In Brief......

Jason Curtis Newsted

Born: March 4, 1963
From: Battle Creek, Michigan
Personal: divorced
Specialty: Making sure Metallica thumps harder than
ever
Plays: bass
Vitals: blue eyes, brown-red hair, 5'8"/1.75 meters tall,
weighs 150 lbs/68.04 kilos

Views from the members......

 "He's always up for the show, no matter where or
   when it is." - James

"Jason is very much a musician's musician." - Kirk

Biography......

  Jason Newsted is the fourth person to play bass for Metallica.
  After a successful and happy tenure with Cliff Burton, a tragic
 accident took his life. The remaining members of Metallica felt
 Cliff would have wished them to carry on.

  So carry on they did, with the help of Jason Newsted. He was
 hand picked by the band after a series of auditions of about 40
 people that included Troy Gregory, Willy Lange and Les
 laypool. Jason was suggested for a try-out to Lars by Brian
 Slagel. Brian was a bit reluctant since Jason's current band,
  Flotsam & Jetsam was signed to his Metal Blade Records.

Jason had some pretty big shoes to fill. Cliff Burton was always
more then just the bass player in Metallica. Jason was up to
he task and has definitely made his mark on Metallica.

 Jason was born in Battle Creek,
 Michigan, and raised in Niles. At age 14,
 the Newsted clan packed up and moved
 to Kalamazoo, Michigan. There he grew up within 5 miles of the
 Gibson Guitar Company.

 His reasons for picking up bass began and ended with Kiss' Gene
 Simmons. His roots of 'speed metal' could be traced back to
  playing his father's player piano at faster than normal tempo.
 After an initial unsuccessful attempt at bass, he picked up the
 instrument again a few years later when he received his first
 bass guitar.

 Jason saved up money for a better bass, then hooked up with local band Gangster,
 which included guitar player Tim Hamlin. Hamlin became a mentor and a teacher of sorts
 to the young aspiring bass player.

 Suprisingly, Jason quit High School just 3 months shy of graduation, and spent time
 away from home, living with the Gangster guys (He has since received his GED, an does
 not recommend anyone quitting school).

 In 1981, Jason and Hamlin left
 Michigan for California. They made it
 as far as Phoenix, Arizona on
 Halloween, 1981. In Phoenix, Jason
 kept himself busy with odd jobs
 including a stint at a Subway
 sandwich shop. He and Hamlin drifted
 apart and Jason hooked up with
 drummer Kelly David-Smith.

   With David-Smith, Jason jammed for
   a while with Paradox, but that
   amounted to little. Eventually he
    moved in with David-Smith in
    Scotsdale, Arizona. There, the they dug up guitarists Mark Vasquez and Kevin Horton.
    With Jason on bass, and often singing, the fledgling band dubbed themselves Dogz.
    Horton was soon replaced by Ed Carlson, and this line up played various gigs and
    recorded some demos.

   In 1983, vocalist Erik A.K. joined Dogz, and shortly after they changed the name to
   Flotsam & Jetsam. Jason acted as bass player, chief songwriter, band manager, fan
   liason, and lyricist.

  Flotsam & Jetsam got a spot on the same Metal
  Massacre compilation that spawned Metallica's career a
  few years earlier, and the band was soon signed with
  Metal Blade records. They released one album,
  Doomsday For The Deceiver with Jason, and released
  another with songs written with him. On Halloween
  night, 1986, Jason played his last gig with Flotsam &
  Jetsam.

 For his audition for Metallica, Newsted learned all of
 Cliff's parts, but also added some things to show that he
 was his own person and a capable bass player. The
 audition was stretched to the next day and finally that
 evening at Tommy's Joint.. he was finally asked the big
 question:

 "Do you want a job?"

 Jason's response? A yell that nearly scared off the other
 people in the bar.

His quick ascent to Metallica, which was his favorite
 band, was not easy. He went through a year of hazing
and abuse which bordered on ludicrous, absurd and amazing. But Newsted proved
 himself capable.

Today Jason is an integral part of the band, and as a former fan himself, is widely
 respected for his ongoing commitment to the fans.