Instrument: Vocals, guitars

Birthday: August 3, 1963

Residence: Los Angeles, California

Statistics: 6'1" & 180 lb. (1.85 meters & 81.65 kilos);
blond hair & blue eyes

Marital status: Single

Drives: Chevy Blazer, Dodge Ram

Eats: Coors Light, Pacifico, Bombay Gin Martinis, Caffney's Irish Ale

Fav Foods/Drinks: Mexican, meat-n-potatoes / Beer

Fav Sports teams: Oakland Raiders, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Clash

Life Before Metallica: Played in Obsession, Leather Charm

Pre-Metallica career: Worked in sticker printing factory

Likes: Hunting, fishing, anonymity, snowboarding, street hockey, water skiing, cigars

Listens to: Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Skynard, Thin Lizzy

Heroes: Clint Eastwood, Pops Hetfield

First concert: Aerosmith & AC/DC, 1978, Long Beach, California

Describes self as: Rugged, honest, stubborn

Quote: "I sit there and go, 'Oh God, I think what am I gonna write?' and all of a sudded it
happens.  The first line's down, and all hell flows after that."

The James FAQ

What equipment does James use?

James uses ESP Explorer guitar's with EMG pick ups and Ernie Ball strings, and a Mesa Boogie
mark II simul-class amp. James uses many different guitar/amp combos for different sounds in the
studio.

What happened to James' hair between the Roam tour and the summer 1994 tour? And
what happened in 1996?

In '94, James was involved in an ATV accident while hunting which required 40 stitches in his
head--so he quite simply got it cut.... Before the release of Load, James decided to get his hair cut,
and this time even more of it went!

Where did James get his skull ring and wolf pendant?

The ring formerly belonged to Cliff. The pendant is from a store called The Great Frog in London
(the same place Cliff got the ring).

Has James ever recorded for anyone besides Metallica?

James has recorded backing vox for "Twist of Cain" and "Am I Demon?" on Danzig's first album &
C.O.C. Manorash on Wiseblood.

Why did James get burned at the Montreal show (Aug. 8, 1992)?

The band was informed of a pyro change: pyro would be ignited along the "wings" of the stage during
"Fade To Black." The pyro-tech however, failed to tell the band that new pyro would be going along
with the old pyro. Assuming that the new pyro canceled out the previous pyro, James was standing
exactly where the old pyro occurred when a 12-foot flame was ignited, severely burning the left side
of his body.

Why did James switch from the Flying V to the Explorer?

The Explorer used to be James' back up guitar. When the V's neck broke, he switched to his back
up guitar, only to discover that the Explorer was perfect, but he's back on the "V" again also.

The liner notes say: James--guitar; and Kirk--guitar. What does James play?

James is responsible for the great majority of the guitar work in Metallica's recordings. James handles
all the rhythm guitar and most melody and harmony guitars, not to mention the acoustics and the
occasional guitar solo. Kirk's duties on the albums are mostly for the full-blown lead guitar solos.
However, on Load, the guitar duties for James and Kirk have expanded quite a bit--both play
rhythm and leads.

What is James' favorite Venom album?

Welcome to Hell.

What does James do in his free time?

James is an avid hunter.

Who were his main influences?

Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Ted Nugent.

Does James still skateboard?

No, but rumors abound that past tour contracts have included a "No Skateboarding" clause, just in
case. He has recently taken to snowboarding--apparently it has a slightly softer landing.

"Live to win, dare to fail."

-- James Hetfield