James Hetfield admits he’s “obsessed” with bird watching: “I’ve got probably six bird feeders”
“I know all the birds that come out there and I’ve got my little app that has bird noises.”
Metallica’s James Hetfield. Credit: Venla Shalin/Getty
James Hetfield has developed a rather wholesome pastime when he’s not out on the road with Metallica – having a cigar on the porch and watching the birds. In fact, he’s so “obsessed” with his hobby that he’s got “probably six” bird feeders set up – well, until the bears come and destroy them.
Hetfield speaks about his passion for bird-watching on an episode of The Metallica Report, as well as his love for animals more broadly.
“I love all animals. I love them… especially with salt and cooked medium rare,” he jokes. “No! I love the beasts of this planet, they’re so cool. On my time off, I’m obsessed with having a cigar on the porch and I’ve got probably about six bird feeders. I know all the birds that come out there and I’ve got my little app that has bird noises and I can see which one they are and I’ll pull it up and talk to ’em and all that stuff.
“I love that stuff, I love it. Until the bears are out of hibernation in Colorado and they’ve come and destroyed all my bird feeders.”
Hetfield goes on to explain what he admires about the animal kingdom, more specifically the simplicity of their lifestyles compared to humans.
“I do live in a place where there’s animals all the time and I get to see ’em. I admire the wolf, I admire the eagle, I admire the buffalo, I admire the elk,” he says. “I like to think that humans have been so distracted by the worldly clamour that we’ve forgotten about survival and all these animals wake up thinking – well, I don’t know what they’re thinking, but – what I visualise is they have to eat, so that’s what they do.
“They go out and search for food and that is their purpose for the day. They don’t need to worry about all the other shit. At the end of the day, being grateful for the fact that I had food, that’s all I need for today.”
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