How a Failed Tennis Career Led Lars Ulrich to Metallica | Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
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- čas přidán 25. 04. 2023
- Lars Ulrich and Conan O’Brien discuss Lars’ journey from hopefully chasing a career in tennis to eventually meeting James Hetfield and co-founding one of the great bands in history, Metallica.
Hear more from Conan's conversation with Lars Ulrich on "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend" @ listen.teamcoco.com/CONAFUlri...
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#SiriusXM #Sirius #SXM #metallica #larsulrich #conan #conanobrien - Zábava
I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet Lars twice. Once when I was 20 and then again when I was 41. Both time he was incredibly approachable and generous with his time. He engaged with me and treated me a valued fan. The dude is a class act.
I could listen to Lars talk all day. He’s got so many cool stories.
That's good because Lars could talk all day.
@@peterk.rosenthal1417 The one thing he is good at.
@@peterk.rosenthal1417 you beat me to this response word for word lmao
He was either going to be a tennis player, a drummer, or a used car salesman..
Good thing drumming worked out for him..
He would've made one hell of a salesman
@@fifthchild8265 If he was born about 20 years later he would have made a great Crypto Bro.
Lars is the kind of friend everyone should have.
He'll piss you off a lot but he's the first one to jump up if someone slights or tries to hurt you.
He's honest and he will support you.
He's not afraid to do what he thinks is right even if it's unpopular. Gotta respect that.
How the hell would you know?
@@ash8298 watch some kind of monster
he never even stopped playing when i was getting my guts stomped out ! mosh pits are rough ! But we ant friends ! lol if I fall down please pick me up , even if at Wal mart , I'm probably drunk could use the help , thanks lol
Hearing Conan converse about more obscure metal bands from the past is cool af.
Conan is a true rock and metal fan. His shows and work shows that.
@@kreb12 talking about the bands they are discussing, not Metallica. SIMPLETON ALERT!
I mean, not super obscure to metal fans. He could have been way more obscure and mentioned Satan, Demon, Holocaust or Tank, etc. Kind of surprised he didn't mention Mercyful Fate.
There's a saying, "Nobody hates Metallica more than Metallica fans" and there's a lot of truth in it. Lars explained it perfectly here.
Which has quite a bit to do with Lars' personality and awful drumming.
They can hate all they want, the band’s legacy and influence is objectively secured.
@@ash8298 Metal is all about individuality and if Lars is Lars and some fans find him obnoxious so be it. He's just being himself. As for his drumming, he is back on his peak form, he has redeemed.
@@ash8298 Its mainly his personality and at times arrogance and him having an important manager/creative position in the band which leads to caring at all about the drumming.
With most bands nobody gives the F about how good the drummer is if he's half alive and able to hold the sticks. That its way different for Metallica says a lot.
@@johngeiger3770 he's not peak, he just pulled it back and has gone solid.nothing wrong with it,but nothing astounding.hes doing it. 72 seasons didn't have a single drum moment that made me think "eyyyy......this guy, this Fukkin' gehy.." there's wasn't a single fill that wowed. James vocals....for a 60 year old instrument (vocals) this guy's still taking chances. He impressed.and I love Metallica but ykno, come on. Gotta at least push a little bit. And I don't wanna hear it cuz Metallica is in my DNA, from hearing and justice in a playpen while my dad lifted weights, to load like literally the day it came out they've always been there. Good album tho,maybe not as good as hardwired or death magnetic. Those 2 albums still get me going.i think those 2 are severely underrated
Lars is a legend. This man is an amazing composer, cleaver dude, knows how to move in music world. Metallica would never be as big as it is without him.
"composer" eh? Care to define what you think that means real quick?
More of an arranger, technically. And a great one at that. Agreed with the rest.
There wouldn’t be Metallica without him
@@CPAJayhawk
He did steal the name from a friend of his who was coming up with names for a metal magazine..
It was him who came to James and Ron and told them hey let's do this i got us a record deal..
