James Hetfield says that he’s “honored” the U.S. military used METALLICA’s music to psychologically torture prisoners of battle as a result of it “help[ed] us stay safe.”
According to U.K. publication The Guardian, U.S. interrogators searching for to disorientate and break Iraqi prisoners played music from METALLICA and other heavy rock acts such as AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and NINE INCH NAILS, in addition to less aggressive and somewhat more surprising selections from Britney Spears, David Gray, Eminem, AEROSMITH, and even children’s exhibits like “Barney And Friends” and “Sesame Street”.
Requested by Thrasher magazine in a latest interview if he’s offended at all by the CIA’s use of the band’s music to torture prisoners, frontman James Hetfield mentioned: “Ha! We have tortured individuals with it for a very long time. A lot longer than the CIA.”
James Hetfield continued: “I’ve got nothing to say about that, really. I’m honored my country is using something to help us stay safe, if they are. But then again, once the music is out, I don’t have control over that. Just like how someone’s giving it away online. They’re using it to do what they do.
“There’s plenty of METALLICA cover bands, there’s plenty of people doing ‘Enter Sandman’ or ‘Nothing Else Matters’ in Gregorian style, bluegrass style or Celtic harp combos and, you know — the music is out there and it gets used, so there you go.”
“There is loads of METALLICA cover bands, there is loads of individuals doing ‘Enter Sandman’ or ‘Nothing Else Matters’ in Gregorian style, bluegrass style or Celtic harp combos and, you know — the music is out there and it gets used, so there you go.”
Asked about Kerry King’s comment that SLAYER’s music “would have been scarier and maybe more effective” in psychologically torturing prisoners of war, Hetfield mentioned:”I agree. No doubt about that, but there’s still even scarier stuff than SLAYER too. There’s some pretty intense crazy stuff out there.”
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