Before he joined Metallica in 2003, Robert Trujillo had worked with influential musicians including Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. But he found a new level of inspiration when he discovered Steven Wilson, as he told Prog in 2014.
“I’d been communicating with Nick Beggs about a film that we’re making about Jaco Pastorius [Jaco was released in 2014]. Nick told me he was working with Steven Wilson. I’d heard of Steven but I wasn’t familiar with his solo stuff. So he said they’d be in LA at the House Of Blues, and would I like to come?
I came down absolutely not knowing what to expect – and I came out of there a different person! It was really amazing and inspiring, and it touched a place in me creatively that was really powerful.
One of my friends is a drummer called Brooks Wackerman [Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies]. He’s a fan of Porcupine Tree. The second time I went to see Steven Wilson with my wife – right up in the nosebleed seats at Club Nokia – there’s this different drummer, not Marco Minneman. I’m like, “Wow, that guy looks like a Wackerman!” And it was Brooks’ brother Chad!
That show was on another level. I saw the video production, the animations… it was a huge moment for me. The collaboration with [animator] Jess Cope is really special. In a positive way I’m almost jealous – I wish we had a collaborator like that for Metallica [Cope and Metallica went on to collaborate in 2016].
I’ve waved the flag in Metallica for Steven Wilson. I think when they see him live they’ll be impressed
It sounds crazy, but I love that stuff – I’m a big fan of Pink Floyd and they use that visual side really well. When I saw The Raven That Refused To Sing live, I had tears in my eyes, it was so powerful. Steven certainly opened that door for me again.
Now every time he comes through LA, I’ll have to go. He’s like a new artist for me to discover, and I’m excited for Nick because even for him this is new territory, and he has a lot of freedom. Each guy in the band has a strong stage presence, and you can see them blossoming with every gig.
I’ve waved the flag in Metallica for Steven Wilson. I think that when they see him live they’ll be impressed. Metallica is certainly open to trying new things – Lou Reed, Lang Lang… go back to the S&M album with the symphony orchestra – that was a huge step forward. There’s a lot of possibilities for our future.
To me Steven ranks with Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails or the Beach Boys; he’s capable of anything. I’m so happy that I found him!”
Lunch and great conversation in London today with @RobertTrujillo of @Metallica #jacofilm #jacopastoriusfilm pic.twitter.com/mDyAQOqriIOctober 27, 2017
