Metallica Appear in Hilarious New Ad For ESPN
Though their music may be heavy and dark, the guys in Metallica have proven that they don’t really take themselves too seriously. They metal icons showed off their irreverent side once again in a hilarious new ad for ESPN’s flagship program 'Sportscenter.'
In the ad, the band are left wandering around the ESPN offices in search of a new athlete to utilize their talents following the retirement of former New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera. The closer famously used the band’s classic anthem ‘Enter Sandman’ as his entrance music for nearly the entirety of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career.
Sometimes it can be quite freeing to put yourself at the mercy of others," drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone. "ESPN's commercials have a tendency to be hilarious. We were like, 'That sounds like a good time.' The whole thing had an overriding impulsivity to it."
There are a few twists and turns throughout the commercial, but as for Ulrich’s favorite? “When [anchor Stuart Scott] takes the tab off Kirk [Hammett]'s 'guitar lessons' flier and uses it as his gum wrapper, that's just classic," Ulrich said. "The whole thing is really funny. Man, let's do another 20 of these. It's really fun."
This is the second comedic spot the band have filmed in as many months. In June, ahead of their controversial appearance at the Glastonbury Music Festival in the U.K. the band appeared in a short film titled 'Glastallica' which features the group in full bear suits shooting at British hunters. The short was meant to parody the heat Metallica had received for singer James Hetfield’s appearance in a reality series about Alaskan bear hunting.