23rd Anniversary R.I.P. Cliff

[Gallowglass]

Today was the 23rd anniversary of the passing of Cliff Burton. I know that to some of you, he has been overrated (and I don't mean to open up that debate), but he has always been quite influential to me-if for nothing more than his compositional contributions alone. As a player, his works have always inspired me and I miss his unique voice and tone. Since I have been playing a lot of bass lately, his legacy has only become more influential.

I spent a good portion of today playing through some old Metallica songs. My buddy Eric K. came over and we played through Orion. It was a good way to remember him.

R.I.P. Cliff, you are still missed and remembered. Cheers to your memory!

[HurricaneBob]

I hear ya Jason.
I remember playing with Giornesto in Pittsburgh and Todd dedicating Whiplash to him a couple days after he died...wow that was 23 years ago...damn.
RIP Cliff.

[Naga]

I have to wonder what Metallica would be writing if Cliff was still alive today...

RIP Cliff Burton

[Tegamal]

First album I ever bought was Ride the Lightning. When I heard the opening to For Whom the Bell Tolls, I was like That's a BASS?!

RIP Cliff

[slackin@dabass]

First album I ever bought was Ride the Lightning. When I heard the opening to For Whom the Bell Tolls, I was like That's a BASS?!

RIP Cliff

and some people still think it's guitar...

[shredder138]

First album I ever bought was Ride the Lightning. When I heard the opening to For Whom the Bell Tolls, I was like That's a BASS?!

RIP Cliff

and some people still think it's guitar...

Yeah, stupid people.

[Gallowglass]

I hear ya Jason.
I remember playing with Giornesto in Pittsburgh and Todd dedicating Whiplash to him a couple days after he died...wow that was 23 years ago...damn.
RIP Cliff.

I know, I can't believe it was 23 years ago either. Next year he will have been dead as long as he was alive.

Last night I was telling my 14 year old daughter about my father breaking the news to me that Cliff was dead. In 1986 I was 14 and a HUGE Metallica fan. I was sitting there eating dinner (wearing a Master of Puppets shirt, ironically) when my father, who was reading the paper asked me if I knew who Cliff Burton was. Now keep in mind, one of my father's favorite pastimes was hassling me over the trouble my beloved musical idols always seemed to be getting in, and I just figured that Cliff had done something that the old man was going to lecture me about...so I denied knowing who he was. My father gave my t-shirt another once over, looked incredulous, and asked again. Again I denied it. I'm sure my father was sitting there imagining my wall to wall Metallica posters and my predilection for reading liner notes like they were holy script and thinking "why the hell is this boy lying...", but anyway, after asking one more time (and getting denied again) he started reading the paper, "...Metallica bassist Cliff Burton dies in bus accident in Ljungby Sweden...". I let out a horrified "Nooo!" and my father said, "I thought you knew who he was". I just went to my room and listened to my Metallica collection over and over. The next morning the old man had cut out the obituary and laid it on my dresser. I actually kept track of it until we moved into our current residence and it got misplaced in the shuffle. It might be in some unpacked box somewhere. I'd like to stumble across it again. It would make me think of both Cliff and my father.

I got to see Cliff twice. It was pretty awesome. I was pretty lucky that my parents were cool enough to let me go at such a young age. Now my daughter is a huge Metallica fan. The other day she was trying to learn Anesthesia on her cello. How cool is that? We took her to see them last January, but I wish she could have gotten to see Cliff. That would have been fantastic.

[HurricaneBob]

I hear ya Jason.
I remember playing with Giornesto in Pittsburgh and Todd dedicating Whiplash to him a couple days after he died...wow that was 23 years ago...damn.
RIP Cliff.

I know, I can't believe it was 23 years ago either. Next year he will have been dead as long as he was alive.

Last night I was telling my 14 year old daughter about my father breaking the news to me that Cliff was dead. In 1986 I was 14 and a HUGE Metallica fan. I was sitting there eating dinner (wearing a Master of Puppets shirt, ironically) when my father, who was reading the paper asked me if I knew who Cliff Burton was. Now keep in mind, one of my father's favorite pastimes was hassling me over the trouble my beloved musical idols always seemed to be getting in, and I just figured that Cliff had done something that the old man was going to lecture me about...so I denied knowing who he was. My father gave my t-shirt another once over, looked incredulous, and asked again. Again I denied it. I'm sure my father was sitting there imagining my wall to wall Metallica posters and my predilection for reading liner notes like they were holy script and thinking "why the hell is this boy lying...", but anyway, after asking one more time (and getting denied again) he started reading the paper, "...Metallica bassist Cliff Burton dies in bus accident in Ljungby Sweden...". I let out a horrified "Nooo!" and my father said, "I thought you knew who he was". I just went to my room and listened to my Metallica collection over and over. The next morning the old man had cut out the obituary and laid it on my dresser. I actually kept track of it until we moved into our current residence and it got misplaced in the shuffle. It might be in some unpacked box somewhere. I'd like to stumble across it again. It would make me think of both Cliff and my father.

I got to see Cliff twice. It was pretty awesome. I was pretty lucky that my parents were cool enough to let me go at such a young age. Now my daughter is a huge Metallica fan. The other day she was trying to learn Anesthesia on her cello. How cool is that? We took her to see them last January, but I wish she could have gotten to see Cliff. That would have been fantastic.

Cool story man, thanks for sharing.

[Plastered Bastards]

I remember the day he died. A bunch of us were hanging out behind Steven's Mortuary before school and a dude we knew pulled up and said he saw it on MTV breaking news.
We were all totally stunned and saddend by the news,we had only just seen him in april in Johnstown.
After I found out,I didn't even go to school. I was too shocked by the news of the death of a metal icon.
I smoked a joint in his honor and listened to Lightning on my walkman all day in the woods.

Also,pickup his biography "To Live Is To Die" Excellent read.


R.I.P. Cliff
You are still sadly missed

[ozwalt816]

your daughter, my niece, Jason!.....perhaps one of those times was when they warmed up for Ozzy? We were both there but not together....when we were together for their headlining show (post Cliff), perhaps we could attribute your artistic urinary graffiti to Cliff's inspiration...or to too many brews in a short span of time

High as I may have been, I will never forget that pre-concert emergency art work...Cliff 'em all brother!

P.S. this was post 100

[ozwalt816]

your daughter, my niece, Jason!.....perhaps one of those times was when they warmed up for Ozzy? We were both there but not together....when we were together for their headlining show (post Cliff), perhaps we could attribute your artistic urinary graffiti to Cliff's inspiration...or to too many brews in a short span of time

High as I may have been, I will never forget that pre-concert emergency art work...Cliff 'em all brother!

P.S. this was post 100

can we get an amen and a picture, undercoverjoe??!!

[Banned]

Amen Bro. I don't have the photographic urinatory evidence, or I would post it here.

[onegunguitar]

R.I.P Cliff

[whitedevilone]

Cliff.Johnstown.Ozzy in my mom's nightdress.Nothing else to say.RIP