KIRK LEE HAMMETT

Kirk Pic

Basically I just had to say, 'Screw everyone around me --- from now on I'm just gonna play what I think is important to me and our music.'So I gave the big finger to all the current trends in technical wizardry, and just went off and did what I felt was best for the songs. ---Kirk Hammett---

Born: November 18, 1962, in the East Bay town of El Sobrante, California.

Home Town: San Francisco, California.

Height: 5' 8" Weight: 134 lbs.

Brown Hair --- Brown Eyes.

Marital Status: Married to Lani.

Describes Self As:Smelly, ugly, happy, obsessive, progressive, curious.

Heroes: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Jimi Hendrix, Chet Baker, Diane Arbus, John Coltrane, Charles Bukowski, Edward Munch, Joel Peter Whitkin.

Previous Jobs: Burger King and a dishwasher.

Cars He Owns: Land Cruiser, Porsche, a Mountain bike, '55 Dodge Coronet, '66 Mercedes Benz.

Favorite Food: Sushi, Mexican food, pasta, Indian food.

Favorite Drink: Martinis, Sky Vodka, green tea and Guinness.

Previous Bands: Co-Founded Exodus with Paul Baloff.

First Concert: Day on the Green with the Eagles, Steve Miller, Heart, and Foreigner.

Groups That Influenced Him Most: Jimi Hendrix, UFO, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, and Joe Satriani.

Groups He Listens To: Jimi Hendrix, UFO, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple. Led Zeppelin, Kiss, John Coltrane, Goul, Mule, Chet Baker, Prez Prado, AIC, David Bowie, U2, King Crimson, Robert Johnson.

Favorite Musicians: Jimmy Hendrix, Michael Shenker, Ulrich Roth, Leon Redbone.

Favorite Songs: White Christmas.

Favorite Sports Teams: None ("I hate sports!").

Favorite Movie: Bride of Frankenstein, Raging Bull, and The Jerk.

Favorite TV Shows: Outer Limits, CNN.

Favorite Actor: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Robert DeNiro.

Favorite Book: The Shining and Shock Value.

Likes: Mountain biking, tattoos, piercing, cigars, philosophy, H.P. Lovecraft.

Collects: Old Hollywood memorabilia.

MISCELLANEOUS

Kirk Hammett started playing guitar for real when he was 15 years old partly due to the influence of his older brother Rick. Kirk started jamming with friends soon after picking up the guitar. Kirk started taking proper lessons at age 20.
He has two dogs; Darla and Hoku and cats.
He has two tattoos, one that says "Made in S.F. 11-18-62" across his stomach which tattoo was a present to himself for Christmas 1995. It's wrapped around his belly button. The other is hot-rod flames on his hips.
Kirk's old Exodus demo's have been floating around.
He recorded a track with Les Claypool and Mike Bordin, set for possible future release (by Primus?).
He produced demo's for Death Angel.
Kirk recorded solos for Pushead's band, Septic Death.
Plays his guitar 361 days a year.
He and his wife live in San Francisco, California.
Took lessons from Joe Satriani after the "Kill 'Em All" tour.
Attended City College of San Francisco in 1993.

"Alternative is just a more of a packaging, I would think. Come on, Nirvana had fuckin' riffs that could have been on [Black Sabbath's] Master of Reality!" ---Kirk Hammett---

EQUIPMENT KIRK USES

QUITARS

ESP Skull
ESP Ouija
ESP Spider
ESP Mummy
ESP Flying V
Gibson Les Paul
Jackson Randy Rhodes Model

OTHER EQUIPMENT

Dunlop Picks
Mesa Boogie Triaxis Pre-Amp
Ernie Ball Strings 10 through 40
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Amp
Mesa Boogie 4x12 Speaker Cabinets
Mesa Boogie 2x12 Speaker Cabinets
Mesa Boogie Temoverb 2x12 Combo Amp
Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 Stereo Power Amp

"My guitars are my umbilical cord. They're directly wired into my head."---Kirk Hammett---

"A life lived unexplored is a life not worth living." ---Kirk Hammett---

MEET THE BAND HOME MAIN METALLICA PAGE E:MAIL KIRK HAMMETT

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