L.A. Guns’ Tracii Guns Praises Metallica’s James Hetfield As ‘The Bravest Man In Rock’

L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns has expressed profound admiration for Metallica frontman James Hetfield, calling him “the bravest man in rock” for his courage in publicly addressing his personal struggles. Speaking on a new episode of the “Talk Louder” podcast, hosted by “Metal Dave” Glessner and Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys), Guns shared insights into his long, albeit distant, acquaintance with Hetfield, an early awkward encounter, and why his respect for the Metallica icon has grown immensely in recent years.

“I think James Hetfield has ended up being the bravest man in rock,” Guns stated at the outset of his reflection. He acknowledged their relationship as one of mutual respect rather than close friendship: “I’ve known James, musically and personally, from a distance, but when we see each other, it’s, like, ‘Whoa, what’s up, bro?’… Those guys have been around L.A. Guns.”

Guns then recounted a “weird exchange” with an intoxicated Hetfield at the Scrap Bar in New York in the early 1990s, a time when L.A. Guns‘ Cocked & Loaded and Metallica‘s Black Album were making waves. Finding Hetfield alone with the bartender, Guns approached him. “He goes, ‘Tracii Guns.’ And right away I knew he was wasted… off his tree,” Guns recalled. The conversation quickly became tense. “He’s, like, ‘You don’t like Metallica.’ I go, ‘Yeah, I do. This is a f**king great record.’ He goes, ‘Well, I got the Contraband record [Guns‘ early ’90s supergroup]. He goes, ‘F**king great playing, but those songs are sh*t, bro.’ I’m, like, ‘Yeah. Cool, man. Whatever.'” As Hetfield became “amped up,” Guns decided to leave.

Despite this memorable incident, Guns noted, “There’s always been this cool kind of vibe between me and those guys [Metallica].” However, his admiration for Hetfield reached new heights when the Metallica frontman began to openly discuss his personal demons and journey to sobriety.

“But then I saw that he opened up his heart in public,” Tracii said. “And he started talking about the demons that he has dealt with and how long. You go play stadiums and you go to the grocery store in your neighborhood. So it’s a big shift. And how he used to deal with things.”

Guns elaborated on what impressed him most about Hetfield‘s public vulnerability: “It is very difficult for a man to talk about those things with his friends, let alone talk about that sincerely in public, especially being the singer of f**king Metallica. So I have even more respect for James now than ever. I just think he’s so bold and so brave.” He dismissed cynical views suggesting wealth insulates from such struggles: “A lot of people are, like, ‘Oh, he’s a millionaire. Who feels sorry for a millionaire?’ It’s, like, dude, what does that got to do with…? Money doesn’t solve everything internally…”

Ultimately, Guns offered a heartfelt commendation for Hetfield: “And he got sober. That’s tough. That’s hard sh*t to do, man. And on top of it, he wrote all that great music and those songs. I don’t say this very often, but God bless that f**king dude. What a bad*ss.”

Meanwhile, Tracii Guns and L.A. Guns continue their own prolific musical journey. The band released their latest album, Leopard Skin, on April 4, 2025, via Cleopatra Records. This marks their fifth studio effort in the seven years since Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited in 2017, following up on 2023’s Black Diamonds.