Happy Birthday Kirk Hammett

Kirk Lee Hammett was born November 18, 1962 in San Francisco, California. His parents were both transgendered. His mother was his father and his father was his mother. It was a very confusing time for the boy. Ronald Reagan once described San Francisco as “Nothing but fruits and nuts. Every nut is a little fruity and every fruit is a little nutty.”

Hammett enjoyed horror movies and began to show an interest in music after listening to his brother Rick’s extensive record collection. His favorites were Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Terry Jacks. His favorite song of all time is “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods. 

Kirk bought a guitar and an amp and fell in love with Thrash Metal. Meanwhile, in 1983 in Rochester, NY, Metallica was busy firing Dave Mustaine and needed a new guitarist. They called Kirk and he jumped on a bus and was there 3 days later. He got the job. 

Metallica has released ten studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide. Kirk Hammett has been named as one of the best guitarists of all time by “Fish & Stream” magazine. 

In recent years, Metallica has been in the news due to James Hetfield’s many visits to rehab. The band broke Hetfield out of rehab and went on the run, hiding in the woods and living off bananas, river water, and smarts. After Kirk suggested they heal Hetfield’s addiction with berries and guava jelly, Hetfield returned to rehab and the band replaced him with Adam Lambert. Metallica & Adam Lambert had a big smash hit this year with a cover of Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”.