Two kids made their own Metallica video in 1989 and thinking about it, we're grateful we didn't have a camcorder then

Two teenagers make a Metallica video in 1989
(Image credit: Eric and Darrell |YouTube)

It's 1989. Your name is Eric Fullerton, you're 11 and live in Huntsville, Alabama. Your  best friend is Darrell Hazelrig and you both love rock and metal. 

The internet is a few years away from being made available to the public and drinking in bars won't even be an option for another decade, whether you want to or not. 

Luckily, you have a camcorder and spend your time documenting everything: family events, trips to the record shop, and, hell, you even make a video for Metallica's 1986 classic Battery because it doesn't exist.

Like a young Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, you film yourselves playing along to the opening song from Master of Puppets on tennis racquets on your parent's sofa, even if it's piled high with blankets and duvets. There are no rules. Those ripped snow washed jeans and fledgling mullets are testament to this. 

Their five-minute clip isn't just confined to the living room. There's some sort of loose narrative thread involving a punch-up next to the swimming pool, a toy pistol – at least we hope it's a toy, but it's America – handfuls of batteries and lots of head banging. It was a truly different time. 

“It’s my nostalgic getaway,” Fullerton told AL.com. “I find immense enjoyment in watching other people’s home movies from the ’80s as well, so I think of it as a way to pay it forward. I still have a few videos that are set to private because they didn’t pass other people’s approval. I’m sitting on some gold right now, and hopefully one day they’ll let me post 'em.”

Check out the video below and the many other clips on Eric & Darrell's YouTube channel. 

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