Kirk Hammett Role Model

Kirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist for the thrash metal band Metallica. He is particularly admirable to me for his eloquent lyrics and quotes, stunning guitar solos and the accomplishments he has achieved in life. He is and always has been a most influential person in my life since I discovered Metallica in 1996.

The lyrics Kirk places in his songs are, to me, the most expressive and meaningful of any songs. It is a persons ability to correlate and understand lyrics that makes it so they can truly appreciate the meaning. Kirk's quotes are sharp but hold merit. One of my favorite quotes by Kirk is, "In the time between albums, we wondered, 'How does Metallica fit into all this?' and then we realized we didn't fit into it at all, never have, never will." It is his habit of originality that strikes me as someone to look up to. He says, "We never let mainstream music filter into our psyches too much. We try not to let ourselves be influenced too much by what goes on around us musically."

His guitar solos are masterpieces within themselves. His mixture of classical guitar and heavy metal is unsurpassed in the heavy metal guitar world. He will always be considered to me, the greatest guitarist of rock music. He picked up a guitar for the first time at the age of fifteen. He was fascinated by the art of guitar and worked hard towards becoming a guitar legend. He took lessons from Joe Satriani, another guitar prodigy, where he learned a method of playing guitar that has yet to be found defective. In this aspect he has encouraged me to follow my dreams.

Kirk inspires me, in the biggest way, because of his success over obstacles that stood in his way. Alcoholism was his main obstruction in life. His problem brought him to depression numerous times until he decided that enough was enough. He took care of his problem by going to special programs to help him with his alcoholic lifestyle. At one time during this "intoxication period" the band actually split up until Kirk changed his life. When I hear about his strength to pull through and step up to his problems it provokes me to do the same.

Between Kirk's view of the world, guitar and life accomplishments, he has become what I would safely call a role model. A role model not only to people that love him for his music but also for his simple triumph in life and his ability to have become a

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