Lars Ulrich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lars Ulrich R
Ulrich in 2024
Background information
Born	(1963-12-26) 26 December 1963 (age 61) Gentofte, Denmark
Genres	Thrash metal heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1980–present

Lars Ulrich (born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician. He is famous for being the drummer and a founding member of the American heavy metal band Metallica. Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield have written almost all of Metallica's songs together. They are also the only two original members still in the band.

Lars Ulrich's father and grandfather were both professional tennis players. Lars played tennis when he was younger. He moved to Los Angeles at age 16 to train for tennis. But instead of playing tennis, he started playing the drums. He put an advertisement in a newspaper called The Recycler. That's how he met James Hetfield, and together they started Metallica.

Early life and musical start

Lars Ulrich was born in Gentofte, Denmark. His father, Torben Ulrich, was a tennis player. His grandfather, Einer Ulrich, was also a tennis player. Lars's godfather was the famous saxophonist Dexter Gordon. He was also childhood friends with musician Neneh Cherry.

In 1973, when Lars was nine years old, his father took him to a Deep Purple concert. Lars was amazed by the show. The next day, he bought the band's album Fireball. This concert and album made a big impact on Lars. They inspired him to start his own music career.

Because he loved music so much, Lars got his first drum kit when he was about 12 or 13. It was a Ludwig drum set. Lars first planned to be a tennis player like his father. He even moved to Newport Beach, California, in 1980 to train. Even though he was one of the top ten young tennis players in Denmark, he didn't make his high school tennis team. This helped him decide to focus on music instead.

Lars Ulrich has said that seeing a Y&T concert made him decide to become a musician. In 1981, he discovered the British heavy metal band Diamond Head. He loved their music after buying their album Lightning to the Nations. He even traveled from San Francisco to London to see them play live. Lars is still a big fan of Diamond Head. When he returned to America, he put an ad in a local newspaper. He was looking for musicians to start a band. James Hetfield answered the ad, and that's how Metallica began.

Music career

Forming Metallica

In 1981, Lars Ulrich met James Hetfield in Downey, California. They formed the heavy metal band Metallica. Lars helped them get a spot on a compilation album of local metal bands called Metal Massacre. He got the band's name from a friend, Ron Quintana. Ron was thinking of names for a heavy metal magazine. "Metallica" was one of the ideas. Lars told him to use "Metal Mania" for his magazine, and Lars used "Metallica" for his band.

Lars became known for his fast drum beats in thrash metal music. You can hear these beats on many of Metallica's early songs. Some examples are "Metal Militia" from Kill 'Em All, "Fight Fire with Fire" from Ride the Lightning, and "Battery" from Master of Puppets. He has influenced many drummers because of his band's popularity and his drumming style. One famous technique he uses is the double bass drum, which you can hear in songs like "One". After the album Metallica came out, Lars started using a simpler drumming style. He also used a smaller drum kit.

You can hear Lars's voice at the beginning of the song "Leper Messiah." He also counts to four in Danish in the music video for "St. Anger."

Napster and music sharing

In 2000, Lars Ulrich spoke out against Napster. Napster was a service that allowed people to share music files for free. Metallica sued Napster because they believed it was copyright infringement. This means that people were sharing their music without permission. Lars Ulrich spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee about this. The case was settled, and many Napster users were blocked from the service.

Other projects

Lars Ulrich has supported expanding access to health care in the U.S. His family has worked with the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco. He raised $32,000 for them on a celebrity version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Lars also started acting. He appeared in the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn in 2012. He also had a small role as himself in the movie Get Him to the Greek. In 2012, a documentary film called Mission to Lars was made about him. The film follows two siblings and their brother, who has Fragile X syndrome, as they try to meet Lars at a Metallica concert.

Lars Ulrich worked for many years to get his favorite band, Deep Purple, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He gave the speech when they were finally inducted in 2016. In 2017, Lars started hosting a show on Apple Music called It's Electric. On his show, he has talked with other musicians like Joan Jett and Dave Grohl.

Artistry

Drumming style

Ulrich in Madrid in 2009

Lars Ulrich's drumming style has changed over time. In the 1980s, he was known for his fast and powerful thrash beats. Unlike many drummers, Lars does not use a ride cymbal in his drum kit. He prefers the louder sound of a China cymbal.

In the 1990s, Lars made his drumming style simpler. This was to match the hard rock sound of Metallica's albums from that time. For the band's 2016 album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, he brought back some of his earlier thrash metal techniques. This album showed a more powerful and experimental drumming style from Lars.

Equipment

Ulrich in 2017

Lars Ulrich uses Tama drums and hardware. His drum kit is a Starclassic Maple series. It includes two rack toms, two floor toms, and two bass drums. He has used different colors for his kit, including orange, purple, and bright yellow. Lars also helped design his own signature snare drum, called the LU1465. He uses Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Ahead drumsticks.

Personal life

Lars Ulrich has been married three times. His first marriage was to Debbie Jones in 1988. They divorced in 1990. His second marriage was to Skylar Satenstein from 1997 to 2004. They had two sons together. His sons, Layne and Myles, have their own band called Taipei Houston. After his second divorce, Lars dated Danish actress Connie Nielsen from 2004 to 2012. They had one child together. In 2015, he married American fashion model Jessica Miller.

Lars Ulrich also loves fine art. In 2002, he sold a painting from his collection called Self Portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat. It sold for a very high price at an auction.

Lars Ulrich lives in San Francisco, California. He has only Danish citizenship.

Awards and honors

In 2009, Lars Ulrich and other Metallica members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lars was the first Dane to receive this honor.

Lars Ulrich was also knighted in Denmark, his home country. He received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog in 2017 from Margrethe II, the Queen of Denmark.

Discography

With Metallica

• Kill 'Em All (1983)
• Ride the Lightning (1984)
• Master of Puppets (1986)
• ...And Justice for All (1988)
• Metallica (1991)
• Load (1996)
• Reload (1997)
• St. Anger (2003)
• Death Magnetic (2008)
• Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
• 72 Seasons (2023)

Guest appearances

• Mercyful Fate – In the Shadows (guest on the bonus track "Return of the Vampire ... 1993")

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Lars Ulrich para niños