JAMES HETFIELD Says Talk Of METALLICA/MEGADETH 'Supergroup' Is 'Crazy'

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield says that speculation about a possible collaboration between his band and members of MEGADETH is "crazy" talk on the part of MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine.

Mustaine joined his former METALLICA bandmates on stage on December 10, 2011 for the fourth and final intimate show at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the group's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

When asked about the status of his proposed "supergroup" with Ellefson (bass; MEGADETH),Hetfield and Lars Ulrich (drums; METALLICA),Mustane told Minnesota radio station 93X in a February interview, "Yeah, that was just me talking. I don't think [James and Lars are] interested in doing that. It would be cool, and I've mentioned it to them before. I just think that they're so busy that they don't have time to do something like that.

"My wife and James' wife are friends, and they talk a lot. From what I know, too, there's a lot of work that those guys do, and they're gone a lot, and they tour a lot, so for them to take on a project like that, I think it would have to really be a labor of love. Of course, David and I would do it, 'cause I think it would be great to play with them again.

"MEGADETH is doing really fine right now. I'm not in the place to be asking for favors from anybody. I like who I am right now, I'm satisfied with where my career's at. But don't kid yourself, if we got together and played, I imagine it would be really cool. It wouldn't be anything like MEGADETH, of course, and it wouldn't be anything like METALLICA. But we'll see what happens. Maybe with enough people asking them, they'll buckle. [Laughs]"

In an interview that is featured in a special edition of METALLICA's So What! magazine called "Metallica The 30th Anniversary Event", Hetfield said, "We learned a lot from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame about maturity and grace, as far as previous members and things like that — especially after watching other bands get up there and bicker about stupid things. They didn't get the big picture. Excuse me, but there's a lot of people out there that enjoyed that lineup, or a lot of people grew up with that lineup, and why are you not celebrating that? Why are you not embracing that as part of your history? And it's sad and it's selfish. And because we were able to have Dave onstage [at the Fillmore] and Jason [Newsted, former METALLICA bassist] and Bob [Rock, former METALLICA producer] and all these other people that were part of our history, we were able to rise above the bickering and celebrate it."

He added, "I think especially with Dave, with all of his struggles. I see him healthier now. I see him as less of a bitter guy. But I do see a lot of stuff in the press with him talking about jamming with us and making an album. All this other crazy stuff. I read it and say to myself, 'Hold on. This is the Dave that we kind of wanted to forget about. You know, the big-mouth that wants to just go-go-go.' But there is an authenticity about him when he speaks. He doesn't think too much before he does. He just goes off the cuff. Plus, when he says stuff like that, it's well-intended."

Photo below courtesy of Metallica.com