METALLICA's LARS ULRICH On How Band Responds To Criticism: 'It Depends What It Is'

According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich participated in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" question-and-answer session on Thursday (January 30),where he was interrogated by fans on a number of topics. Although most of Ulrich's answers were brief, he did respond at length to one fan who asked how METALLICA responds to criticism from fans these days.

Ulrich replied, "It depends what the criticism is. There are such a wide range of criticisms thrown at you nowadays because the Internet gives everyone an opinion, for better or worse. And some people just spew crap for whatever reason, which I don't pay very much attention to . . . But if someone's got a fair critique, I'll certainly pay attention."

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that METALLICA has always tried to be responsive to fans. "I try and make METALLICA as fan friendly and as fan connected as possible and still within the understanding that musically what we do is about us. So it's like, if you're into the music we're doing and respect that we do the music for us, then if you want to be part of that ride then here's what we can try and offer you to be part of the METALLICA family."

Speaking to The Verge, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked if fan reactions ever factor in when METALLICA is deciding what to do next. Kirk said: "No, because we're doing it for ourselves, man. 'Lulu' [METALLICA's controversial collaborative album with former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman Lou Reed] is a really good example. I think that 'Lulu' is some of the best stuff we've done. I mean, the song 'Junior Dad' moves me to tears, and working with Lou Reed was such a cool, unique, and special thing for us. Maybe it's not for everyone. Maybe it's a challenge for our fans, but for us — Lars, James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals], Rob [Trujillo, bass], and myself — we loved doing it and it was such a great experience. We look back at it very positively."

In an interview with SPIN magazine, Ulrich was asked if he was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reaction to "Lulu". "It was more spiteful than anyone was prepared for," Lars replied. "Especially against Lou. He is such a sweet man. But when METALLICA do impulsive riffing and Lou Reed is reciting abstract poetry about German bohemians from 150 years ago, it can be difficult to embrace."

METALLICA is now at work on its 10th studio album and plans to hit the European festival circuit this summer.