Some Kind of Monster (film)
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''Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'' is a 2004 American documentary film about American heavy metal band
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
. The film follows the band from 2001 to 2003, a turbulent period in the band's history which included the production of their 2003 album ''
St. Anger ''St. Anger'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 5, 2003. It was the last Metallica album released through Elektra Records and the final collaboration between Metallica and longtime producer Bob ...
'', frontman
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
entering into
rehab Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
for alcoholism and the departure of bassist Jason Newsted as well as the hiring of his replacement Robert Trujillo. The title of the film comes from a song from ''St. Anger''.


Plot

In April 2001, heavy metal band Metallica is at a crossroads. Their lawsuit against file sharing service Napster has caused a fan backlash, longtime bassist Jason Newsted has quit the group, and relations between the band members are at an all-time low. They are working with "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle to deal with their growing tensions. Newsted says that singer and guitarist
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
would not let him pursue his side project, Echobrain, and calls the band's decision to bring in a therapist "really fucking lame and weak". Metallica begins work on a new studio album, using an empty
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
at the
Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...
as a recording studio and drafting Bob Rock, their longtime record producer, to play bass on the recordings. The process is more collaborative than usual; songs are written from scratch in the studio, the members and Rock contributing equally to music and lyrics. " Some Kind of Monster" and "My World" result from these sessions. Six weeks in, Hetfield and drummer
Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
have an argument during a recording session and Hetfield storms out. He enters drug rehabilitation to undergo treatment for alcoholism and other addictions, putting the album on hold. Ulrich previews some of the new recordings for
his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...
, who says the new material "doesn't cut it". After three months without Hetfield, the band's future is in doubt. Ulrich, Rock, and guitarist Kirk Hammett continue their sessions with Towle. Hammett, who has battled his own addictions in the past, retreats to his northern California ranch, hopeful that things will work out. As part of the therapy process, Ulrich meets with Metallica's original lead guitarist,
Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has releas ...
, who was fired from the band in 1983. Mustaine says that despite the success of his band
Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...
, he has always felt second best to Metallica and carries a deep resentment toward them. Ulrich, Hammett, and Rock attend an Echobrain concert, after which Ulrich laments his inability to keep his own band together. As Hetfield's absence extends past six months, Metallica gives up their lease at the Presidio. In April 2002, Hetfield exits rehab and returns to the band, who resume recording at their new studio, "HQ", developing the song "
Frantic Frantic may refer to: * ''Frantic'' (film), a 1988 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford * ''Frantic'' (video game), a VIC-20 video game * Frantic Films, a Canadian Visual Effects company * "Frantic" (song), a song by Met ...
". As part of his recovery, Hetfield may only work for four hours each day, and he asks that the others not work on, listen to, or even discuss recorded material without him present. Frustrated by these restrictions, Ulrich accuses Hetfield of being too controlling, culminating in an intense band meeting in which Ulrich vents his frustrations. The relationship between the two founding Metallica members becomes further strained while working on "
The Unnamed Feeling "The Unnamed Feeling" is a song by heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on January 12, 2004, as the third single from the band's eighth studio album, '' St. Anger'' (2003). The song is about an unnamed feeling (which, according to James ...
". Hetfield reflects that his need to control the band stems from a fear of abandonment originating from his childhood. Hammett, who sees himself as a calm counterpoint to his bandmates' warring
egos The id, ego, and super-ego are a set of three concepts in psychoanalytic theory describing distinct, interacting agents in the psychic apparatus (defined in Sigmund Freud's structural model of the psyche). The three agents are theoretical const ...
, is upset by their insistence on excluding
guitar solo A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...
s from the album. The band members bristle against their management's insistence that they record a
promo Promo or promos may refer to: Promotions and advertising *Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs *Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...
for a radio contest, and their resentment informs the song "Sweet Amber". Their productivity increases, and Ulrich works his feelings about the Napster lawsuit into lyrics for "Shoot Me Again". While deciding which songs will make the album, the members feel that their chemistry has improved. They begin to reject Towle's methods and feel that he has insinuated himself too closely into the band. When they propose curtailing their relationship with him, Towle becomes defensive. Metallica is chosen to be recognized and perform at the upcoming ''
MTV Icon ''MTV Icon'' is a series of annual television specials produced by MTV between 2001 and 2004, each paying homage to a musical artist or band selected as a cultural icon, in a format similar to the network's annual Video Music Awards and Movie ...
'' tribute show, accelerating their search for a new bassist. After auditioning several bassists from other bands, they select Robert Trujillo, whose abilities impress them and whose finger-style playing reminds them of their early bassist, Cliff Burton, who died in a tour bus accident in 1986. They choose ''
St. Anger ''St. Anger'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 5, 2003. It was the last Metallica album released through Elektra Records and the final collaboration between Metallica and longtime producer Bob ...
'' as the title for their new album, and film the music video for the title track at
San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...
. As they prepare to go on tour for the first time in three years, Ulrich says they have "proven that you can make aggressive music without negative energy." The film concludes with a montage of Metallica performing "Frantic" to stadium crowds on their summer 2003 tours, and notes that ''St. Anger'' debuted at no. 1 in 30 countries.


