I met Cliff Burton just before he died

Metallica were playing with Anthrax supporting. They were staying at the Gresham hotel Dublin (where all the metal bands stay when hey are doing a gig that night) and an army of us had gathered outside to basically drink flagons of cider and hopefully meet them.

A bus pulls in and out pops Hetfield, Hammet and Burton - Kirk and Hettfield get mobbed, and old Cliff just saunters out cool as you like; nobody that into mobbing him. I was into bass playing at the time (I was only a kid), and asked him a few questions: he said "I'll answer anything if you show me around Dublin." So, I did. Had a great chat with him.

I was so sad when he died a few days later. He was a cool bloke. I Met Hetfield the following year in Grafton Street with his minions. I wanted to get autographs for two friends of mine. I have to say he was the rudest rock star I have ever met. The letter A and the word Hole are well connected with him.

That is a cool story, thanks for sharing it with us, brutha

 

manny wrote:

That is a cool story, thanks for sharing it with us, brutha

I have a couple of others, mate if you are interested. Dublin is a small place and pretty easy to root out the bands, if one is inclined.

I've met:

Ozzy/Zac (Too cool to be true)

Danzig (Glen Danzig - Ahole)

Metallica (a couple of times; sucked)

Anthrax (sucked)

MOD (sucked)

Crumbsuckers (cool heads)

AC/DC (great story on them)

Onslaught, met em a few times.  (absolute aresholes - bar Sy and Jim Hinder - Grimmet is on a par with Hetfield for rudeness - met that prick in London as Jim gave us access all areas passes; horrible experience with Grimmet.

Annihilator: They don't come any cooler. Jeff is the nicest bloke you could meet. And Randy was a laugh - lovely lads.

Blaze Bayley (utter dickhead - I made a plank out of him before a gig with Wolfsebane - he was sitting in my seat - funny story that)

Iron Maiden: What can In say? Genuine blokes, like a laugh.

Slayer: Seemed OK until their tour manager started pushing a couple of kids around outside the venue -- nearly turned very nasty for them.

Accept: I was there the day they broke up for the first time - they were supporting WASP, and the new singer started knocking bells out of one of the guitarists, I had to drag him off the lad - he was killing the bloke.

Dokken: What can I say about Don? - complete douchebag and his entourage belong in the who's who in being an utter wanker list. Pilson and Mr Scary nice guys though.

Mustaine: Ha, ha - I don't think I have ever met anybody so wasted in my life. How did he play that night?

Sound Garden: I went to Slane festival with them, I was ligging on the coat tails of my mate who was driving them - laugh riot.

Eddie Vedder: Bizarre story about him.

Alice Cooper: He is that cool.

Lita Ford: Very nice person - a nice bit of eye candy as well.

Bon Jovi: Great lads.

Tons more: all from youth, take me an age to list them all.


 

I have met Alice Cooper, nothing like his image, a very very nice guy. He asked me questions about myself, music I was into and what were my grades in school like!!! This is from the School's Out guy!!!

I meet the entire line up of Dokken during their reunion tour in the early 90's. It was during a promotional in store signing. My experience was opposite, everybody in the band was cool, expect George Lynch. He had his daughter with him and sat apart from the band. He was a bit rude, and said btw, I was the one guy who bought your solo album. I know how to win friends and influence people.

Tell us your AC/DC story.

manny wrote:

I have met Alice Cooper, nothing like his image, a very very nice guy. He asked me questions about myself, music I was into and what were my grades in school like!!! This is from the School's Out guy!!!

I meet the entire line up of Dokken during their reunion tour in the early 90's. It was during a promotional in store signing. My experience was opposite,  everybody in the band was cool, expect George Lynch. He had his daughter with him and sat apart from the band. He was a bit rude, and said btw, I was the one guy who bought your solo album.  I know how to win friends and influence people.

Tell us your AC/DC story.

First off, maybe I caught Don on a bad day, and George on a good day. So I stand corrected if I have defamed an innocent man.

