Here, we take a look back to 2019, when Alan Cross sat down with Metallica’s lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett. At the time, Hammett was in Toronto for his collection showcase, It’s Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection, at the Royal Ontario Museum.
His collection is one of the most comprehensive in the world, sparked by a love of horror movies that goes back to his childhood. “It was something that I was attracted to initially because it was just so different,” he says. “When I saw my first horror movie I thought, ‘Wow, this is a different type of movie! A different type of story!’ and I really, really latched onto it and it never really died out.”
Over the years, he has built an extraordinary collection of classic horror and sci-fi movie posters. His exhibit “examines the connection between artistry, emotion, and popular culture through a selection of works from 20th-century cinema” (ROM.on.com). The exhibit features 100 of his best pieces.
His favorite pieces? He’s drawn to anything connected to the core group of classic horror films: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Phantom of the Opera, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hunchback of Notre Dame. “I get lost in this stuff,” he says. “My mind just dives in totally and I’m just somewhere else.”
As for the other guys and their hobbies—Lars Ulrich has his paintings, James Hetfield is acting, and Robert Trujilo surfs and plays a lot of bass.
Metallica is currently on their M72 World Tour, with an upcoming stop in Toronto. Additionally, you can check out ‘Kirk Hammet The Collection: Live’ on April 25th at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.