Jason Newsted Asked to Stop Headbanging, Gave Himself Whiplash
Headbanging can be fun, but it does come with some consequence, as former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted can attest. During a recent radio interview, Newsted revealed that his years of headbanging caught up to him and he's been repeatedly asked by doctors to stop.
Speaking with West Palm Beach, Florida's Real Radio 94.3 WZZR-FM (and transcribed by Ultimate-Guitar.com), Newsted stated, "It's been a lot of time, 25-ish years of headbanging, I gave myself whiplash. And so, through the years, doctors of all different languages and countries, they told me, you know, 'No more that, no more spinning head.'"
He added, "So where we are now, I still kind of do it, but it's been 10 years after being told not to. So between that thing and going literally spine... like, all tangles and mangles, now the focus is still the same, the juice is still the same, the energy is still the same, the amps are a little smaller."
Newsted says of his performances these days, "You can take the bullet out of metal, but not the metal out of the bullet. That's always gonna be there, the fans are still sharp, so whatever we play, if it's Johnny Cash or whatever it may be, it's still gonna have that wallop, I think."
These days, Newsted is performing with the Chophouse Band, and while he's adapted to a more acoustic style, he reveals in the interview that they're moving to a more electric sound live. Check out the chat in full below.
Jason Newsted Speaks With WZZR-FM
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