Metallica's Lars Ulrich Surprised by the Negative Response to 'Lulu'

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Surprised by the Negative Response to ‘Lulu’

2012-05-04

Story by Charles Ken

Metallica drummer says he wasn’t expecting such a harsh response to the band’s collaboration with Lou Reed

It’s widely known that Metallica and Lou Reed’s recent collaborative album, “Lulu,” garnered less than stellar reviews in the music community, it also brought strong criticism from the legendary metal group’s legions of fans. Speaking with SPIN, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich explained that he didn’t expect such an overwhelmingly negative response to the album from the band’s hardcore followers.

“It was more spiteful than anyone was prepared for,” Ulrich said. “Especially against Lou. He is such a sweet man. But when Metallica do impulsive riffing and Lou Reed is reciting abstract poetry about German bohemians from 150 years ago, it can be difficult to embrace.”

Ulrich also says things got a tad tense during the recording of “Lulu.” In fact, a fight almost broke out between Ulrich and Reed! “One time I had to point something out to him about how things were functioning in the outside world and he got hot and bothered,” Ulrich said. “He challenged me to a street fight, which is a pretty daunting proposition because he’s an expert in martial arts and is never too far from a sword. The good thing about me is I can do the 100-meter dash faster than most other 48-year-old musicians.”

Ulrich will put down the drum sticks later this month and donning his acting talents as Dutch documentarian Joris Ivens in the new HBO film “Hemingway & Gellhorn.” The show will air on HBO on May 28 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.