Background

Documentary filmmakers
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky Joe Berlinger (born October 30, 1961) and Bruce Sinofsky (March 31, 1956 – February 21, 2015) were a team of American documentary filmmakers that have won cult fame and critical acclaim. The duo are probably best known for their trilogy of '' ...
had begun a professional relationship with Metallica while making their 1996 film '' Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills'', about the West Memphis Three. Moved by the story of the West Memphis Three, Metallica, who normally did not allow their music to be used in films, allowed Berlinger and Sinofsky to use their songs in ''Paradise Lost'' for free. The band and the directors kept in touch, discussing the possibility of working on a larger project together. Berlinger split from Sinofsky to direct '' Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' (2000), which was critically panned and made little money. After this experience, he contacted Sinofsky and Metallica about revisiting their plans for a film. The year 2000 had been, in the words of bassist Jason Newsted, "possibly the highest-profile year for Metallica ever." The band had released the live album '' S&M'' in late 1999, then played a New Year's Eve show with Ted Nugent, Sevendust, and
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
. In February they won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for their cover version of " Whiskey in the Jar" (from their 1998 covers album '' Garage Inc.''). The following month, they filed a highly-publicized lawsuit against file sharing service Napster. In May they released the new single " I Disappear" from the ''Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack; they performed the song at the
2000 MTV Movie Awards The 2000 MTV Movie Awards were hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker. In conjunction with the success of ''Sex and the City'', the awards show presented a parody of ''Sex and the City'' and ''The Matrix'' during the program's opening. It featured the SAT ...
in June, and its music video was nominated in five categories at the
2000 MTV Video Music Awards The 2000 MTV Video Music Awards (stylized as MTV Video Music Awards vma.00) aired live on September 7, 2000, honoring the best music videos from June 12, 1999, to June 9, 2000. The show was hosted by Marlon and Shawn Wayans at Radio City Music Ha ...
that September. Metallica spent June through August on the
Summer Sanitarium Tour The Summer Sanitarium Tour was a music event led by American heavy metal band Metallica. The first edition took place during the summer of 2000, with 20 shows in the United States. A second edition was held during the summer of 2003, with 21 sho ...
, playing 20 shows with
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...
, Kid Rock,
Powerman 5000 Powerman 5000 (also known as PM5K) is an American rock band formed in 1991. The group has released ten albums, gaining its highest level of commercial success with 1999's ''Tonight the Stars Revolt!'', which reached number 29 on the ''Billboar ...
, and System of a Down. During the tour, singer and rhythm guitarist
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...
was injured in a jet ski accident and had to miss three shows. The band took a break beginning that fall, which turned into the longest hiatus from touring and recording they had ever taken. In November 2000, the members were interviewed separately for a feature in '' Playboy'', their responses illustrating a growing sense of discontent within the group. Interviewer Rob Tannenbaum wrote that "I've never seen a band so quarrelsome and fractious ..genuine tension was evident in these interviews—the last ever to be conducted with this Metallica lineup—because they shared one trait: Each talked about his need for solitude. Paradoxically, this is a band of loners, and the conflict between unity and individuality was pretty clear." In particular, Newsted, who needed time off to recover from neck and back injuries sustained from years of onstage headbanging, was upset that Hetfield would not permit him to release an album by his side project, Echobrain. Hetfield believed that doing so would "take away from the strength of Metallica", while lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer
Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...
separately opined that Newsted should be able to release the album. Newsted also wanted to play a greater creative role in Metallica, whose direction was dominated by Hetfield and Ulrich, and felt that the band had lost its focus and was spending too much time on matters such as the Napster lawsuit. "We spent more time in fuckin' court last year than we did playing our instruments", he said in 2001. In an effort to keep the band together, their management company, Q Prime, connected them with "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle. Though not a trained
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
or
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
, Towle, a former Chicago gang counselor, had worked with the St. Louis Rams during the
1999–2000 NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs for the 1999 season began on January 8, 2000. The postseason tournament concluded with the St. Louis Rams defeating the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, 23–16, on January 30, at the Georgia Dome in Atl ...
(which concluded with the Rams winning Super Bowl XXXIV), and had unsuccessfully tried to keep another of Q Prime's clients, Rage Against the Machine, from breaking up. After just one session with Towle, Newsted, who had been with Metallica since 1986, quit the group following a 9 hour band meeting. Announcing his resignation on January 17, 2001, he cited "private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love". The remaining members stated that they still planned to start work on a new studio album that spring, and would continue with a new bassist. In a later interview, Newsted stated his distaste for the idea of Metallica going through group therapy: "Something that's really important to note — and this isn't pointed at anyone — is something I knew long before I met James Hetfield or anyone else: Certain people are made to be opened up and exposed. Certain people are not. I'll leave it at that."


