Jason Newsted paid a touching tribute to Metallica’s late bassist Cliff Burton’s death on the 40th anniversary of his death.
The musician’s life was tragically cut short in a tour bus crash in Sweden on September 27, 1986, when he was just 24.
Newsted – who succeeded Burton the month after his death – said his natural skill was on a level few players ever reach.
He told Heavy Consequence: “Cliff could wake up and do it. James [Hetfield] could wake up after how many ever beers and do it. Just wake up 10 minutes out of bed and play as good as I could after working for five hours to get to that spot.”
He compared Burton’s teenage ability to Primus’ Les Claypool, saying both were already elite players before adulthood.
He said: “By the time [Burton’s] 16, 17, pretty, pretty goddamn good already. Same as Les [Claypool]… They’re the same age and the same deal and live some miles from each other, same trip, both those cats in that way. By the time they’re 17… they are… already there.”
Newsted also highlighted how strongly frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich believed in Burton, recalling their decision to relocate just to recruit him.
He went on: “James and Lars, who are also very exceptionally talented people, recognised it so strongly that they moved their lives to be just in a band with the guy before they even made a f****** record… He was that f****** good.”
He described seeing Burton live in 1985 – a moment that left him both inspired and crushed.
Newsted recalled: “From a bassist fan player person, I saw him play in 1985… a year and a little bit before he died… It was like, why do you even f****** bother? Here’s the firewood. Let me get that for you. Maybe if I try really hard, I could be a tenth of as good as that… I think ultimately it was inspiring, and made me want to try harder, but it was intimidating as f*** the whole time.”
Newsted said Burton’s legacy remains one of the most respected in metal.
He added: “I think that what I like the most or what I really appreciate is how everyone continues to show such respect for his efforts, because they were so fantastical in his brief span.”
Newsted quit Metallica in 2001, citing “private and personal reasons and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love.”
The Ride The Lightning rockers continue to tour globally with bassist Robert Trujillo.
