During his YouTube show, Spirit Campfire, Ted Nugent attempted to pay homage to Metallica, but his awkward comments instead created discomfort.
Nugent, a controversial musician known for his extreme stances, recently spoke out about Metallica and attempted to pay them a compliment. Discussing the evolution of the metal scene, he compared the thrash band to an amped-up version of James Brown with, in his words, “a white bass player.”
“Metallica plays Heavy Metal imbued with soul and rhythm-and-blues. It’s like James Brown had more amps and a white bass player.”he declared. This remark refers to Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. However, Nugent seems misinformed: Trujillo, full name Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz, is of Mexican and Native American descent, not “white.”
Robert Trujillo, a legendary bassist
Robert Trujillo, who joined Metallica in 2003, is a respected musician, having played with Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. His rhythmic skills are widely recognized, and his influence on Metallica’s music is undeniable. Nugent, despite his awkward compliment, still recognized Trujillo’s talents: “He’s incredible, he’s got the groove.”
The problem with this comparison, beyond ignoring Trujillo’s true ethnic origin, is that Nugent seems disconnected from the group’s history and current identity. Trujillo has been a key member of Metallica for over two decades, and his distinctive style has helped shape the band’s sound over the years.
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The legacy of Robert Trujillo and his connection to Inamorata
Although Trujillo rarely discusses his origins in the media, he has deep roots in Native American culture, particularly among the Taos Pueblo people. This connection recently influenced one of Metallica’s visual works.
Mozart artist Gabriel Abeyta, also from Taos Pueblo, collaborated with his wife Helly March to storyboard the music video for Inamorata, a song from Metallica’s latest album, 72 Seasons. This meeting with Trujillo left a lasting impression on Abeyta. In an interview with ICT (Indian Country Today), he shared his thoughts on the bassist: “He was so respectful, and you can tell he loves creativity. He really took the role of producer on this video and clearly showed that it was the most important video on the album.”
Abeyta also added that he was touched by the group’s involvement: “The group wrote us a letter saying how grateful they were and that they loved the video. It was one of their favorites from the whole album.”
