The Real Reason Metallica Once Lived In Their Rehearsal Room

As the biggest metal band out there, Metallica hasn't been short of petty cash in a while. However, everyone has to start somewhere. Back when the band was formed, they were just a bunch of aspiring young musicians of the type California was full of. Still, it's surprising to find out that at one point during their path from hungry wannabes of yesteryear to the stadium-filling multi-millionaires of today, the whole band actually had to live in their rehearsal room.

How can such a situation even happen? Was it some sort of misguided effort to raise team spirit? Were all the band members improbably thrown out of their homes at the exact same time, and were forced to live in the same tiny space while indulging in sitcom-style hijinks? Clearly, we need to get to the bottom of this. Let's take a look at the real reason Metallica once lived in their rehearsal room.

It was the early 1980s, and as Martin Kielty of Ultimate Classic Rock reports, Metallica traveled from San Francisco to New York in order to record their debut album, Kill 'Em All. Their manager, Jon Zazula, had opted to make them live in the same ratty room where they trained at the Music Building, a low-rent rehearsal space in Jamaica, Queens. The place was essentially a squat, and to make matters worse, Zazula hadn't informed Metallica about the situation. Instead, he sent Scott Ian of Anthrax to break the news. 

Ian and Anthrax bassist Danny Lilker met the Californian musicians, who had driven a U-Haul all the way from San Francisco. When Metallica had set up their gear in their small rehearsal room, they asked where they were staying. After some "Well, here's the thing ..." themed shuffling of the feet, the grim reality of the situation quickly dawned. Fortunately, Anthrax also happened to rehearse in the same building, and their room was fairly well-equipped. As such, Ian and Lilker were able to loan their desperate colleagues some basic amenities, such as a fridge and a toaster oven, and to generally help them out. So, while Metallica didn't exactly get to stay in a five star hotel, at least they gained some pretty great friends in the process. Oh, and Kill 'Em All didn't turn out half bad, either.