The zoom flickers to life, and there he is, Jason Newsted, as ebullient, energetic, and friendly as ever. We drop into chinwagging as though we haven’t caught up for a few days; it’s actually been a few years (we last spoke for the Justice set).
Back in the day - when Jason was giving blood, sweat, and neck vertebrae for the ‘Tallica cause - he was always on-point and focused, whether slamming around the stage in San Diego or doing meet and greets in Madrid. Indeed, I’d say that Jason was always friendly, sometimes intense for sure, but never without a kind word or few for anyone who crossed his path.
On a personal front, Jason was always quick and eager to step up and be interviewed by me, whether for Kerrang! or RIP magazines, and later when it was created, So What! magazine. He also loved to talk about music - all sorts of music. And always managed to make his work appear a pleasure and a privilege, even as the tour months would tick on and his aches would grow.
It is fair to say that The Black Album period was really Jason’s first true Metallica collaboration. I understand if that sounds strange; after all, he gave a hell of a lot to help the Puppets tour conclude. And he dutifully delivered every last ounce he had for both the Justice album and the Damaged Justice tour, making sure his legacy in the band would, indeed, be fulfilled. However, it was The Black Album where Jason finally found creative and sonic congruence with this most unique of chemistries, Bob Rock being a large part of that development. As such, I’d been looking forward to connecting with him about the era.
When I tell you he’d replied to my email within 24 hours and we were speaking a few days later, it should underscore just how much Jason Newsted remains one of the really good guys out there.
When I read that Richey Beckett had lost vision in his right eye, I was floored. It isn’t the sort of news you expect. Instantly, my mind hurtled into that weird space where you try to imagine what it must be like and how much harder it must be when your world predominantly revolves around translating what you see and imagine into a piece of physical art.
The yellow, the black, and the unmistakable “M” have imprinted on millions of sub-consciences. And as 2023 draws to a close, from the tiniest avatar to the grandest mural, the 72 Seasons/M72 World Tour colors scream “Metallica” wherever you see them.
Intense and deeply sensitive, Lee’s work is all about an instant connection through his subject’s eyes and the consequent energy that moment generates. His portraits, showing each band member in open, unfiltered, and vulnerable states, have taken on a following of their own. Such is the raw honesty in their depictions; every inch of their years lived, seen without compromise.