Wednesday 24 April 2013

Metallica - Kirk Hammet Interview Jakarta 1993

Here another historical interview by HAI Magazine, back in 1993 when Metallica did the 'burning' concert in Jakarta. The interview was in HAI Magazine head quarter and it was Kirk Hammet that answering to the journalist. Here the magazine scan, in Bahasa Indonesia.

The excerpts of interview, the interesting ones, that I translated are as below:


Q-We will start from the very beginning. Why you choose to play speed metal?
Kirk Hammet -     Actually we are not ‘choose’ speed metal. What we play is a music that become faster and faster. We feel connected with that music. Then people started to call us speed metal. For me, not a matter, we just want to call this is Metallica music.

The Music of Metallica now being played by many new bands. What is your comments?
Meaning they like our music, isn’t it? For me, not a problem because we never thought about others band’s song. We never did comparison between our music and other’s. Because when we started doing that, we stepped backward rather than forward. We don’t want that happen.

Many people said the Metallica songs in the last album are softer than previous. Is that because you guys become old and tired?
People always say that. Metallica songs, I feel still as hard as before. Soft is perhaps not a correct word here. The truth is we make the song more variety. If we make the song the same as before, our listeners will become tired too. With more variation, such as Unforgiven, our creativity is more developed and it’s good for us.

Is that mean as a way to attracted more fans?
Not really. What we trying to do is we want to make a music better and better. If our music can attracted new listener, it is of course better than before. But it is just not our main goal. We just want to make good music.

In the past, news is, Metallica not really care about radio-sound (radio friendly) music. How about now?
Oh, that’s issue (Kirk laughed). Still the same I think. In the past we played for our own (taste), now it still do. If the radio like to play our song it is good. When not, we still played our music as what we always do.

In the past, in album Master of Puppets, you didn’t feel want to do a videoclip. How do you see a videoclip now, it is supportive to the band?
Last time we make album without ever think about videoclip. Then we started thinking, how about making a video clip? Then we try and the result is good. So then we started attached a videoclip to our music.
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Why you only do concert in Indonesia now? (April 1993)
Not that we don’t want to do concert in other country, especially your country. If possible, we like to concert in every country. But to enable one concert, many things need to considered. There must be a good promoter, condition of the places and so on. After all the considerations it is only recently we able to go to your country and do a concert. After all the technical matter being resolved.

Why in Jakarta, Metallica not using the Snakepit stage as in America?
We have three type of stage and use to fit the best setting on the location. Actually we want to have a Snake Pit stage in all our places we visit. But we can’t bring all the equipment to Indonesia, just as we can’t bring them to Japan as well.

What is your favorite stage?
Snake Pit. The coolest one.

What are you going to do in your Jakarta concert?
For sure, it will be a great concert. Just wait.

Will you played “One” ?
I think so.

What else?
Lol, looks like I need to show you the set list (laughed). No way! No surprise then.

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How do you feel become one of numero uno guitarist in the world?
Wow, I feel I am not like that. There are still many great guitarist out there.

Like whom?
Jimi Hendrix, of course.

Hi Resolution magazine scan of Metallica Kirk Hammet interview in Bahasa Indonesia
The headline said: "In Jakarta, our concert will be the coolest", Said Kirk Hammet

Wawancara Metallica di Jakarta tahun 1993, Kirk Hammet menjawab beberapa pertanyaan ke majalah Hai sebelum konser mereka di Jakarta tahun 1993 tersebut.