Jon Wiederhorn - Raising Hell: Backstage Tales from the Lives of Metal Legends

Copyright 2020 by Jon Wiederhorn

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Diversion Books

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Book design by Neuwirth & Associates

First Diversion Books edition January 2020

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63576-649-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-63576-648-6

Printed in The United States of America

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data is available on file.

In memory of Nancy Irene Wiederhorn, Jean Cecile Wiederhorn, and Jeremy Kaplan.

Also, farewell to all the metal crusaders who passed while Raising Hell was being written: Lemmy Kilmister (Motrhead), Fast Eddie Clarke (Motrhead), Philthy Animal Taylor (Motrhead), Larry Wallis (Motrhead), Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Hellyeah), Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Malcolm Young (AC/DC), Scott Daisy Berkowitz Putesky (Marilyn Manson), Terry Marostega (Razor), Bruce Corbitt (Rigor Mortis), Warrel Dane (Nevermore), Martin E. Ain (Celtic Frost), Chuck Mosley (Faith No More), Matt Holt (Nothingface), Paul ONeill (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Jill Janus (Huntress), Oli Herbert (All That Remains), Todd Youth (Agnostic Front), Morten Sttzer (Artillery), Aaron Zimpel (Anvil Chorus,), Perry McAuley (Graveyard Rodeo), Richard Brunelle (Morbid Angel), Shaun Boilanger (Terror), Jeff Martinek (Sacred Reich), Nigel Benjamin (London), Lizzie Grey (London), Ralph Santolla (Deicide), Joey Alves (Y&T), Josh Martin (Anal Cunt), Caleb Scofield (Cave In), Frank Killjoy Pucci (Necrophagia), Dave Holland (Judas Priest), Nature Ganganbaigal (Tengger Cavalry), Paul Kosanovich (Surgical Steel), Carsten Otterbach (Morgoth), Bernie Torm (Ozzy Osbourne), Richard Bateman (Nasty Savage), Carlos Denogean (Weedeater), Kyle Pavone (We Came as Romans), Paul Whaley (Blue Cheer), Dave Castillo (Deceased), Willy Lange Langenhuizen (Lz Rockit), Randy Rampage (Annihilator), Glen Telford (Skinlab), Scott Willey (Vital Remains), Eric Eycke (Corrosion of Conformity), Mark Shelton (Manilla Road), Brett Hoffmann (Malevolent Creation), Bill Tolley (Internal Bleeding), Mick Burke (Mortal Sin), Paul Raymond (UFO), Jason Luttrell (Primer 55), Nic Ritter (Warbringer), Guillermo Calero (Wormed), Pat Torpey (Mr. Big), Gabriel Negru Mafa (Negura Bunget), Ted McKenna (Michael Schenker), Johnny Hansen (Vulcano), Geoff Nicholls (Black Sabbath), and Trish Doan (Kittie).

Raising Hell also raises the metal flag to anyone we accidentally overlooked. Rock in peace.

This product could cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, or agitation and may increase the effects of drugs and alcohol. If affected, do not drive or operate heavy machinery. If symptoms persist, proceed directly to the nearest mosh pit.

I was Kirk Hammetts roadie, but not for Metallica. Before Kirk joined what would become one of the worlds most popular metal bands, he was part of the Bay Area thrash band Exodus. Back then, I didnt even play guitar. Then, Kirk showed me some simple chords, and from there I took to the instrument like a duck to water.

The guitar just made sense to mehow its structured, how the scales work, how the notes repeat themselves in different octaves, how harmonies went... I just got it. Six months after I picked up the instrument, Exoduss second guitarist, Tim Agnello, was gone and I was in the band. Within a year, I was shredding, and within 18 months I was playing really good solos. By the time Kirk left in 1983, I had been in the band for nearly two years and I was ready to take over as the main songwriter.

My first time ever playing with Exodus was for about 300 fans at the Montara Bay Community Center on a New Years Eve when I was seventeen-and-a-half. Five minutes before showtime, the place was packed, and I was nervous as shit. But seconds after stepping on stage, I felt like Id found my calling. From that day forward, I knew thats what I had to do with my lifenot what I wanted to do, what I had to do.

Theres no question that vocalist Paul Baloff was a crucial part of Exodus in the beginning. He was a fucking animal, a maniacthe very definition of a thrash metal lunatic. Kirk was the first one to meet him and invited him to band rehearsal at my parents garage. For some reason, the rest of Exodus canceled but no one got in touch with Paul to tell him we werent getting together, so he showed up.

Sorry dude, theres nothing happening, I said.

So we went to his car and parked in a lot at the end of the street next to mine and did some cocaine, smoked a bunch of weed, and listened to metal for two or three hours. It was fuckin killer. That was the first of many memorable times with Paul.

After Kirk joined Metallica, I started writing most of Exoduss new songs, which were way faster, heavier, and more violent than the earlier stuff. Paul Baloff was the perfect frontman for songs like A Lesson in Violence, Bonded by Blood, and Strike of the Beast. He walked it like he screamed it. When Paul said, Posers must die! he meant it. Posers at the show got nervous because he would eyeball them, and wed be thinking: Thats who Pauls talking about. Lets get him!

He was the real deal, and he bled for this shitliterallyand always did until the day he died. Paul had a penchant for destruction. A lot of guys in the past would destroy shit, but it was usually rock stars smashing something because they knew someone would pay for it. Paul smashed shit because he liked it.

In high school, I was a stoner outcast. With Exodus, I was part of a little comedy troupe of merry pranksters. Along with our friends, we went by the name The Slay Team, and when we were drinking and doing drugswhich was all the timewe were out of control. Nothing was sacred, and no one that got in our way was spared. We spoke our own language. The funniest shit to us, which had us laughing our asses off, made no sense to other people whatsoever. We didnt care if anyone else thought we were humorous. We didnt care if anyone wanted to hang out with us or run away in fear.

Some of the shit we pulled was nuts. The destruction was massive. We broke everything we could get away with, and once at a party I dropped a plugged-in curling iron into a big fish tank to try to kill the fish. It didnt work, so Andy Airborne Anderson, another Slay Team member, handed me a sharpened pencil.

Kill a fish, Gary! he said.

A fish came up to the top of the water like it wanted to commit suicide. I stabbed it in the head. That didnt kill it. However, the ammonia I poured into the tank did the job on that fish and all his friends.

If you look at the back of our first album, Bonded by Blood , we thank Dartboard Dan and knives, scissors and deadly-hot pokers because we used all those tools against poor Dan, who, for some reason, was just one of our targets. Wed have this kid cowering in the corner of the room, and wed wave a heated-up fireplace poker at him. Baloff would throw steak knives at the dude. We had a blast.