During those times James and his friend Ron could play but they were more introvertive type of individuals
Lars had that go getter drive and had the confidence they didn't have at that time
Hate him or love him, without him there would be no Metallica 🤘
@@latentsea He does a lot more than that. He decides which riffs make the album, which riffs go in what song, and he writes riffs too.
I’ll never get tired of hearing Lars talk about NWOBHM.
It’s amazing how it never gets old watching Lars talk with a toothpick in his mouth, it’s legendary.
And with his Danish accent, so cool. heh
Mainstream moved towards them, best description of why they get so much hate.......yes lars!!! X
Yes! Lars described it best! So true!
No, I think it's fairer to say that the mainstream and Metallica met in the middle. The (calculated) shift of the 'Metallica' album was a very specific effort on Metallica's part to simplify arrangements and increase the sonic heft of their music in the new digital format of CDs; rock radio and MTV were absolutely ready to embrace this push for broader acceptance as marketing departments began to recognise (and exploit) Gen X.
@@Johnny6666 That's BS. Metallica was never meant to be about one thing. They drastically changed their sound between Kill 'Em All and Lighting, and between Puppets and Justice. MTV was pushing Metallica long before the black album.
Because master and ride had this sinister energy. Especially master. And when Cliff died and they ran out of the riffs they stole from Dave , Lars and James had to write songs. And they suck.
@@pastorofmuppets777 You think that One, The Shortest Straw and Harvester of Sorrow suck?
Opening night in Amsterdam last night. I am a fan since the very start but yesterday they played at their best since the 80s. What a revival. James looks so healthy and his voice was thunderous. ❤
Is it me or had Metallica been opening up alot more in interviews? Like more detail about things
Well they've got a new record coming up so that means more interviews. As to the content of those interviews or revealing more info... I don't know, haven't heard anything new except for the stuff that might be on their minds at that time.
Maybe because this is their last tour.
@@kevinc9292 Not a chance. Last two-year world tour, perhaps. Performing is their life.
Yep I agree.
Yes. Metallica was once a critically acclaimed Metal band with serious credibility in the music world. They could afford to be mysterious. Nowadays not so much. While they are successful playing live and are STILL the most successful Metal band in the world, they’ve at the same time lost most of their credibility in the Metal community. Lars is now a horrible drummer who displays what happens when a musician fails to improve their musical skills. They NEED to spill their guts in interviews to shorten the gap and bring people back.
People who slate Lars forget the band wouldn't even exist without him..
Well that’s similar to saying “you blame this guy for killing his wife and 5 kids....without him they wouldn’t exist”. That argument doesn’t hold up. Sorry.
@@Assimilator702
Hahaha, just say Lars is trash.
@@Assimilator702 That is the stupidest thing anyone has said here. Congrats.
@@Assimilator702 🤦🏼♂️
@redrick8900 I make sense and it's stupid? OK bud! 👍 🙁
never been a huge lars fan but got to say its been quite enjoyable listening to him on this podcast my opinions of him have changed because of this.
But what is it what made you not be a huge fan of Lars in the first place?
@@vendettarocknews5266 how he handled the whole napster thing, and before youtube and podcasts just reading about him versus hearing his own words etc.
Most people’s opinions on Lars are based on short out of context soundbites, daft CZcams videos or what other people say. At the end of the day he’s a cool humble guy who just loves music and respects artists
@@ibanezcollector He was dead right about Napster and other people like Dr. Dre were vocally anti-Napster too but Lars became the poster child anyway.
If you listen to things he has to say now about Napster, he references other bands and artists who told him they were on board(he doesn’t name who they were specifically), and then once push came to shove he found himself all alone on that platform. But what we now know in looking back is that he was 100% right. Whether you agree or disagree with what he did is irrelevant; he was doing what he did to protect their music from being shared illegally to help themselves of course, but to also help other artists. He talks about this directly. Imagine being a creator of something that earns you a living. One day, someone comes along and takes what you have and starts to give it away for free. Regardless of how much money you have made in the past, why should the decision to share something you made not be up to you? That’s the ultimate point that most people missed. And honestly, fuck all those people who still blame Lars for “ruining their childhood” or whatever else nonsense they come up with. If you were in the same position at that time, with millions of dollars potentially on the line, what would you have done? The answer is: the exact same thing.
