ROBERT TRUJILLO On Being Offered $1 Million Signing Bonus For Joining METALLICA: ‘It Didn’t Seem Real’

During an appearance on The Surfer’s Journal’s “Soundings” podcast, Robert Trujillo spoke about a scene in METALLICA’s “Some Kind of Monster” documentary where, at an early meeting with his new bandmates, he struggles to maintain his composure as he’s awarded a $1 million signing bonus. Asked what that experience was like, the bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, that was weird and that was surreal. I guess I didn’t believe it. It didn’t seem real. It’s funny, ’cause you don’t actually ever… It’s there, but it’s not there. Everybody says, ‘Wow, man.’ After taxes, it’s a little different than a million dollars. I guess I got so consumed with the workload to where I was, like, ‘Okay, that’s cool.’ But then in my head, I’m, like, ‘It’s time to get to work. I’ve got this mountain of catalog to learn.’ And then there was this new album, ‘St. Anger’, that they hadn’t even played live yet, ’cause that album was created in the studio. So now I’ve gotta learn these songs. And I just saw it as, like, ‘I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I’m not gonna worry about… I’m not gonna think about the money. I’m not gonna celebrate what’s going on because I’ve got work to do.’ I remember I didn’t go home for, like, six months, almost. I might’ve gone home for a night or two to go get some clothes or whatever I needed and to bring it back up north, but I basically moved to San Francisco right at that moment. And my life changed forever.”Trujillo, who was a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s band when he was offered the METALLICA gig, went on to say that “there were two auditions” for the James Hetfield-fronted outfit. ‘And it wasn’t two in a row. There was one and then there was another one — I don’t know — five months, four months, three months later; I don’t remember. But when things got more serious after the second audition, it was interesting because I had gotten a call from Ozzy, and Ozzynever called me. You always hear from someone from the management team or maybe Sharon might call — Sharon Osbourne, his wife. But Ozzynever called me. And I get this call from him, and he’s, like, [imitates Ozzy’s speaking voice] ‘Hey, Rob. Hey, listen, let’s go on the road, man. I’m ready. Ozzfest. We’re playing, right?’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Cause I hadn’t heard from METALLICA [about whether I got the gig yet]. So I was, like, excited. ‘Yeah, I get to go back to work.’ ‘Cause he started doing [BLACK] SABBATH at the time — they reunited, and so everything was revolving around SABBATH, which is awesome. But I wasn’t working. So I was, like, ‘Wow, it’s exciting. I get to go back on the road and get back to work.’ And literally, like, two days later or the next day, I get a call from [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] saying, ‘Hey, we want you to come up here and we wanna talk to you.’ So I’m, like, ‘Okay.’ They’re not telling me I got the gig. I always think worst-case scenario. And they’re the kind of guys that would have you fly up there to tell you you didn’t get the gig. They’re just kind of wired that way. Like, ‘We just wanted to tell you in person, ’cause we respect you, you didn’t get the gig’ — something like that. So I’m preparing for that. But I’m not sure. And Ozzy had just called me, so I was, like, ‘Wait, this is crazy. This is weird.’ So I go up there, and, yeah, that’s where the meeting was with the money offer and all that. And, again, my head’s spinning, like, ‘Okay, I’ve gotta learn 30 years of catalog.’ It was like just kind of like a washing-machine rinse cycle going off in my brain. And so, basically, now I’m thinking about Ozzy, and I told ’em — and I don’t even know why I said this, but I was always trying to be loyal to Ozzy and Sharon; they did so much for me. So I was, like, ‘Well, I don’t think I can do those dates. But when I finish my commitment with Ozzy’ — whatever, eight-week run it was — I’ll jump on board. And I remember Lars goes, ‘We respect your loyalty. It’s very honorable. But this train is leaving, and it’s moving fast, and you’ve gotta jump on board and jump on with us.’ I’m, like, ‘Okay.’ So I flew home that night, and I actually went to Sharon and Ozzy’s house and met with Sharon and said, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna join METALLICA.’ And it was heavy. Yeah, it was just heavy ’cause I think when it’s all said and done, every musician, you’re writing music, you’re creating, you’re performing, so it’s all passion driven. So it’s hard when you’re losing a team member. Especially I had been [playing with Ozzy] for, like, seven years. So it was difficult, but I also felt that I needed to be there in person to tell him and tell her. And so that’s basically kind of how that went down. There was never any bad vibes… Usually when that happened in the past, it could get pretty ugly with anybody. I mean, you’re leaving a team, and it’s not good. And then, again, like I said, my life changed. All of a sudden I was a part of a new family, and I was living in a new area and it was just a different existence.”Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne’s band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the aforementioned warts-and-all documentary “Some Kind of Monster”.METALLICA’s much-loved former bassist Cliff Burton died in 1986 when the band’s tour bus crashed travelling through Sweden on the “Damage Inc. Tour” in support of “Master Of Puppets”.Trujillo told Exclaim! in a 2016 interview that he feels no pressure when compared to his low-end predecessors.”Whether it’s Jason or myself or Cliff, we’re all different types of players coming from a different place, but delivering what is best for the band,” he said. “That’s all I ever do, just try and do the best I can and cater to the song, cater to the music.”Hetfield praised Trujillo during a 2017 interview with the 94.5 The Buzz radio station, saying: “Who else could [have come in and done the job]? I mean, there were a few people we auditioned, I know. It might have worked out with other people, but it’s hard to find people that are, say, your age; kind of your upbringing, musically, obviously; ability-wise; they’ve been on the road. It’s not like you’re bringing some kid out for his first time, and it’s, ‘Oh my God!’ He’s going through all the stuff that you did twenty-five years ago. He’s got kids. He’s married. It just jelled, and it’s still jelling. And his personality is probably one of the best contributions, I think, to the band, ’cause he’s so chill, he’s so up for anything, he’s always in there rehearsing. So he does fit in.”[embedded content]