Critics and fans alike have almost universally panned Metallica and Lou Reed’s collaboration Lulu, which is due for release on 31st October in Australia. But according to drummer Lars Ulrich the biggest mistake they regret to this day is not their new collaboration (which they’re still convinced is good, it isn’t) but turning down film director Quentin Tarantino.
In a blog post on The Daily Beast, Ulrich reveals he had a dinner with Tarantino to talk about licensing some Metallica songs for his latest film project. “In between the mischief and half-truths, we get to the point of the visit, which concerns his next cinematic endeavor, titled ‘Kill Bill’,” Ulrich writes. “One of the most surreal 30 minutes of my life was having Q.T. six inches from my face, eyes dancing, intensely animated, explaining in intricate detail how he had written and choreographed the two main fight scenes in the film to the Metallica songs ‘Enter Sandman’ and ‘Sad but True’.”
According to Ulrich “fists would impact faces on accents. Kicks would land on cymbal hits. Bodies would twirl along with the rhythm of the music. Tarantino’s next-level movie magic married to Metallica music, all turned up to 11.”
He continues, “Page by page, I realized that most of this was written in a language that was outside of my realm of understanding. I had never encountered a narrative like this, set in, to me, a very foreign culture of martial arts and Asian myths. I just couldn’t wrap my thick Danish head around it. I championed his movies, loved him as a person, but at the end of the 180 pages, I sat there somewhat bewildered and felt very uncool for not getting it. I wasn’t capable of appreciating its brilliance.”
“Probably the single biggest mistake I’ve made in the creative department. Of course Kill Bill turned out to be above and beyond brilliant, as have his subsequent movies, which have all been a significant part of my life in the 2000′s. To this day I still worship the ground Q.T. walks on. If only…”
We can’t help but wonder on how he’ll reflect on their latest project in a few years time.
