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It's been nearly 40 years since iconic Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died in a tragic tour bus accident in Sweden, but his legacy still lives on. During a recent appearance on Kerrang! Radio to promote their new album, 72 Seasons, the group's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett remembered their fallen bandmate.
"Cliff, he was hilarious all the time," Hammett enthused, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "Other than music, his other huge things in his life were beer and breakfast. He lived for beer and he lived for breakfast. He was always talking about beer and breakfast. And it was a funny thing. And I wish I would have had footage of him getting excited about going to a pub. Or whenever he had a plate full of food, he would walk differently. He would walk with a sense of urgency. I would just crack up 'cause it was just so weird to me."
Hetfield also shared memories of Burton. "He loved fishing and hammers, as well," Metallica's frontman recalled. "He would take his little Pocket Fisherman on tour and find any little lake. And he carried a hammer in his suitcase." Burton's hammer notably inspired the cover art to Kill 'Em All. "I was, like, 'What are you doing with that?' He [was, like], 'I don't know. Just in case. Just in case you need a hammer.' He was quite a character — very, very himself. He was unapologetically Cliff. And yeah, we miss him to this day."
72 Seasons is out now via Metallica's own Blackened Recordings. Get your copy here. You can watch the full Kerrang! Radio interview below.
