Bassist Jason Newsted famously exited Metallica in 2001 parting ways with one of the most influential and enduring acts in rock history. In a recent wide-ranging interview with The Palm Beach Post, Newsted revealed the reasons why he left Metallica. “The absolute is still that I would be dead if I didn’t leave,” he said referring to a pain medication addiction that forced him to step aside. Newsted wanted to take six-to-eight months off to rest and recuperate, but “for some reason they weren’t willing to do that.” Newsted said he never wanted to quit Metallica, but it’s a decision he doesn’t regret. “It’s like a crazy-ass, hollow void that will probably not ever really be filled,” he said of leaving. “It was a really horrible, lonely feeling. I was like, why did you screw yourself so hard? Why did you? But I had to think, also, you wouldn’t be breathing right now if you hadn’t done it.”
Newsted also said that he came close to joining Van Halen late last year. According to The Palm Beach Post, drummer Alex Van Halen had already tapped Joe Satriani to replace the late, great Eddie Van Halen, and the two were searching for a bass player for a possible Van Halen tour. Newsted apparently agreed to go to California to jam with the pair, but he thought it would be impossible to do justice to Van Halen’s legacy. “How could you?” he said. “There’s nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn’t want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled.” Newsted didn’t say whether any singers had been considered for the potential tour. David Lee Roth, who most recently fronted the band, announced his retirement in October 2021 and canceled his Las Vegas farewell shows in January.
Newsted also talked about joining Ozzy Osbourne’s band after leaving Metallica, which probably wasn’t the best decision given his dependence on pain meds and Ozzy’s prodigious intake of various drugs. “At one point, I remember 77 tablets (Ozzy) took in one day: meds, vitamins, supplements, Xanax and Vicodin,” Newsted said. “Folks said he must have Parkinson’s cause he was shaking. No man, no, he’s just vibrating. He’s not sick, he’s jacked up. And that’s what I stepped into.” Newsted played 62 shows in 31 days during the Ozzfest after his exit from Metallica. He was also performing with Voivod on the second stage each day before headlining with Ozzy at night, and despite Ozzy’s drug intake, he said the “Prince of Darkness” was also ready to go come showtime. “He got his gear on two hours before stage time with Zeppelin jamming, like ‘Let’s go!’” Newsted said of Ozzy rocking out pre-show in his dressing room. “That was the real person, and no matter what kind of stuff they tried to subdue him with, that was still the essence of that person.”
Newsted said he kicked his drug habit in 2004 after his heart stopped after he overdosed on opioids following a shoulder surgery. “That was kind of the day it turned around,” he said. “From then on, I just worked on getting out of it. They build (the drug) so it gets right into your fiber, and it won’t let its hooks loose.”
