Former METALLICA bassist JASON NEWSTED has revealed he has been quietly working on his memoir for half a decade — and the book has already swelled to 130 chapters.
Speaking to Spin magazine, the 63-year-old musician said the project is less a tell-all than an intimate, image-rich scrapbook of his life. "I've actually been working on it for about five years. I've got 130 chapters," NEWSTED explained, describing the format as "more internal things and photos and fun vibe told a page at a time."
He was adamant the book will avoid the genre's usual sensationalism. "No mudslinging or that shit. None of that stupid drug story stuff or anything other than factual things about painkiller addiction," he said, signalling a candid but dignified account that touches on the physical toll of METALLICA's relentless touring years without descending into score-settling.
The memoir is only one of several literary projects. NEWSTED has already completed a book of poetry and lyrics, as well as an illustrated volume of his own drawings — a reminder that the bassist has spent his post-METALLICA decades as a painter and visual artist as much as a musician.
NEWSTED joined METALLICA in 1986 and played on some of the band's most successful albums before departing in 2001. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the group in 2009. His own NEWSTED project ran briefly between 2012 and 2014.
The news arrives as the bassist prepares for the first-ever North American headlining tour with THE CHOPHOUSE BAND, his long-running roots outfit. The 18-date trek runs through July 2026 and includes a ten-show support slot with BLACKBERRY SMOKE, wrapping with two nights at Nashville's storied Ryman Auditorium on July 24 and 25. THE CHOPHOUSE BAND features Jesse Farnsworth, Jimbo Hart, Humberto Perez and Robert John-Tucker.
No publisher or release date for the memoir has yet been announced.