It’s here Hammett’s prospects as a guitarist really started to develop as he continually looked to broaden his horizons through knowledge and experience. Once Kirk had established himself as a guitar player through intense dedication and relentless practice, he began to fully immerse himself in the culture and surround himself with friends with the common interest and obsession with everything guitars.
And at one point I thought, “This guy, he’s the ultimate in guitar playing and I want to be just like him. It was everything and it was everything that I wanted to be. I was seeing a guy who could play guitar amazingly, who looked so different and so unique, you know, he was just so much of a dynamic performer. When I saw Hendrix up on the screen, I was just blown away because I was seeing a complete package. I think I was about 13 or 14 years old when I saw the documentary called, A Film About Jimmy Hendrix.” It’s the one where he’s sitting on a stool playing a 12-string guitar. “The very first guitar player to really have a huge impact on me was probably Jimmy Hendrix. Hendrix has this magical impact on so many people and it’s this everlasting spirit that continues to carry his legacy from one generation to the next. Like many before him and many yet to come Kirk was absolutely bowled over and mesmerisingly inspired by Jimi Hendrix. He played on the band’s first demo disc ‘1982 Demo.’” Now armed with a killer guitar and amp, Hammett took his love for music to the next level and co-founded the legendary thrash metal band Exodus. Thanks to that job, he was able to purchase his first Marshall amp. “As a teen, Hammett knew that he needed the proper amplifier to rock out with, so he picked up a gig at a local Burger King to earn some extra money. Let’s now take an overview of those hedonistic early days. It’s this positive innocence that really keeps him truly excited for guitar and playing within the band just as much as it did back in the early days. His genuine passion and excitement for music and artists both past and present is truly inspiring and quite infectious. When observing Kirk in the numerous interviews researched for this player spotlight the most endearing thing that comes across is that, as big a rockstar as he is (or let’s say superstar), he still comes across as a fan of guitar and everything that it stands for. We started listening to Kiss, Skinner, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top.” What are they called?” And my friend said, “Kiss”, I’m thinking, Hmm.” and so we put the album on and all of a sudden it was exactly what I wanted to hear strangely enough, and this friend came over with other albums. When I was in seventh grade, a friend came over and said, “Look at this band, look how cool they are.” And he showed me the album cover and I was looking at it and I thought, “Wow, what a strange looking band. “My household when I was growing up, ever since I could remember, ever since I was a toddler, there was always a radio going on and a lot of that had to do with the fact I had older brother who’s 11 years older than me, and so there was always music going on. Eventually he added a ’74 Gibson Flying V to his small collection. It was on that guitar that he worked everyday on honing his craft and creating his own signature sound. Soon after that experience, Hammett found himself strumming on a ’78 Fender Stratocaster.
According to , his first guitar was a Montgomery Ward catalog special, and he jammed out through a shoe box with a 4″ speaker in it.
The first time he picked up a guitar to explore his new-found interest was when he was 15-years-old. Growing up in El Sobrante, he was influenced musically by his brother Rick’s huge record collection that included Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and UFO.
18, 1962 in San Francisco, making him a true Bay Area man. This edition takes us on an epic rock ‘n’ roll story of how dedication, desire and a pure way of life can guide you towards your aspirations against all disbeliefs and reservations.
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