James Hetfield is a walking, breathing metal god, but even he has his flaws. Speaking in a new YouTube video entitled "Road to Recovery," the Metallica singer outlined his issues with self-esteem, saying he's been "seeking validation" his whole life.
Saying that he has "been seeking validation [his] whole life, and looking for it everywhere," he also noted that support from Metallica fans has been "the most amazing drug I've ever taken" -- though it has its downside.
"I get up on stage and think, 'I'm the s**t. I feel good, 'cause I am King S**t here,'" he said, via Ultimate-Guitar. "And then I go home, off the road and I don't have that, and I'm just me. I'm just dad. I'm just a husband, and there's a pile of dishes waiting right over there. And [I'm like], 'Don't you know who I am?' It's, like, 'Yeah. You're my husband. Get over there and do the dishes.' 'You're my dad. Drive me to school.' That can be the toughest validation to get from my family at times. And I don't have to do anything but just be ... just be and be there. That's unconditional love."
Metallica is currently working on the follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic. The boys took to Instagram to post a picture of Robert Trujillo recording some bass parts in a studio last month, and Trujillo spoke about the project's progress in December.
"I don't like to make predictions, but I'd like to think -- at least for me -- that I'm really happy with what's happening instrumentally," he said. "So let's see how that journey continues. Writing a Metallica song is a journey and a process, and it takes time. But that's what's special about it. Metallica likes to nurture a song, nurture an arrangement."