I LOVE these Conan podcasts! I can't get enough of them! I love Conan, his team, the camaraderie. Who knew Matt was so funny?! Need more content PLEASE!
Although I agree Matt is a gem but I find it a little odd you comment this on a video where he's not featured at all
Matt who?
I would love to see a movie made on metallica, for example, The Dirt, Metal Lords, Rocket man and the Elvis movie etc. It would be awesome I think.
and get Danny Devito to play Lars ! I just like pissing Lars off , nothing against Danny but Lars would want Brad Pitt
I would hope they’d split it into two films. So much material to cover I hope it wouldn’t be crammed into one movie.
Nah biopics suck. A proper documentary told by the actual band and associates would be better and more factual
That would be cool! But there 3D movie was as good as it gets. Check it out!
Love listening to Lars.
Conan slowly morfing into Larry King.
True. Pretty soon he will lower his chair as he ages and start to hunch over.
And he's not even Jewish.
Or Mustaine
Lars really wore a lot of hats to get metallica up and running. A decent drummer but very business minded guy and great social networker and hetfield was a shy introverted guy but artistic and creative too so together made great music and added the right musicains to complete their band. Doesnt work like that for 90% of bands other then right time and place i guess.
Much better at the business of the band then the band itself
@@Dan16673as millions of comments have responded to millions of your same comment, without his arrangement skills and unique drumming approach metallica would never have been a big.
@@flataffect unique drumming? You mean using the same 3 beats for 30 years and also not opening his hi hats enough?
@@Dan16673 overstatement. Very few drum parts on death magnetic sound alike, st anger had lots of experimentation with his drumming, tons of variety on load/reload, and whole hardwired and 72 he has def been more cookie cutter it doesn’t make him outright bad, he’s still a great composer whether you like it or not.
@@flataffect not sure what else you metallica fans listen to but us in the real world know that this drumming is very simple and boring. If you like that, cool. I do not
I thought Conan was done... Super happy to see him in action again.
yeah but he looks like he's bored with life, maybe that's just his face? idk.
@@JPX64Channel I think he just has that kind of face, thought so too sometimes lol
he’s just another howard stern
“One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it”
He was so great, loved this interview!!!
Nick Bollettieri (now it's IGM) Passed away last year. People like Andre Agassi, Maria Sharipova, and the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) all went there.
I shoulda found a band 20 years ago and eventually became Lars friend. James too. I can relate to them and see a lot of common ground & mentality. I need a friend like them. And Conan’s. Conan was my favorite, I’m sad I didn’t watch it more religiously on tbs. Every show was good.
I'm glad I caught the 30 second version
I have something important to say.
I was at my local record shop, looking thru old Metallica CDs, and came across a weird UK export interview CD feat Metallica. It's around Master of Puppets tour or Lightning tour.
It's one track.
30 mins.
All young Lars.
❤
Great interview - It is interesting how things shift. I noticed everyone is doing the same thing. Music, movies, style, ideas. Luckily it shifted to Metallica at exactly the right time. If you heard the Ride The Lightning album, at the right time, your mind was blown. "WTF is this?!?!' Lifetime fan created. A great story of success (and well deserved).
Is the full episode coming to CZcams? 🤔
Fantastic interview. Lars is very bright.
Pretty cool see Conan isnt just a poser. He knows his metal, hes a serious fan.
I remember Lars telling a story about drinking with Sebastian Bach and how Bach was bragging about being a great tennis player.
Lars suggested they play against each other and he beat Bach😂
Still can't believe that Metallica is a mainstream band now, my favorite band in the 80s that not many people knew about, crazy.
Yeah I was talking to my aunt the other day because in the 80's I was listening to master of puppets and she asked "what kind of music is that?" And I said "thrash" she responded "yeah it's trash alright". Now she goes to their shows. 🙄
I think the main reason people hate the black album so much was because it brought in all these people who made fun of you for loving Metallica when they were underground all of a sudden were fans.
shoulda tried out at glendale high in glendale california. everyone made the team including me lol
Hating Lars just because his drumming skills is like hating your older brother who showed you the music you like because you ended up playing better than him...
