Metallica week continued on Wednesday on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where the metal forefathers put their puppet mastery to the ultimate test. In addition to performing the title track to the band’s seminal 1986 album, the four members also tried their hands at marionettes.
Enrolling in a class at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, drummer Lars Ulrich, and bassist Robert Trujillo are tasked with learning the finer points of marionettes in about an hour. The middle-aged rockers are in good hands at the oldest children’s theater company in Los Angeles, which just celebrated its 60th birthday and is an L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument.
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Before long, a group of youngsters is seated attentively on the carpet to hear the story of Metallica’s origins as told through puppets. Jimmy Kimmel, acting as the voice of God, narrates, “Once upon a time, there was a happy little cactus named Lars who wanted to start a band.” A well-placed ad in L.A.’s The Recycler brings a cool cat named James, Kirk the donkey, and Robert the invisible man into the fold.
With the band members in place, the only problem remaining is deciding what type of music to play. The children categorically boo down the options of country, polka, and salsa. Luckily, the band’s new friend Satan comes in and encourages them to play metal, “You’ll be rich, famous, and do lots of dr– uh, candy, you’ll do lots candy.” As the puppets headbang to “Master of Puppets” with Satan, one terrified mother takes her child away and the band lives happily ever after.
Watch Metallica master puppets and perform “Master of Puppets” on Kimmel. Following a weeklong stint on Kimmel, Metallica heads overseas to start the European leg of the M72 World Tour in Amsterdam on April 27th and 29th. The tour heads to North America in August for “No Repeat Weekend” two-night runs across the continent into November and resuming in August 2024. Tickets and a full list of tour dates are available here.
Can Metallica Master Actual Puppets!?
Metallica – “Master of Puppets”