As reported by www.hardradio.com: Former METALLICA/present VOIVOD bassist JASON NEWSTED had some harsh words for his former bandmates recently due to tour announcements that sees them hit the road on the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003 with LIMP BIZKIT, LINKIN PARK, DEFTONES and MUDVAYNE. Newsted stated to Britain's Rock Sound Magazine that "Metallica are just a joke. I don't think they have any idea. I am a fan of Metallica again, I did my thing in there and felt good and I'm proud of that shit and I am more proud than sour. But that's the integrity down the f**king tube! Why can't they take out STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, why can't they take out IN FLAMES? What they are doing now is such an obvious cash thing and has nothing to do with the music that we're supposed to be fighting for. Kirk got quoted about their new record sounding like ENTOMBED. How can it sound like ENTOMBED, how? Who is playing bass to make it sound like ENTOMBED? James is a good bass player, but c'mon, dude! Lars Ñ he hasn't practiced enough drums over the years Ñ he let his art fall away from him, he doesn't have the same finesse as he used to have, so how is it going to sound like ENTOMBED and have that energy? And anyway if they are speaking like that how come they are not talking ENTOMBED out on tour? Or MESHUGGAH - how come they are not staying true to their words? That's what really bothers me." BW&BK spoke to Newsted recently about Metallica's early tour policies. "In the beginning bands were chosen for us," he revealed. "We didn't have really anything to say. It was like, 'We're the management (Q Prime), we have QUEENSRYCHE too, they're going out with ya.' It was like, 'What the... Queensryche? We're playing 'Damage Inc.' What the f**k, that's not right.' And then, as time went on, we were able to control who we took out. So we chose DANZIG and we chose Jerry and we chose SUICIDAL (TENDENCIES) and stuff like that because those were guys we'd hang out and have a beer with. 2 1/2 hours you're on the stage so the other 21 1/2 hours what the f**k are you going to do. You're going to find somebody that you can hang with. That had a lot to do with it, the hanging out factor. We're not out to pave somebody else's path for them. You gotta earn your place, right? I'm willing to show respect to bands and take out bands that I think are really fantastic and inspiring. But I'm not taking them out just for the fact that, 'Hey, we need to go out, we're this or we're that, we need your help.' Look man, I f**kin' starved for a long time to get where I got. You think I'm going to give you like a hand up just because you ask me or because you got something together? Prove that you deserve it. Prove to me that you're willing to work this hard, then you come on. Then you can go with me. Until that time, I'm always willing to support bands that are real bands. People that really mean it. If you're really going to be in music you dedicate your life to music, then OK. Cool man, come out and jam with us, good, I'm all about it. I'm open to demo tapes, I get a shit load of them every week. I listen to a lot of bands and try to keep an eye out for people that I really are inspired by. There's a few bands lately, like this band PUYA, absolutely inspirational. KYUSS is the best band there's been in the last 15 years. I like all that stuff but it would have to be something that was right for Voivod, not just for the fact of taking someone out 'cause they were cool or the way that management's already talking to me about taking some band out that can sell some tickets. Whatever, f**k YOU! "We're bringin' the package that we feel is entertainment," he added. "I'm gonna fight to keep the tickets as low as I can, as long as I can. If they're gonna have to pay $15 to come and see it, I want them to get something out of it and walk away going, 'f**k dude, next time those guys come I'm there.' That's what you have to do, you have to do that. You get the $15 buck one time, big f**kin' deal, you gotta keep it churning. It's not about the money thing, it's about keeping the momentum of something. You want people to get their bang for the buck. There's too many f**kin' things they could be spending their money on and on too many other bands that they could be going to see. You've got to make 'em wanna come and see your band so why not put together a package that's entertaining rather than, 'Hey, they happened to sell a couple of records this week.' That doesn't go very far with me."