I knew he wouldn’t pull of a 30 second version 😅
Love this!!!!!!!!!!
Lars is great! I'd love to go out drinking with him and pick his brain!
yep , id slide something in his drink and steal his drum set , hopefully James is there to I'm really guitar guy myself but I'm sure I could trade his drums for a nice one , lol
If I'm in a room with Conan, I'm bringing him into the conversation with his depth of knowledge.
The crazy thing is that James and Then bass player Ron McGovney thought Lars sucked .
Haha, nice to hear that Maiden was their inspiration, hope that Rock an Roll Hall of Fame guys are listening :)
Conan had just crawled out of bed when Lars got there.
Conan is the 🐐
More behind the scenes info of Lars I never knew.
Finally; not the typical lars or james knterview that eens happening the last 20 years
@Lamar Loyde no auto correct here ! I do admire that to be honest,
Imagine Conan interviewing Dave Mustaine.
Talk about Redhead Fest!
I've already done the failing at tennis part, but nobody's listening to my music. At least it sounds like I'm on the right track.
Thanks to a friend who worked on the props crew at SNL who invited me early in the day for setup and soundcheck of Metallica and later the broadcast. That's a really small Studio hanging around with those guys watching them soundcheck a dress rehearsal end broadcast literally felt like we witnessed five concerts. Great memory Lars was nice they all were. The Memory Remains LOL
Sirius is trying to take views away from team coco? Lol. Seriously? (See that there word play)
My husband's motto is Missed opportunities are the building blocks of life.
The documentary movie about Metallica called some kind of monster is out of this world. It really inspired me and help me in my music
I wish I was young in the 80’s…
I got into Metallica in late elementary school in 88 and metal heads like punks were treated like outcasts.
Imagine how I was treated wearing dead Kennedys, slayer, Suicidal Tendencies shirts. I got sent home so many times 😂
improbable - Lars and James find each other in a newpaper ad.
Then you add Dave Mustaine into the mix and it gets ever more ridiculous
It's true really, a lot of great minds and talent. You ahve to add that the unique and talented cliff and Kirk who was at that time fantastic and created, named, gave sound and was the main songwriter for Exodus. What a great time
Cliff was the fuse. I’m glad Mustaine was kicked out, otherwise we wouldn’t have Megadeth.
My mind is full of 72 Seasons riffs 🎉
I half expect Lars to say, "Hello, Clarice."
I still for Bal - Sagoth to be a main stream.
Blodu ok jarna, brother.
I love Lars
Ha...Zep and purple lost touch? Huh.
lars is a good storyteller
Lars and Kirk still live here in the Bay. James moved from Marin to Colorado. Robert I'm not sure...LA? Lars is my boy..
Please please please ask Lars to get Metallica to do a Status Quo cover or two. I want Papa Het singing Rockin all Over the World!
👌
Thanks for having me on Conan!
legend. no doubt about it
Lars 'The thirty second version of it is' Ulrich
James 'Y'Know' Hetfield
"30 second answer"
Insane drumming Lars
I dont care what anyone says, metallica is a legendary band. Upd and downs and all. The only other BAND i feel like that with is ac dc and the stones. They all do what they do and dont care what critics say. I love that mentality. All put on a hell of a show.
The Stones just chased the Beatles around.
@@redrick8900 who cares ?
@@andrewcastillo9558 You do.
They’ve definitely had popular, heavily marketed songs that have mostly marked their marketability. But most of the legendary or near legendary bands out there have a much better quality and catalog of songs than Metallica does.
@@RS-ol8or nothing wrong with that,but it's opinion based.
Bit sad he didn’t mention Judas Priest when he talk’t about The new wawe of british heavy metal….