The AC/DC one is quite cool. I never met them, but I had this friend Paula who hates heavy metal, totally hates it with a vengeance. Anyhoo: she is doing work experience in Windmill studios in Dublin where AC/DC were recording.

She knew I was an AC/DC fanatic, and goes into the recording room. They not only stopped playing, but were really sweet to her and got a promo picture and they all signed it to me. She said they were so nice - especially Johnson. It really touched me, that.

Chrome Locust wrote:

manny wrote:

I have met Alice Cooper, nothing like his image, a very very nice guy. He asked me questions about myself, music I was into and what were my grades in school like!!! This is from the School's Out guy!!!

I meet the entire line up of Dokken during their reunion tour in the early 90's. It was during a promotional in store signing. My experience was opposite,  everybody in the band was cool, expect George Lynch. He had his daughter with him and sat apart from the band. He was a bit rude, and said btw, I was the one guy who bought your solo album.  I know how to win friends and influence people.

Tell us your AC/DC story.

First off, maybe I caught Don on a bad day, and George on a good day. So I stand corrected if I have defamed an innocent man.

The AC/DC one is quite cool. I never met them, but I had this friend Paula who hates heavy metal, totally hates it with a vengeance. Anyhoo: she is doing work experience in Windmill studios in Dublin where AC/DC were recording.

She knew I was an AC/DC fanatic, and goes into the recording room. They not only stopped playing, but were really sweet to her and got a promo picture and they all signed it to me. She said they were so nice - especially Johnson. It really touched me, that.

I probably caught Lynch on a bad day, because a few people that have meet Don Dokken says he can come off like a douche bag

Dammit, I posted a cool story of a mate of mine who's friend met Angus Young by sheer fluke outside a hotel in Toronto having a smoke. Damn thing didn't send.

I guess they all have bad days: but you can generalize when you see how bad a person's attitude is to one. Hetfield was a total pig to me. He was not having a bad day, he had his fanboys/girls in the thousands following him him up Grafton street, being "I'm so cool" - and just kept walking when I asked for the autographs. He signed them as he walked,wouldn't stop out of manners sake, then got pissed when he asked did I want an autograph. I said "no" (I was 19 at that stage and grown out of that sort of thing). He then called me an asshole to his followers as he walked away with his giggling sheep. I called back "Say that to my face - not to your minions you douchebag." Asshole wouldn't, he just kept walking. Total coward. He's 6 "5" - I'm only 6 "2." He towered over me. I'm not a violent person by any means, but if the sniveling rat had turned back at me, he wouldn't have played a gig that night, I can promise that. I'd have put his teeth down his throat. No need to be so disrespectful to another person - what killed me, was, he was playing up to his sheep. Its really tainted my view of that band, that experience.

I've always heard Jeff Waters is a nice guy. But I choose Eddie Vedder. Sorry everyone, I know he's not metal.

corplhicks wrote:

I've always heard Jeff Waters is a nice guy. But I choose Eddie Vedder. Sorry everyone, I know he's not metal.

Yeah, a mad one this. Peal Jam are playing down in Slane; like, that's miles away from south county Dublin. anyhoo, my local pub in Dalkey, way off the map, my dear late friend Dave happens to go in for a pint and there is Eddie Vedder sitting on his own. Dave joins him and has a grand chat. Two things about that: Dave never found out why of all places, Vedder ended up in Macdonaghs. And two: He said the guy was weird. Its totally bizarre. If you google map Dalkey South County Dublin, then google map Co Meath, where I'd imagine Pearl Jam were staying closer to; Dublin city for sure - where we are a good distance from, you'll see how insane the whole thing was.  That was back in the day of no social media - so how in God's name did he find his way into our backwater? I wish Dave was still alive, I'd get more on that one. The guy went on his first ever holiday to Greece, hated, phobic of swimming - was found face down in the hotel swimming pool at 6.a.m. I miss that guy.