Production

When Berlinger and Sinofsky began filming Metallica in April 2001, the band was mired in turmoil. Still without a bassist, the members were not getting along and were struggling creatively while trying to make a record. The original scope of the filmmakers' project was to film the band in the recording studio and produce a pair of 60-minute
infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...
s to be broadcast on late-night television to promote the forthcoming album. Things became more complicated when, three months into filming, Hetfield abruptly left the recording sessions and checked himself into drug rehabilitation to undergo treatment for alcoholism and other addictions, and the band suspended all activities including work on the album. Hetfield remained in rehabilitation until that December, and did not return to the studio until April 2002. During this time, the filmmakers continued to follow Hammett and Ulrich, including their sessions with Towle. "Lars felt the therapy sessions were actually enabled by the presence of the cameras", said Berlinger; "He felt the cameras forced them to be honest." Ultimately, they filmed Metallica for 715 days. When Hetfield returned from rehabilitation, he was uncertain whether filming should continue. Berlinger and Sinofsky showed the band 20 minutes of scenes in progress, which helped convince them to continue with the project. As filming went on, Metallica's label,
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
, grew concerned over the project's escalating cost and considered turning it into a reality television show. By that point, the band and filmmakers envisioned the documentary as a theatrical release. Desiring complete control over it, Metallica bought the rights to the film from Elektra for $4.3 million. Hetfield and Hammett disliked a scene in which Ulrich and his wife sell pieces from their art collection at a
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
auction for $13.4 million. Hetfield called the scene "downright embarrassing" and wanted it removed, but Ulrich insisted on its inclusion, saying that his passion for art was an essential aspect of his personality and that "If you're going to paint a portrait of the people in Metallica, that has to play a role, because that is who I am."


Reception and legacy

The film holds an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus that it is a "Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how Metallica survives one of their more turbulent periods." Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 74 out of 100, based on 32 reviews. A fragment of the summary says "...this documentary provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of the most successful heavy metal band of all time...". Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave it an "A", writing that it is "one of the most revelatory rock portraits ever made".


Accolades

The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2005.


Band reactions

Lars Ulrich reflected on the production, saying: “We were at a crossroads. We had been really good at being able to compartmentalize a lot of this stuff. Suppress it with drinking or other extravagances. This was the first time we had to talk to each other, get to know each other and work stuff out. The cameras were there catching all of it.” The producers requested Dave Mustaine's approval to include footage of his 2001 meeting with Ulrich. Although Mustaine denied the request, he had earlier signed a release form giving the band and the producers the right to use the footage. Mustaine later claimed that this marked "the final betrayal" and that he has now given up hope of ever fully reconciling with his former bandmates. Although he received a measure of satisfaction at being included and acknowledged in the film as Metallica's original guitarist, Mustaine felt his interview footage was edited to portray him in a "less than flattering" manner. Responding to Mustaine's criticism, Ulrich said, "So put these three facts down, he was in our band for a year. He never played on a Metallica record fficial release and it was 22 years ago. It's pretty absurd that it still can be that big a deal." Mustaine eventually reconciled with Metallica. On June 16, 2010, Megadeth and Metallica played the first of what would end up being several shows with
Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
and
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium ''Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The sk ...
as the "big four of thrash metal", their first concert being in front of over 80,000 fans in Warsaw, Poland. The night before, the band members had a collective dinner described as "laid-back" and "enjoyable" by Mustaine, which began with Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo hugging Mustaine. The "Big Four" collective played their last concert on September 14, 2011, in New York City's Yankee Stadium. In February 2016, Mustaine reiterated that he felt open to more concerts and was not opposed to working with Metallica and others again, with only issues of timing and scheduling being in the way. Metallica re-released the film, including a bonus 25-minute documentary, in 2014 to celebrate its 10th anniversary.


Bass auditionees

* Danny Lohner of
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
* Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White) of
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
and
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s: ' ...
* Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity * Scott Reeder of Kyuss * Chris Wyse of The Cult * Eric Avery of
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
All appear while auditioning for Metallica's vacant bassist position. Robert Trujillo was eventually selected.


Charts


References


Further reading

*


External links

* *
Official DVD trailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Some Kind Of Monster (Film) 2004 films Documentary films about heavy metal music and musicians Metallica video albums Films directed by Bruce Sinofsky Films directed by Joe Berlinger 2004 documentary films Films produced by Joe Berlinger IFC Films films 2000s English-language films English-language documentary films