James Hetfield lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle for much of his career as the frontman of Metallica. His drug and alcohol addiction reached a boiling point right around the time the band was documenting the recording process for their eighth studio album, St. Anger. Some Kind of Monster, which hit theaters in 2004, showed a band at a crossroads, and Hetfield, in order to save himself and his career, entered rehab. In a new interview, Hetfield credited music as what helped save his life.
Speaking to Road Recovery, the singer explained that his low points as an addict were extremely dark, Revolver notes.
"You wouldn't really like me if you knew my story, if you knew what horrible things I've done," he says in the video below. "I'm coming to grips with that, 'cause I have groups of people that I'm able to share all my horrible stuff with. Shameful, extremely shameful, dark stuff. Some of it is things I've taken from my parents and carried it a little further. Other ones, I've been able to drop some of that. Other ones I've picked up on my own and created. Shame's a big thing for me."
Hetfield spent seven months getting clean, and he's been living a sober life ever since. Five years after St. Anger the band came back with a monster album, Death Magnetic. It hit number one on charts all over the world and is considered one of the best albums from 2008. The music and process helped keep the frontman clean, and it still does.
"Playing music saves my life. Every day it saves my life," he said. "When I'm able to write a riff, write some lyrics, stuff like that. It's a way I connect with the world."
According to the organization's website, Road Recovery helps young people kick their drug habits with the help of professionals who have been through the process of getting clean.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
