Rob Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003 and is Metallica's longest-serving bassist, he's played on 7 of their studio albums. Trujillo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Metallica in 2009.
In a recent interview with "Groove - The No Treble Podcast" by host Mitch Joel, the legendary bass player talks about Metallica being a family.
Rob said "Metallica is a family. I inherited a family. I inherited new brothers. As most people know, or I hope they know, when you join a band, especially a band like this, you have a responsibility. In most bands, I think it's common knowledge."
He adds "It's one thing to be able to play — of course you've gotta play; you've gotta play your instrument, and they've gotta have confidence in you, and you've gotta perform. So there's all that. But at the same time, as a family member, you've gotta be able to cater to the personalities. And everybody in Metallica is very, very different; we are definitely not the same. So there's a lot of communication involved in how we work things out and resolve certain things. And sometimes you find yourself — just like you would with your brother — completely pissed off, and you have to navigate the terrain of the personalities, like I would do with my own family, and at the same time what's really important is support. You've gotta know when one of your brothers is down and how to help him. So there's all of that that goes into what it is to be in a band like Metallica."
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"It's one thing how we play individually or how we write with other people… Like myself, coming into it later in the game and having been a writer in my other situations, being a main writer, and all of sudden joining Metallica and not being a main writer but understanding that, okay, I'm here to support as a bass player, I'm here to support James' idea, or now it's time to create, it's time to write, to be able to understand how to wear that hat. Because it's not about the ego; it's about how you serve the team. And even beyond just the music and the personalities and how you work with each other, there's also the responsibility to the amount of press and the travel involved in that alone. And, obviously, it can be challenging to be on the road all the time, away from your family… It's a lot of everything."
Trujillo concludes with a reflection on the growth of Metallica over the years "Being in Metallica and also growing as a unit creatively has been incredible because I really believe this. I feel that we've challenged ourselves over the years. We made an album with Lou Reed; obviously, 'S&M ²' was really special. Just creative journeys that this band takes and then you grow from all of this and get better."
Metallica's latest album '72 Seasons' is out now. Have a listen on Spotify.