Chrome Locust wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

I've always heard Jeff Waters is a nice guy. But I choose Eddie Vedder. Sorry everyone, I know he's not metal.

Yeah, a mad one this. Peal Jam are playing down in Slane; like, that's miles away from south county Dublin. anyhoo, my local pub in Dalkey, way off the map, my dear late friend Dave happens to go in for a pint and there is Eddie Vedder sitting on his own. Dave joins him and has a grand chat. Two things about that: Dave never found out why of all places, Vedder ended up in Macdonaghs. And two: He said the guy was weird. Its totally bizarre. If you google map Dalkey South County Dublin, then google map Co Meath, where I'd imagine Pearl Jam were staying closer to; Dublin city for sure - where we are a good distance from, you'll see how insane the whole thing was.  That was back in the day of no social media - so how in God's name did he find his way into our backwater? I wish Dave was still alive, I'd get more on that one. The guy went on his first ever holiday to Greece, hated, phobic of swimming - was found face down in the hotel swimming pool at 6.a.m. I miss that guy.

Eddie was a perpetual drunk there for some time, had a thing for wine, so maybe that explains it. He's also pretty eccentric.

Sorry to hear about your friend, though. Damn.

corplhicks wrote:

Chrome Locust wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

I've always heard Jeff Waters is a nice guy. But I choose Eddie Vedder. Sorry everyone, I know he's not metal.

Yeah, a mad one this. Peal Jam are playing down in Slane; like, that's miles away from south county Dublin. anyhoo, my local pub in Dalkey, way off the map, my dear late friend Dave happens to go in for a pint and there is Eddie Vedder sitting on his own. Dave joins him and has a grand chat. Two things about that: Dave never found out why of all places, Vedder ended up in Macdonaghs. And two: He said the guy was weird. Its totally bizarre. If you google map Dalkey South County Dublin, then google map Co Meath, where I'd imagine Pearl Jam were staying closer to; Dublin city for sure - where we are a good distance from, you'll see how insane the whole thing was.  That was back in the day of no social media - so how in God's name did he find his way into our backwater? I wish Dave was still alive, I'd get more on that one. The guy went on his first ever holiday to Greece, hated, phobic of swimming - was found face down in the hotel swimming pool at 6.a.m. I miss that guy.

Eddie was a perpetual drunk there for some time, had a thing for wine, so maybe that explains it. He's also pretty eccentric.

Sorry to hear about your friend, though. Damn.

Methinks that would explain it. Nice one. Yeah, thanks for you condolences about my mate. Dave was only 24. 1997 it happened. We'll never get to the bottom of it. Fact: he was afraid of water. He was sitting by the pool at around 6.a.m. while his mate went to get something from the hotel - he comes back and finds Dave face down. He had banged his head on the floor of the pool and drowned. Even if he had just fallen in, there is no way his head could have tread though 2 meters of water to hit his head at that impact. I personally think he was kicked in the back of the head from some scumbag who was passing by, to go down with such force. We'll never know, sadly.

I am sorry about your friend, but great stories thanks for sharing

Didn't get to meet Cliff but saw them on that tour too (Brum 1 week before the accident) feel honored to have seen the guy do his thing.

I can't speak about Grimmet because I never met him but all of the guys in Onslaught were awesome, the most down to earth guys ever, stayed in touch with them for a while and they sent us demos of new stuff (In Search of Sanity stuff but with Sy singing) my cousin is still friends with them to this day.

Boris2008 wrote:

Didn't get to meet Cliff but saw them on that tour too (Brum 1 week before the accident) feel honored to have seen the guy do his thing.

I can't speak about Grimmet because I never met him but all of the guys in Onslaught were awesome, the most down to earth guys ever, stayed in touch with them for a while and they sent us demos of new stuff (In Search of Sanity stuff but with Sy singing) my cousin is still friends with them to this day.

