Machine Head’s Robb Flynn Recalls Advice Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Gave Him On Being ‘Hated’

“I really needed to hear that at the time.”

Machine Head’s Rob Flynn recalled how Lars Ulrich of Metallica gave him a pep talk about the inevitability of being hated as an artist and looked back at how well his band’s sophomore LP “The Burning Red” sold despite the alleged negative fan reactions.

Most people who end up working as professional musicians long enough learn to grow a thick skin and not pay too much attention to the hate they and/or their work may come across, and after spending 3 decades on the scene, Robb Flynn certainly knows what do to in such cases.

However, seeing people crap on something you’ve poured your heart and soul into can be tough for people who are new to the experience, and the Machine Head frontman recalls how it was Metallica’s Lars Ulrich that taught him to just let haters hate and to keep doing his thing. Speaking to Metal Hammer in a new interview, Rob Flynn recalled:

“Lars Ulrich once told me the world is gonna hate you sometimes. You just gotta plant your flag, live your truth and stand by it. I really needed to hear that at the time.”

Naming the alleged reception of the nu metal-sounding “The Burning Red” (which ended up Machine Head’s second-best-selling LP to date) as an example, Rob continued:

“‘The Burning Red’ didn’t sell half-a-million copies because people hated it. There were a lot of motherfuckers lying about not getting that record.”

Machine Head’s tenth studio album “Of Kingdom and Crown” is out now via Nuclear Blast/Imperium.