Appearing on the recent episode of the Appetite for Distortion podcast, Monster Magnet frontman Dave Wyndorf reflected on the days when the band was opening for Metallica. Taking place near the end of the 1990s, Dave looked back on the tour and what this experience was like for him and his bandmates, offering (transcript via Blabbermouth):
“We had been through Europe many, many times headlining before, so we’d do, like, maybe five hundred people [a night]. So we had done really, really well in Europe, going around. “
“Our records were selling increasingly better and better. We had, like, two records on a major [label] at that point. And we were looking for some sort of break; you look for that break that you want.”
According to Dave, this was a big chance for a breakthrough for Monster Magnet. At this time, they already had a few records out and were slowly building their fanbase worldwide. However, as Dave recalls, something was a bit different from what they were used to. He said:
“Metallica, really, they gave us a chance to [play in front of much bigger crowds]. And it was really cool. The only thing that wasn’t cool about it was that there were so many dudes [in the audience].”
“We went through all of Eastern Europe [with them], and we were, like, ‘Where are the girls?’ Because it was Metallica. And we were used to having a bunch of girls at the show. So that was the only hard part. It was just, like, what do you do after the show?”
Monster Magnet is pretty much Dave Wyndorf’s band, with the lineup changing several times between 1989 and today. As for the time that he recalled, Dave was also joined by guitarist Ed Mundell, bassist Joe Calandra, drummer Jon Kleiman, as well as a new member at the time, lead guitarist Phil Caivano. In particular, it was their hit song “Space Lord” that helped them score a gig with Metallica and other bands.
Photos: Markus Felix (20140608 Gelsenkirchen RockHard 0419), Gláucio Burle (19 set 2015 Metallica GlaucioBurle Estacio 05)
