Best Kirk Hammett Quotes & Sayings

I feel really fortunate that, in playing guitar and surfing, I've found two things that mean so much to me, and which really complement each other. There's definitely a spiritual thing to both of them; they totally connect you to a higher realm. — Kirk Hammett

Because of things like iTunes and streaming and social networking, it's destroyed music. It's destroyed the motivation to go out there and really make the best record possible. It's a shame. — Kirk Hammett

We wanted to offer something new to our audience. I hate it when bands stop taking chances. — Kirk Hammett

The same sensations that you get in heavy metal are in horror movies. Heavy metal sounds evil and horror movies are evil, ha ha! — Kirk Hammett

The main riff for 'SandMan' was just something I wrote one night. — Kirk Hammett

I think it goes without saying that a lot of big horror fans are just nerds and geeks. — Kirk Hammett

Basically I just had to say, Screw everyone around me - from now on I'm just gonna play what I think is important to me and our music. So I gave the big finger to all the current trends in technical wizardry, and just went off and did what I felt was best for the songs. — Kirk Hammett

When you're first starting out, there's always the temptation to hide behind distortion because it lets you get away with murder. But, when it comes to rhythm work, you've gotta back off that gain control a bit, especially if you're playing with another guitarist. — Kirk Hammett

Just because you know umpteen billion scales, it doesn't mean you have to use them all in a solo. — Kirk Hammett

I'm very fortunate to be doing the thing I do best, which is play guitar. There aren't many other things I could do. — Kirk Hammett

I've been into horror movies ever since I was five years old. — Kirk Hammett

A lot of the main characters in horror movies are outsiders as well, so that outsider syndrome reverberates within horror fans and geeky collectors. It's kind of a rallying call that brings fans and collectors together who are a little socially retarded, maybe. — Kirk Hammett

I've always loved horror, I've always loved collecting, I've always loved weird and macabre things, and I've always loved conventions. So what could be better than having your own Fear FestEviL where all those great and crazy things can be enjoyed by like-minded people under one pretty cool roof? Nothing! — Kirk Hammett

I love this pedal to death. The only way you could keep me from playing one is by chopping off my legs! — Kirk Hammett

For the 'Load' album, I was experimenting so much with tone that I had to keep journals on what equipment I was using. For 'Hero of the Day,' I know I used a 1958 Les Paul Standard with a Matchless Chieftain, some Boogie amps and a Vox amp - again, they're all blended. — Kirk Hammett

Although I'm a lead guitarist, I'd say that a good 95 percent of my time onstage is spent playing rhythm. — Kirk Hammett

The only problem I've had with my Vox wah is its tendency to move around on the floor. So now it sits on a rubber mat that says in big letters, 'Kirk's Wah-Wah Rug.' — Kirk Hammett

Musically, there's a movement called the flatted fifth that's really evil-sounding. It was outlawed by the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. That movement is what gives you a real evil sound that conjures up dark, fantastic images. It's like an audio horror movie. It personifies what a horror movie is about. — Kirk Hammett

Guitar playing is both extremely easy for me and extremely difficult for me at the same time. — Kirk Hammett

For 'Death Magnetic,' I used what I always use, which is my standard touring rack, which is filled with some Boogie stuff and a Marshall that I've had forever. — Kirk Hammett

I'm not into that whole Satanic thing. It's just something to fall back on if you don't have much imagination. Singing you fiftieth song about having lunch with Satan
I'm not into it. It's silly. — Kirk Hammett

My guitars are my umbilical cord. They're directly wired into my head. — Kirk Hammett

I fix things all the time. Every time I do a solo, I re-check it and correct things that don't hit the mark. — Kirk Hammett

And, you know, whenever you check yourself into rehab, they don't focus on, you know, the fact that you're an alcoholic. They go much deeper, you know? I mean, they go way deep. They crack you open and then spill you out and examine all the things that are on the table. — Kirk Hammett - Metallica

Deep Purple definitely belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 'Cause they had great songs, great musicianship, they had an impact, and they're a huge influence on the heavy metal community as a whole. — Kirk Hammett

For me, one of the most perfect times to watch a horror movie is when it's cold and raining outside and there's pretty much no outdoor activity to be done. It kind of sets the mood. — Kirk Hammett

I've learned that there's a signature Metallica sound, and if we stray too far from that, our fans get impatient, or they just don't understand, or they miss the point. And I'm not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing; it's just something we have to contend with. — Kirk Hammett

When I got my first Marshall amp, it was so empowering. No one ever forgets their first Marshall amp if you're a guitar player pursuing a big powerful sound. I mean, no one ever forgets their first Marshall amp. — Kirk Hammett

The movie 'Black Cat,' from 1934, is one of my favorite movies. — Kirk Hammett

I think it's morally wrong to keep someone away from what keeps him happy. — Kirk Hammett

Horror movies started to wane around the onset of World War II, and after World War II, when all the troops came home, people weren't really interested in seeing horror movies, because they had the real horror right on their front doorsteps. — Kirk Hammett

The word 'retirement' doesn't really sit well with me. There comes a time when you reach a position in society or culture where people will not let you retire. You can say, 'Alright, I'm going to hang up my guitar,' but people will still not let you retire. — Kirk Hammett

When I see my kids totally into their Legos, it brings me back to the days I was hanging out and playing with my monster models. It brings me there in a second. — Kirk Hammett

Technology has given us convenience, but at the same time it's making musicians work harder in that if you really want to make money making music and selling albums, you have to go out there and perform. And hope you sell stuff like merch, and get on YouTube, and all the other ancillary sort of things that go along with that. — Kirk Hammett

On 'Metallica,' I recorded six or seven different guitar solos for almost every song, took the best aspects of each solo, mapped out a master solo and made a composite. Then I learned how to play the composite solo, tightened it up and replayed it for the final version. — Kirk Hammett

I would have to say I'm bored with the standard rock, guitar solos, but I've done it for five albums now, and this time I wanted to go in a completely different direction. I wasn't interested in showing off any more. — Kirk Hammett

Everyone has a side to them that's kind of unexplained and feels misunderstood. — Kirk Hammett

I feel like I've matured more musically than I have personally. But I totally embrace what becoming older has to offer. I find the wisdom that comes with each passing year is a trip. — Kirk Hammett