Batterie Magazine numéro 201

Ringo Starr has long been mocked by audiences and musicians alike. Described as an "average" drummer, Starr would have been in the right place at the right time and would not have deserved his status as the most famous drummer on the planet. It took almost half a century and the repeated praise of Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, Questlove, Jim Keltner and Stewart Copeland for him to be rehabilitated in the eyes of everyone. Today, not many people dare to question Ringo's crucial role in the Beatles' sound. The drummer of Metallica hopes, one day, to benefit from the same benevolence towards him. Because yes, since Ringo has been left alone, Lars Ulrich is the drummer who arouses the most controversy, hatred, let's not be afraid of the words. You just have to read the comments under each publication about him. Even within our editorial team, the "Lars Ulrich" case is a source of tension. For what reasons?
Founder, mastermind and main composer (with James Hetfield) at Metallica, the Dane has a very strong temperament. Arrogant for some, charismatic for others, the character divides as much as his drumming. Because if, at the end of the 1980s, Lars was regularly on the podium of the greatest drummers, the wind has changed in the early 2000s. So what happened? On a human level, there is a big gap between what people say about him and the way he actually behaves with people. In fact, I challenge you to find a single fan who had a bad experience with him. On the few occasions we've met him, Lars has always been adorable, intelligent and sincere, showing amazing insight into what many think of him.
As Metallica begins its comeback with the double album "72 Seasons" and the two concerts scheduled at the Stade de France on May 17 and 19, we analyzed Lars Ulrich's trajectory to try to understand how one of the most adored drummers of the 1980s and 90s became, thirty years later, the most reviled of all.
When? Why? How?

Sébastien Benoits