Cliff was a very smart guy, a reader, very eloquent. I just don't understand why he went, and not one of us. - Kirk Hammett

And I thought to myself: I actually have a conection to this place, it's part of my musical legacy. [Hammett talking about Scorpions]

Basically I just had to say, "Screw everyone around me - from now on I'm just gonna play what I think is important to me and our music." So I gave the big finger to all the current trends in technical wizardry, and just went off and did what I felt was best for the songs.

I think heavy metal is therapeutic - it's music that blows the tension away. I think that's why people who have had really bad childhoods are attracted to heavy metal. It allows people to release aggression and tension in a nonviolent way. Also, heavy metal seems to attract all sorts of scruffy, lost animals, strays no one wants.