And he admits that while drummer Lars Ulrich seemed positive about the test, frontman James Hetfield was much less interested. Claypool tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: "I remember it was very loud. That's the first thing that pops to mind - it was f***ing loud.

"Lars was probably the most enthused about the audition. They were all still pretty messed up about the Cliff Burton thing. But James, you could just tell, was like, 'Who the hell is this f***ing weirdo?'

"I didn't fit the bill at all. I showed up with this bass that was a hunk of driftwood, I had two different-colored tennis shoes on, bleach-blond mohawk, baggies, skater pants - I didn't fit the bill, especially for Metallica back then."