In a new interview with Scandalous Podcast, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt looked back on his long friendship with Kirk Hammett.
Holt shared that he grew up just 100 yards from where Hammett lived but only started hanging out with him after Exodus drummer Tom Hunting introduced them. Their friendship later ended up with Hammett offering Holt to teach him how to play guitar:
“We became immediate friends. One day, he just said, ‘Want to learn to play guitar?’ And I said, ‘Yeah’, because I always wanted to, but I’m the youngest of six. My parents had purchased pianos for my brother to take piano lessons. It ended up being a place to put family photos [on]. You know, there’d be a trumpet in the closet that someone played for six months, and I think my parents didn’t think I’d stick with it.”
How Hammett’s Offer Paid Off
Thanks to the Metallica guitarist’s help, Holt learned how to play guitar thoroughly in six months. Not only that, Hammett’s offer eventually landed Holt in Exodus:
“Six months later, I was in Exodus. So yeah, I owe it all to Kirk [laughs]. The first song he taught me was some Rolling Stone song; for some reason I can’t remember what it was — maybe ‘Wild Horses,’ something like that.”
Hammett’s ‘Awful’ Singing Was Special For Holt
In another interview, the Exodus guitarist recalled how he first met Hammett and shared the moment that made him realize something special:
“The first time I met Kirk was in my high school music room, Richmond High, and Exodus came and played. Tom Hunting grew up, like, 50 yards from my house, across from a park, but he went to a different school — he went to De Anza High, where Kirk did. I knew Tom, I’d see him around, but I didn’t know him that well. But I was really good friends with the other guitar player in Exodus, Tim Agnello, who I did know. And they came in and played in the music room, and it was awesome.”
Holt then revealed that Hammett sang a Scorpions song but was ‘awful.’ Nevertheless, the experience for him was a really special moment. He added:
“Even though Kirk sang ‘Another Piece Of Meat’, and it was just really awful, as you can imagine — Kirk Hammett trying to sing Klaus Meine at his greatest; it was bad. But there was something about… Even though I’d been to many concerts, being in a room and hearing an electric guitar that up close and personal, it was kind of like a special moment for me, ’cause I’d never experienced it.”
You can watch the interview below.