METALLICA GUITARIST Kirk Hammett appears in a recorded video beside some of his guitars at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Published in the August 28, 2017 edition.
By DAN TOMASELLO
SALEM — Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s ear piercing solos and crunchy rhythm parts have helped the heavy metal band earn millions of fans across the globe. But while Hammett is known for his music, it’s not his only passion.
In addition to being known for guitar solos in songs such as “One” and “Fade to Black,” Hammett is a die-hard horror and science fiction movie fan. He has accumulated a massive collection of vintage posters and memorabilia over the course of his career, some of which is now on display at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM).
PEM recently opened the exhibit “It’s Alive: Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the Kirk Hammett Collection.” The exhibit features 135 of Hammett’s works, many of which have influenced the musician over the years.
“My collection takes me to a place where I need to be,” said Hammett in a statement. “Among the monsters where I’m most comfortable and creative. That’s where the magic has happened for me all these years and it’s something I’ve come to trust.”
In a video that appears at “It’s Alive,” Hammett said the posters have played an instrumental role during the songwriting process.
“I recognize it as a state of inspiration,” said Hammett.
Hammett gave a guided tour of the exhibit to media outlets recently.
Daniel Finamore, who curated the show, said PEM was “looking for the sort of material that provided unexpected encounters with art and unexpected emotional responses to art.”
“Kirk was looking for greater recognition for the artists represented in his collection,” said Finamore. “In their heyday, movie studios didn’t think of these posters as works of art. They thought of them as promotional pieces that had a use life and when that film was no longer out there, they didn’t really care about them. They were printed up in the thousands but in many cases, you’ll see examples of only a handful or even fewer. Sometimes there is only one surviving example.”
Finamore said Hammett’s “relationship with this kind of art is very dynamic in a gothic sensibility.”
“It’s clearly represented in his music,” said Finamore. “This is a show about graphic art. It’s a show about the social influences, and what scared people in different moments of time over the course of the 20th century and how that material has been incredibly effective in inspiring a great musician draw the excitement from one median in art and apply to his own creative output.”
Hammett thanked PEM for hosting the exhibit. He said he and his wife, Lani, are thankful “for this opportunity to share this with anybody who is interested.”
“This stuff has informed my music ever since I started playing guitar,” said Hammett. “It’s a similar feeling I get when I play guitar and watch horror movies.”
Hammett dedicated the exhibit to “all of the unsung and unknown artists who put together all of those incredibly beautiful movie posters.”
“And to this day, we still don’t know who those artists are,” said Hammett. “We know of two or three of them, but there could be hundreds of them. This is for them.”
“It’s Alive” features numerous posters, including a poster from the 1931 film “Dracula.” The poster for the 1932 film “The Mummy” features the iconic monster with arms crossed over his chest while admiring a woman Hammett said was the creature’s love interest.
“You have this image of burning flames coming out of the mummy, which to me denotes burning desire,” said Hammett. “I think that was the intention the graphic artist had. They did a really good job of putting that message across.”
One of the most impressive posters Hammett has on display is a three-sheet poster for the 1931 film “Frankenstein.” It was found in a boarded up projection room at an old movie theater in Sweden.
Hammett also has a four-sheet European version of the “Frankenstein” poster that was created by French graphic artist Roland Coudon.
“What I really love about this poster is the atmosphere that it creates,” said Hammett. “Black, white, grey and tan. You can’t get anymore gloomy than those colors put together in a scene in the opening of the movie. It’s one of the best scenes in the movie. I love how they literally took it out and just put it on the poster with the idealized interpretation of the Frankenstein monster.”
The exhibit features one of the only surviving standing cardboard cutouts for the 1933 flick “King Kong.” There is also a poster of the 1968 film “Barbarella” on display at “It’s Alive,” which features actress Jane Fonda holding weapons with aliens in the background. Hammett also has a poster of the 1927 film “Metropolis” on display at PEM.
There are life-size silicone figures of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff featured at “It’s Alive.” The exhibit includes the original prop collar from the 1957 movie “Invasion of the Saucer Men,” which is displayed on a Saucer Man replica.
In addition to Hammett’s collection of vintage posters, the exhibit features posters from modern classics including “Alien,” “Psycho,” “The Exorcist” and “Star Wars.”
“It’s Alive” features a number of other cool artworks, including several of Hammett’s signature series ESP guitars with custom paint jobs of classic horror movies such as “White Zombie,” “Frankenstein” and “The Mummy.” The exhibit features monster masks and sculptures as well.
Additionally, Hammett and his wife composed a song for the exhibit called “The Maiden and the Monster.”
“It’s Alive” will be featured at PEM through November 26.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