Glad to hear that. My experience of Onslaught was neg. I met them in 1988 they were doing a small small show with Sy in Dublin -- well decent then. Then we went over to London in 1989 when they were getting a decent folowing, Sy was gone, and Grimmet had joined. Jim sent me a letter that they were playing in the Astoria in London and meet him at the MTV shoot in Shades on Wardour street if I wanted to get tickets. I fancied a holiday So, I went over with my mate who's brother has a pad there to crash in. I met Jim and got the all acess passes, and we were walking down the road with Onslaught to the Astoria to watch the sound check; Grimmet and Rocket are ahead of us, and Grimmet says: "What are those Irish cunts doing tagging behind us?" Rocket says: "Stupid friend of Jim's, you know what he's like?"

I was was pretty disgusted to say the least, but, persevered instead of calling them up on that, as Annihilator were supporting and we wanted to see their sound check - which was awesome and pissed on Onslaughts. Jim Hinder says to me later, he was the one who mooted Annihilator as support on the tour so he could mooch bass lessons off the bass player. Jim is so down to earth - he took me, during a gig in my home town Dun Laoghaire, mid pint to bring me into the venue to play on his new bass.

I'm guessing you are AMERICAN, so sending you stuff, is in their best interests, But I'm Irish, tiny little rock that can't further their cause. Totally disgusted me that. Funny how Grimmet never said out loud "Irish cunts" when he played over here. Idiot. I'm half British myself anyway. So, pretty poor form. If that's his thoughts on my half of the Irish race, don't play here. Simple.

manny wrote:

I am sorry about your friend, but great stories thanks for sharing

Thanks dude, I appreciate that. Its good to talk sometimes. That pain has always been bottled up inside me. I had just written a song with him, the night before he flew off to f*cking Greece for that holiday. I was going through a bad time, and that cat was so there for me - he had that vibe about him - caring, really looked out for people. We were going to work on that song when he got back - we really hit it off as writing partners, it just gelled. Now, hear this.

I'm in bed at 6.a.m and get this nightmare of falling onto spikes and suddenly wake up, thinking Dave! WTF!!!! I got a phone call that day from an ex mate of mine saying, Dave is dead. The reason I say ex mate who called me is, that guy was once my brother. When the funeral happened, I got invited back to Dave's house, the afters for both the mass, and the actual funeral the next day. A lot of the people I knew disowned me for that. Saying I was milking my friend's death.Why? Because they were not invited back to the house! It was friends and family only - Dave was my friend, they were only acquaintance of him. I got hammered over that. My mate is dead, I'm grieving and I can't be left alone. It was a horrible time. Its good to vent this - been wrapped up like coil inside me; tears are actually flowing now, I'm signing off.

Hey! I'm not American, I'm half English half Irish (c*nt)

As I've said, I've never met Grimmet, or Hinder for that matter, it was still The Force line up when we met them and it was in a little club in Burton on Trent where absolutely no-one was in the slightest bit interested in seeing them apart from me my cousin and about half a dozen of our friends. About eight kids wearing Slayer, Metallica and Exodus T-Shirts amongst a sea of spandex and hairspray (it was that kind of a club!) who else were they going to talk to?

They were brilliant that night though and The Force is seriously underrated. IMHO London Records and Grimmet ruined their careers, the demos they sent us were great but the album is pretty horrible.

Btw Shades Records!!!!   Glad to see that someone else on here went there. I thought of that place as my spiritual home in my early teens, then when I finally went there, I was surprised at how small the place was! Very cool though, I remember being in there when the Crumbsuckers debut album came in (from MFN which was just around the corner) I had never heard of the band, but the way the album flew out of that place, me and my cousin knew that we needed that record, the 50 copies that they got in were gone in about 10 minutes! We were not disappointed. I loved Soho in that era too, I was just a kid and it was sooo seedy!  Not like that now!

