Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett Reflects on Getting Sober

2021-05-07

Metallica performing in Detroit, Michigan.

Metallica – Story by Cat Badra, photo by Ken Settle

Kirk Hammett of Metallica says getting sober has helped him focus on music

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has always been a phenomenal guitarist, but one thing he hasn’t always been is sober. Now, Hammett is opening up about how his sobriety in recent years has helped me get more focused on his music and other creative endeavors.

Speaking with Kerrang!, Hammett says being sober enables him to focus on music in a different way. “I’ve been sober for seven-and-a-half years now and my mind is in a different place,” he explains. “I’m better focused. I got my brain back, I’ve gotten my memory back so nowadays I’m in a better place. I record music and my focus is that much better.”

Later in the interview, Hammett discussed how getting sober opened his schedule up. “Going back to when I got sober, I had so much more time,” he stated. “I was spending almost every night in a nightclub or bar and then I’d spend almost every morning recovering from that. Day in, day out, regardless of whether I was on tour or not. And now that’s been removed from my life I have all this extra time, so of course I’m going to play my guitar more. It’s what I love to do and as a consequence of that there’s just a higher output.”

He added, “My rate of production is higher and it’s a better model for me to work from. It’s weird, I’m 59 years old and I don’t think I’ve even peaked creatively or musically. I certainly don’t feel 59, I still go out and surf three or four times a week, run, ride my bike and play my guitar. I still feel as energetic as I’ve ever been and I attribute that to giving up drinking. And this is all the result of that.”

Hammett most recently released his solo EP, “Portals,” in conjunction with Record Store Day.

Cat Badra
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