James Hetfield

reference Losing his mom to cancer when he was still a kid, and dealing with his parents’ messy divorce—yeah, that’ll shape a person. He wasn’t some wild, attention-seeking guy, either. More of a quiet dude, content to mess around with his guitar or go hunting out in the sticks. Just doing his thing, staying low-key while the world spun on. Then, outta nowhere, fate throws him a curveball. Lars Ulrich—this Danish guy obsessed with rock—posts a tiny ad in a local paper in ’81. He’s basically begging for someone to come jam and crank up some heavy tunes. Most people would’ve walked right by, but not him. He answers. Just like that, two strangers, both kind of misfits, meet up and vibe over their shared love of music. They’re not legends yet. They’re just a couple of kids with big dreams and no clue what’s coming next. But man, you could feel that spark—the kind of thing that only happens once in a blue moon. So, Lars and James link up and, boom, Metallica is born. No big plan, just raw energy and a ton of ambition. They start jamming, writing, and slowly building that monster sound. Nobody knew they were about to flip the world of metal upside down, least of all them. But that’s how the wildest stories usually start—quiet, messy, and a little bit accidental.