Speaking to Classic Rock recently, Corey Taylor of Slipknot reflected on James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica, and his “gracious” gesture when sharing his experiences with prominent figures in the music business. The vocalist told Metallica a story after talking about his experiences with musicians like Lemmy Kilmister, Dimebag Darrell, Ozzy Osbourne, and Dave Grohl. He explained: “I vividly remember being in my closest friend Che Schmitt’s basement when I heard ‘Kill’ Em All’ for the first time. I thought, “Whoa, this is really amazing.” Thus, it feels a little strange getting to know those guys. I’ve known them throughout their entire career. Their debut performance was as the featured act at a show in the early 2000s, opposite Slipknot. He went on to describe his initial and subsequent interactions with the members of Metallica: We were so envious of James and Jason that we raided their food and drink when they invited us to hang out in their dressing room.
Those guys were giggling and rolling their eyes while they observed us. James was clean the next time we went out with them. He continued, “If you ever need a talk, if you ever need anything, just call me,” after I had sobered up. He’s a really kind guy. Similar to Hetfield, Corey battled alcoholism for several years prior to achieving sobriety in 2010. He discussed James’ contribution to his sober path in a September 2023 interview with Consequence of Sound, saying: “[I was] battling my own numerous addictions and the despair I had to endure for years—a trauma that was perhaps related to my upbringing. James Hetfield was probably one of the ones that kind of helped me figure it out. I thought, “Well, sh*t, if he’s strong enough to do it, maybe I can try it,” when he first began his journey of sobriety, health, and other things. The rocker went on to say that these traumas included being sexually abused and not having a father figure in your life. Additionally, Corey brought up the point that addicts find it difficult to give up on things that have long been essential to their identity. He disclosed that the other person who encouraged him to sober up was Jerry Cantrell.
