Kirk Hammett Speaks Out On Pop Music Following Taylor Swift T-Shirt Controversy

Kirk Hammett has slammed much of today's pop music, calling a large portion of what tops the charts "c***".

The Metallica guitarist, who recently drew criticism from Taylor Swift fans after wearing a T shirt that read "Taylor Swift is a CIA Psyop," has now turned his attention to modern pop, taking issue with both its songwriting and highly polished production.

The veteran rocker admitted he misses the days when musicians had to work much harder to master their craft, saying those challenges gave music its unique appeal.

Speaking to The Irish Times, he said: “I started off learning off records, just trying to develop my ear and learning songs and guitar solos from playing records over and over again… And it was a real challenge because if you got three different guitar players together and said, okay, play I’m the One on Van Halen’s first album, all three guitar players would play it differently. There was some charm to that.

“I kind of lament [not having] those days when people had to really struggle to learn, because it’s all in the struggle. And it’s all in the determination and being inspired at the same time that forces you to come up with your own stuff and eventually your own sound and style. I just worry about how things are so perfect these days, the musicianship. It’s great that all these guitar players have all this vast knowledge of technique at their fingertips. I wonder where it’s leading to.”

He continued: “I hope it leads to a better quality of pop music, popular music, and just a better quality of songwriting. Because right now, songwriting and pop music is c***. I’m hoping that all these great musicians who can teach themselves through the internet step up and put all that great learning and all that great inspiration into creating new stuff, new songs, the future of music, and at a higher standard than what it is now. Because I’ll say it again, K R A P. C***. Sorry for all you pop fans out there.”

Metallica headlined Puskás Aréna on June 13, where Hammett attracted attention by wearing the controversial Taylor Swift shirt during the performance.

A few days later, while performing Seek and Destroy in Dublin, Hammett slipped and fell on stage, prompting many Taylor fans to joke online that it was karma.

The guitarist made light of the incident, posting a video of the fall to his Instagram Stories with the caption: "Slip and Destroy."

Swifties quickly reacted across social media.

One user harshly commented: "It must be hard to be a washed up, almost dead rockstar."

Another wrote: "Ohh this coming from the same Metallica that sold out decades ago? Give me a f****** break Coulda picked another way to stay relevant Cry baby losers (sic)"

A different fan joked: "Well as psyops go, she’s easily my favorite. Also, just something else she’s the very best at, lol. (sic)"