Primus vocalist Les Claypool joined an interview with Goldmine and opened up about Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo whom they chose instead of him. Claypool admitted that they hired the proper musician.
Metallica’s bassist Jason Newsted decided to part ways with the band for personal reasons in 2001. Therefore, shortly after they finished working on their eighth studio album, ‘St. Anger,’ the band started to look for a new bass player to replace Newsted.
The auditions lasted three months, and various bassists such as Pepper Keenan, Jeordie White, Eric Avery, and Chris Wyse played with them to replace Newsted as the Metallica’s bassist. Also, Claypool tried his chance, but the band members recruited Rob Trujillo.
Claypool reflected his ideas about this choice, saying he understood why they didn’t want him. The main reason behind that was his different style, and he did the right thing to move on even though it could’ve changed his life. The bassist went on to talk about his opponent and friend, Trujillo. The musician defined the Metallica bassist as an excellent person and a fantastic bass player, so recruiting Trujillo was the most brilliant move.
During the interview, Claypool said:
“At the time, I didn’t think that. I thought that I would be able to quit my carpentry job and head to Japan. However, there’s a reason why they didn’t pick me. I didn’t fit, and they saw that.
I had my own thing going, and it was a wise move on their part. Even when it came up again, they knew that I wasn’t the right guy for it, and they got the perfect person. Robert is one of the nicest humans I have ever met in the music industry, and he’s a monster bass player.”
Though many notable musicians wanted to join Metallica thanks to their reputation as one of the greatest bands in rock music, Rob Trujillo took the spot. Surprisingly, the bassist wasn’t expecting to become a Metallica member, but he proved himself to be the perfect fit over the years.