@Lamar Loyde The New Wave of British Heavy Metal, often abbreviated as NWOBHM, was a musical movement of the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s in which heavy metal bands. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement catapulted many English bands into the international spotlight, including Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Motörhead, and Judas Priest
Maybe becuase they aren't metal. They are a paint by numbers rock band.
czcams.com/video/awJRuLagNDw/video.html this sounds like the music lars would make fun of its like winger meets Nelson lol
“I wasn’t ranked #1 on my own block.” Lars, in his own words, describing his tennis playing. Tennis “career” is a stretch.
It is true what Lars says here. The mainstream came to them. Same thing happened with black metal. It was total underground until it blew up and then everyone was or thought they were 😀black metal. It turned into a circus.
So i guess you gotta do your own thing and hopefully it will be succesful
I love disagreeing with Lars, it's just so easy. The hair bands were not born out of punk, lol. They were all theory musicians, which some would actually call the opposite of punk. It would be more correct to say the music school kids started polishing up the popular punk sound in demand at the time. Every band mentioned was corporate rock, except for Led Zeppelin. They may have birthed the industry, but Led Zeppelin was very well produced punk itself, in the beginning, and the only English post punk heavy metal band that was not steeped in theory and production was Iron Maiden. The one band Lars didn't mention despite the fact they were pre-Def Leopard and the biggest band in the world until Metallica dethroned them. And btw, only Metallica's first three albums were raw and organic. After that they brought in the studio production so Lars shouldn't feel like an outsider anymore. He's been an insider for a lot longer then he ever was an outsider. And the QT comparison!?!?!?
QT gets in trouble with every film he makes. He hasn't lost a step, even if he's meted out his product focusing on quality over quantity. He is not mainstream. He's about as big as you can get without being mainstream, but mainstream movies always make more than his. A $300mil box office is a grand slam for QT, but a mainstream movie calls that underperforming. Metallica, by contrast, always releases their music to #1 status. But the timing is such that can get done with less sales or downloads then you would guess. So lots of number 1's that nobody cares about down the road. A year later we're back to the first 3 albums. The black album marks the day they sold out, and it has some good tracks, but it's the first 3 that made Metallica's rep. They've been living off it ever since.
To be clear I am trolling Lars, not Conan ;P
Agreed, but hair bands is not necessarily the same thing as early British groups.
Who tf was talking about "hair bands", dude? Lars was primarily influenced by the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) which was happening in the UK between 1978 and 1982, and then faded away. "Hair metal" (or to use the accurate term "glam metal") started in LA and didn't become a thing until 1984. Motley Crue's first two albums came out before '84, but they were considered heavy metal until the Theater Of Pain album - that's when they went full-on glam. Out Of The Cellar by Ratt was actually the first glam metal album and that came out in 1984. Also, early speed/thrash metal fans in that time period hated glam metal. So to summarize, Lars and the other members of Metallica were influenced by NWOBHM and hardcore punk, "hair metal", especially since that subgenre didn't even exist at the time, as I stated. Learn the history of heavy metal before making ignorant statements with such arrogance.
@@Marshall_Stacks
Furthermore, very few members of the early 80's heavy metal bands (NWOBHM, speed/thrash metal, and glam) went to music school, so that statement was also false.
I wonder - is Lars making more money from being part of Metallica or from the Perrier endorsement?
I still don’t get the toothpick
You don't? People have ticks and calming actions they do to sooth themselves. Smoking is that for me. Some people eat food, some people drink, some people need a warm bath, etc. It's a habit like anything else.
I think it's a quitting smoking thing
Somebody ask him about AI within the Napster framing of controlling their own music.
Lars reminds me of Bill Burr for some reason.
When he gets thinking on something his eyebrows pull in 👍
Yes me too
They both play drums
@@latentsea Burr’s a better drummer
@@RS-ol8or So what you are saying is that you know nothing about drumming.
Billie Eilish didn't just happen to dress like that lol. An agency created that image.
i don't really believe that for a second. she's spoken at length about what self-image, the maintaining of self-comfort, and being true to her own experimentation has meant to her. got any verifiable evidence of your claim?
Every time I see her she's in sweats.
Kinda cool I was 9 or 10 when I discovered Metallica
"you're it now" Oh No!
