Biohazard's Billy Graziadei has recalled the time Lars Ulrich's cold shoulder resulted in an awkward encounter – but ended with a dream-come-true support slot on a Metallica tour.
Graziadei says he was with friends at a New York club when they spotted the Metallica drummer. The Biohazard man wanted to introduce his friends to Ulrich, but it didn't quite go to plan.
He tells 96.7 KCAL-FM: "Some friends of mine had some spot in Manhattan. And it was a pretty happening spot.
"I'm outside talking to the security dudes and the owners, and we're all young kids; they're buddies of mine. So, Lars walks up. He's got maybe an entourage of 10 people.
"One of the owners says, 'Hey, you know Lars. Can you introduce us?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, no problem.' So Lars walks by, and I'm, like, 'Yo, what's up, bro?' And he looks at me, kind of nods his head and says, 'Yeah, hi,' and walks right past me.
"So as New Yorkers, my buddies were busting my balls. They're, like, 'You don't know him.' I'm, like, 'I do know. And he fucking knows me.'
"So I rushed. I walk in the club. I walk up the stairs, VIP. And I pushed through to him and his people. And I sit right down next to him. I'm, like, 'Yo. What the fuck? You know who I am.'I said, 'You made me like an idiot in front of my buddies. You know me. Billy from Biohazard.'
"He goes, 'Oh, I didn't recognize your hair.' I'm, like, 'It's always blonde, dude. That's my thing.' It's like Dimebag with his red beard.
"The next morning I get a call from my manager, Scott Koenig, rest in peace. He said to me, 'Hey, I heard you bumped into Lars last night.'
"And I'm, like, 'Oh, here he goes. He's gonna bust my balls.' And so I started telling the story. He interrupts me and he said, 'Well, I don't know what happened or what you said or how you handled it, but they wanna take you on tour.'
"And I pretty much dropped the phone, and I was, like, 'Yo, what?' I picked the phone up. 'They wanna take us on tour? Fucking Metallica?'"
Graziadei says the fact he was respectful in calling Lars out paid off in a big way.
He adds: "I was cool with Lars. I just basically stood up to him and said, 'Hey, you know me. Don't act like you don't know me, especially in front of my friends in New York. They're gonna bust my balls.'
"If you meet somebody in a band and that's your ideal band that you wanna tour with, you go out of your way to say hello, be cool, be cordial, you pay for their beer, whatever.
"I'm not saying kiss their ass, but there's the right way to handle it and the wrong way to handle it.
"So, word to the wise, you wanna treat people always with respect, no matter who you are. I don't care if you're the garbage man or the president, you're cool with me, you get my respect, and that's it.
"But you've always gotta stand up for yourself. And I think Lars just respected the fact that I wasn't afraid to tell him, 'Yo…' I had to put him in check, in a respectful way."
