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 songwriter
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1980–present

Lars Ulrich (born December 26, 1963) is a Danish musician. He is best known as 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. They are also the only original members still in the band.

Lars comes from a family of tennis players. His father, Torben Ulrich, and grandfather, Einer Ulrich, were both tennis stars. Lars played tennis when he was young. He even moved to Los Angeles at age 16 to train professionally. However, he soon started playing drums instead. He placed an advertisement in a newspaper called The Recycler. That's how he met James Hetfield, and together they formed Metallica.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Lars Ulrich was born on December 26, 1963, in Gentofte, Denmark. His family was well-off. His father, Torben Ulrich, was a famous tennis player. Lars's paternal grandfather, Einer Ulrich, was also a tennis player. Lars's paternal grandmother, Ulla Meyer, came from a Jewish family. Because of this, Lars's grandfather was treated badly by the Nazis during World War II.

In February 1973, when Lars was nine, his father got him a ticket to a Deep Purple concert. It was held in the same stadium in Copenhagen where his father had a tennis tournament. Lars was amazed by the show. The next day, he bought the band's album Fireball. This concert and album were very important for Lars. They inspired him to start his own music journey.

Because of his new interest in music, Lars received his first drum kit. It was a Ludwig set, given to him by his grandmother. He was about 12 or 13 years old at the time. Lars first planned to follow his father's path and play tennis. He moved to Newport Beach, California, in the summer of 1980. Even though he was one of the top ten tennis players his age in Denmark, he didn't make his high school tennis team. This helped him decide to focus on music instead.

Lars 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 style after buying their first 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. He later helped mix their album The Best of Diamond Head. After returning to the U.S., Lars 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 was formed.

Metallica's Journey

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 idea, and "Metal Mania" was another. Lars told him to pick "Metal Mania" so he could use "Metallica" for his band.

Lars became known for his fast thrash drum beats. These beats were a big part of Metallica's early songs. You can hear them on "Metal Militia" from Kill 'Em All, "Fight Fire with Fire" from Ride the Lightning, and "Battery" from Master of Puppets. He has been very influential because of his band's popularity and his drumming skills. For example, he used the double bass drum technique in songs like "One". After the album Metallica was released, Lars started using a simpler drumming style. He also reduced his drum kit from nine pieces to seven.

Lars's voice can be heard at the beginning of the song "Leper Messiah". He also counts to four in his native Danish in the music video for "St. Anger". To relax after concerts, Lars enjoys listening to jazz music.

Napster Lawsuit

In April 2000, Lars Ulrich spoke out against Napster. Napster was a service that allowed people to share music files online for free. Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster. They said the company was breaking copyright laws. In July 2000, Lars spoke to a committee in the United States Senate. This happened after all of Metallica's music, including an unfinished song, was available for free on Napster. The case was settled outside of court. This led to over 300,000 Napster users being blocked from the service.

Other Activities and Interests

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

Lars also started acting. His first acting role was in the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn, which came out in May 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 focused on him. The film is about two siblings, Kate and Will Spicer, and their brother Tom. Tom lives in a care home and has Fragile X syndrome. They travel to California to try and meet Lars at a Metallica concert.

For several years, Lars worked to get his favorite band, Deep Purple, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He gave the speech when the band was inducted in 2016. In 2017, Lars started hosting a show on Apple Music called It's Electric. On this show, he has talked with musicians like Joan Jett and Noel Gallagher.

Drumming Style and Equipment

Ulrich performing 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. He has said he doesn't like the "ding" sound of a ride cymbal. However, during some live shows on the M72 World Tour, his drum technician places a ride cymbal next to his China cymbal for certain songs.

In the 1990s, Lars purposely made his drumming style simpler. This was to match the hard rock sound of Metallica's albums during that time. But for the band's 2008 album Death Magnetic and their 2016 album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct, he brought back some of his earlier thrash metal techniques. These albums showed a more powerful and experimental drumming style from Lars.

Drumming Gear

Ulrich performing in 2017

Lars Ulrich uses Tama drums and hardware. He plays a Starclassic Maple series drum kit. It includes 10-inch and 12-inch rack toms, two 16-inch floor toms, and two 22-inch bass drums. From 2008 to 2016, he used an orange kit. For the WorldWired Tour, he used a similar kit with a deep purple finish. During the M72 World Tour, his kit is bright yellow with black hardware. Lars also helped design his own signature 14x6.5-inch steel snare drum, called model LU1465. He also uses Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Ahead drumsticks.

Personal Life

Lars Ulrich has been married three times. His first marriage was in 1988 to Debbie Jones. They met while Metallica was on tour. They divorced in 1990. His second marriage was to Skylar Satenstein, a doctor, from 1997 to 2004. They had two sons, Layne and Myles. His sons later formed a band called Taipei Houston. After his divorce from Skylar, 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 is a friend of Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis. Lars has said that Noel Gallagher inspired him to make positive changes in his life in the 2000s. Lars also loves fine art. In 2002, he sold a painting from his collection called Self Portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was expected to sell for $5 million but ended up selling for three times that amount at an auction.

In 2009, Lars shared that he has tinnitus. This is a ringing in the ears, which he got from many years of touring without ear protection.

Lars Ulrich lives in San Francisco, California. He only has 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 was also knighted in his home country of Denmark. He received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog on May 26, 2017. This award was given to him by Margrethe II, the Queen of Denmark.

Metallica Discography

• 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)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Lars Ulrich para niños