Lars drumming on ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL is top-notch, idc what anybody says. \m/
I liked what he did on the early stuff, he wasnt like his contemporaries but what he did with his own music worked. After the black album he just got lazy, I personally like a lot of music thats on load & reload but he just stopped caring about drums
There's no 30 second version of anything with Lars
is Roman Atwood Lars's clone?
I'm wondering if he drinks the can of Perrier or if he does like president Skroob and sniff his Perriair🤣Fans of 1987 Spaceballs will know what I'm talking about.😂
czcams.com/video/kCX6H90RvPU/video.html
Simple explanation for why "edgy, outside the mainstream" musicians, comedians, directors, etc become popular - people simply get bored with the same old thing and need something excitingly unfamiliar. It's the same reason addicts move on to edgier drugs.
He looks tired. I grew up with Lars, James, Kirk, Cliff, and Jason. Rob joined when I was 23. I HATE seeing my heroes grow old.
@S V he does, no doubt. Just tired
@@bobbyosborne2375He would look considerably more healthy if he didn’t abuse Coke for so many years. I mean it might have been the reason he was able to play at a certain level for so many years. It’s sad to see one my of drumming heroes in such a decline. Charlie Benante on the other hand looks much healthier than Lars and has IMPROVED his drums skills through the years. Lars DOES have a larger bank account so he had to pay for that one way or another.
"Here's the 30 second version."
Talks for 4.5 minutes about it.
As Lars ages he looks more and more like Torben.
Without the hair.
If I was Hollywood producer and made a movie about the band I would cast Danny Devito to play Lars just to piss him off , Hes funny when pissed off that's all no hate or anything . Nothing against Danny either , Throw mama from the train will always be my fav movie . But Lars would be expecting Brad Pitt , or Ellen to play his part ! lol
He should shave his hair like a skinhead.
People complain about lars and hate on the band since load. Yet, hes still making more money than you, your family, doesnt have a puppet job, doesn't hate his life.
Why do them same people who hate on Metallica, love Metallica pre load? You cant love hate a band. You either love them, or dont listen to them. When you contradict yourself, you give us a look inside how broken your own family is. Please dont take your father's anger out on lars. Its not his fault you'd rather listen to kpop or rap.
Spoken like a true Metallica fan!!! All full of narrow mindedness, assumptions. and projection. Not to mention gaslighting and utter stupidity.
@@latentsea spoken like a true hater. Ignores facts for their own. How terrible. I forgive you
Let me choose my words carefully, your comment, I don’t know , it’s just a little Stock.
@@latentsea because you didn't type it, you're mad? Please calm down. Are you offended at the kpop and rap? What triggered you? Do you need help?
Re-read your first comment. It really doesn’t make sense and what’s your point? People can hate on Metallica, but have liked them pre-Load. And that doesn’t mean they like k pop or rap. Just so strange, all these random assumptions because someone ego was hurt. Keep to the logic son, your straw man argument is getting blown away. Have a good one and listen to Michael Jackson’s drummer sugarfoot. That man can hit hard, rock solid, and his cymbal chokes will blow your mind. In other words .Beat it has better drumming and guitar solo than anything Metallica ever did. Go watch Jonathan drum, just do it. Or Marco minneman, Benny greib or that dude from Spain. It’s mind blowing drumming. Open your mind son. Don’t hate the haters! That’s still just hatin’.
Your hats on backwards. Trd
Lars is the reason Metallica ever got to be one of the biggest bands in the world.
Lars' toothpick must need some washing... It's been there for a while now.
That’s the smallest drum stick I’ve ever seen!
Conan rolled out of bed
They live in a different world still.
We live in cancel culture where you can't breath.
coco looks so tired
Lars was right.
I bet he was better at tennis than playing the drums.
End the federal reserve
Every time someone shit talks Lars, he just claps back with a snare fill. Shit talkers lose.
You nah, fanboys like you lose. Learn to play and get back to us about Lars, then.
He is a great team player... average or below drummer.
@@morbidmanmusic wow, you showed me.