Boris2008 wrote:

Hey! I'm not American, I'm half English half Irish (c*nt)

As I've said, I've never met Grimmet, or Hinder for that matter, it was still The Force line up when we met them and it was in a little club in Burton on Trent where absolutely no-one was in the slightest bit interested in seeing them apart from me my cousin and about half a dozen of our friends. About eight kids wearing Slayer, Metallica and Exodus T-Shirts amongst a sea of spandex and hairspray (it was that kind of a club!) who else were they going to talk to?

They were brilliant that night though and The Force is seriously underrated. IMHO London Records and Grimmet ruined their careers, the demos they sent us were great but the album is pretty horrible.    

So you're a mongrel europhile like me, brother. Where in Ireland does one half of your family come from? I'm Swansea/Dublin.

The Force was a great album. I remember the spandex brigade in London - we were in The Ship on Wardor street and f*cking Tiger Talez walked in. Man, I couldn't stop laughing - the place was full of hairspray idiots all fawning over these morons. Nail varnish and hairspray and makeup - it was a hoot looking at them and the tools drinking there. They were giving us evils, and one of my English mate's says: "What's wrong, love - are you afraid to come over here and break a nail?" God, I spat my beer out I was laughing so hard. We went down to the Intrepid Fox then to get away from the spandex brigade, and who walks in: yup - repeat scenario.
Its not as if they were going to make a big deal out it, or else we'd have confiscated their hair spray.  

Chrome Locust wrote:

So you're a mongrel europhile like me, brother. Where in Ireland does one half of your family come from?  I'm Swansea/Dublin.
 

Belfast/Glengormley, although my Grandfather was originally from Dublin so I've got family all over.

I've already told my Tigertailz story on here once, suffice to say that we were no more impressed with them than you were. (although they did a pretty decent cover of Creeping Death, probably just to annoy us!  )

[quote="Boris2008"]

Chrome Locust wrote:

So you're a mongrel europhile like me, brother. Where in Ireland does one half of your family come from?  I'm Swansea/Dublin.
 

Belfast/Glengormley, although my Grandfather was originally from Dublin so I've got family all over.

I've already told my Tigertailz story on here once, suffice to say that we were no more impressed with them than you were. (although they did a pretty decent cover of Creeping Death, probably just to annoy us!  )[/quote

       I love it, man. Some bunch of cretins that lot. Creeping Death was not a bad cover though - deffo to piss us off. I have Planet Rock on, on the radio at the moment - do u ever listen to that? They are playing the new Sabbath release. I have the album, it grabs you the more u listen to it.

Here, you're a brit - what do you think of Tygers Of Pan Tang? They were always my favorite NWOBHM band.

Chrome Locust wrote:

Here, you're a brit - what do you think of Tygers Of Pan Tang? They were always my favorite NWOBHM band.  

I really like them now, at the time I just heard 'Love Potion No9' and it didn't really grab me in the way that Diamond Head, Girlschool and the mighty Angel Witch did.

Man, do they rock. I'm friends on Face Book with the singer, had some decent chats with him - he's an actor now. Changed his name to Jon Deville from Jon Deveril.

A guy I know was in Oslo for the next to last gig Cliff ever did. Since he didn't have ticket he came up with a plan to get in . When the tour busses arrived, he simply started to unload Marshalls! Soon he found himself inside as a local crew member.

After the concert, the entourage were travelling from Norway to Sweden and since our town is located alongside the mainroad between these countries, they the guy a ride home as well. So he was in the bus with Metallica the last night Cliff was alive.

kmorg wrote:

A guy I know was in Oslo for the next to last gig Cliff ever did. Since he didn't have  ticket he came up with a plan to get in . When the tour busses arrived, he simply started to unload Marshalls! Soon he found himself inside as a local crew member.

After the concert, the entourage were travelling from Norway to Sweden and since our town is located alongside the mainroad between these countries,  they the guy a ride home as well. So he was in the bus with  Metallica the last night Cliff was alive.

Jesus!!!! probably- justs wants to keep out of that shit storm - Hetfield was running around blaming the driver - it was black ice.

Yeah, the black ice patch is BS. It was way too early in the year for ice that night....