Spoofed accounts are rampant all over social media, and clearly, iconic musicians are among the most common targets. (Just ask Mike Portnoy.) Unfortunately, James Hetfield appears to be yet another victim, and he’s adamantly warning fans to beware of such deceptions.
Yesterday (January 14th), Metallica’s official Twitter account posted a fiery message from the frontman, beginning with “Papa Het would love you to read this.” Posted a triple image statement. From there, Hetfield writes:
Some people misrepresent my identity and spread false information on the Internet to the detriment of others. There are scammers and predators out there. This is out of my control, but you can control who you connect with. Be careful socializing and scrutinizing people before coming into contact with them.
Just to be clear… I have not participated in any social media forms, Facebook, Instagram, etc. The only social media connections are Metallica’s official website and Metallica’s official socials. If you are following or communicating with someone who you believe is or portrays themselves as me…
that’s not me
I hope this helps people who have been deceived or have been deceived and are ashamed to talk about it.
With love and respect,
James ‘Papa It’ Hetfield
You can view the post itself below.
Bitingly, a number of Metallica lovers responded to the post with replies specifically requesting Hetfield’s return to social media, as well as support in general. For example, one fan said: I miss you Please come back to Brazil soon! ‘ Another said, ‘Come back on Instagram Papa Hett, we love you!!!!!!!!’
Other users had a more sarcastic reaction (understandably so). In particular, someone made a joke. Bummer. Similarly, another follower asked:
As to why Hetfield abandoned his Instagram account in the first place, a transcript of Bluvermouth’s December 2016 chat with Canadian Press offers some insight.
I was obsessed with all the social media around me… trying to be hip, trying to be cool.my kids are on instagram [so I thought], “I want to do this” I just wanted to look like a cool dad to my kids. . I’m trying to get a lot of followers like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m here. And when they got to their town, [like], “Wow, hey, you’re here.” And you make friends. But most of the time it was just taking up my time and I started to neglect the discipline. Living in a cyber world, it just wasn’t for me.
Again, the next time you see someone suspiciously pretending to be Papa Hett (or some other celebrity), use some basic judgment and logic to spot their scam.
The other thing to do is keep an eye out for Metallica’s new album. 72 seasonswill be released on April 14th via his own label, Blackened Recordings. Oh, and be sure to check out your tickets for their ‘M72’ World Tour, which starts on April 27th and runs through the end of September 2024. You can even buy a 1-day ticket!
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