Metallica’s James Hetfield opens up for the first time about the artists who inspire him musically: ‘His music blows my mind’

People often assume that rock & roll is a young person’s pastime. A long-held belief that people over 30 were considered to be beyond their prime has been repeatedly refuted. Even though Metallica has been together for more than 40 years, there are still many unsolved mysteries.

Even though they didn’t reach middle age, bands like The Rolling Stones were considered veterans when the band began in 1981, and they’re still going strong more than 40 years later. It was just too early in the history of rock music to accommodate the emergence of the aging rock star. However, a growing number of artists in their eighties are demonstrating that age really is only a number.

When deciding whether or not to dismiss an artist, quality should be the sole factor taken into consideration. While many musicians’ sounds organically evolve with age, other artists defy expectations and continue to play with the same passion as when they were young, inexperienced performers.

Of course, Hetfield worries about whether, as a performer in his late 50s, he’s still at the top of his game. He told the audience in 2023, “I’ve gotta tell you I wasn’t feeling very good before I came out here,” at a performance in Brazil. I was telling myself all kinds of lies in my brain, like I’m an old man and I can’t play anymore, which made me feel a little uneasy.

Nonetheless, Hetfield has no shortage of role models to draw inspiration from during these excruciating times of self-doubt, and none inspires him more than AC/DC guitarist Angus Young.

In 2016, Hetfield said to Billboard, “The Rolling Stones are mentioned by everybody.” Maybe they could play until they were 120 years old. Lemmy breathed his last, giving it all he had. Another person whose perseverance I respect is Bruce Springsteen. However, Angus Young is an incredible person. That man perspires profusely each night. It amazes me that his head is still attached to his body.

Even at seventy, Young remains the vital core of AC/DC, strutting about the stage with the endurance of a competitive athlete. The band’s live performance would be a somber sight if he were to fail in delivering the same lively energy that fans have been clamoring for over fifty years. Still, there’s a solid reason the band fills stadiums all over the globe.

While it’s true that Young’s face has the battle scars from life that others his age have accrued, it doesn’t matter while he’s in the zone since he always wears a school uniform. The Australian dedicates his whole self to the cause he has dedicated his life to when he takes the stage, and unlike many of his contemporaries, Young has no intention of retiring.