to progress and become better players.

The Plain Dealer: METALLICA seems to be in a good place these days.

Hammett: We're having such a great time. We're having a lot of fun playing the shows. We're playing better than ever.

We're definitely getting along great, too. Our schedule isn't too hectic. It's pretty well-balanced between home life and being on tour.

I'm particularly excited about the prospect of making this tour be one that we can survive and still have some of our marbles left. [laughs] So far, so good.

I feel very fortunate, and I appreciate the space that METALLICA is in right now. It feels unstoppable again, which is a really good feeling.

Photo below courtesy of Metallica.com