K�rd�s: Mikor kezdt�l j�tszani?
Cliff: 1976-ban. P�r helybeli bar�tommal kezdt�nk el j�tszogatni, el�zetes pr�b�k n�lk�l, azt�n k�s�bb �sszeker�ltem ezekkel a magukat „EZ Street”-nek h�v� sr�cokkal, egy San Mateo-i jointr�l kapt�k a nev�lket.

K�rd�s: Milyen fajta zen�t j�tszottatok?
Cliff: �, mindenf�le szars�got, ami fura volt. Tulajdonk�ppen el�g h�lye zene volt. Sok feldolgoz�sunk volt, csak ilyen �ssze-vissza szars�g. De egy darabig az�rt egy�tt voltam vel�k, egy p�r �vig. De azt�n lassan, de biztosan sz�tsz�r�dtunk. Azt�n felfigyeltema Traum�ra �s azt gondoltam, „H�t, tal�n jobb lesz ezt csin�lni”. Nem volt jobb dolgom.

K�rd�s: Sorolj p�r olyan egy�ttest, akik hat�ssal voltak r�d!
Cliff: N�zz�k csak... h�t, els� hall�sra, a basszusgit�r tekintet�ben Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, Stanley Clarke...

K�rd�s: Git�ristenek. Mi a helyzet Steve Harrissel?
Cliff: Um, nem, igaz�b�l azel�tt sosem hallgattam �t, am�g...

K�rd�s: M�g v�g�l ki nem alak�tottad a saj�t st�lusod?
Cliff: Yeah. Lemmy (a Motorheadb�l) also had an influence in the way he uses distortion. That was different, new, and exciting. Also, certain guitar players had an influence. People like... well, everything Thin Lizzy did has had an influence.

K�rd�s: Phil kir�ly volt.
Cliff: Jimi Hendrix, Ulrich Roth, Schenker to a degree, Tony Iommi – �k szint�n befoly�ssal voltak r�m.

K�rd�s: �t kedvenc album? B�na k�rd�s...
Cliff: Uhhh... �t kedvenc album... H�t, hadd mondjak ink�bb csak �t kedvenc zenekart. J�het minden Glen Danzigt�l, aki a The Misfitsben vagy a Samhainban nyomja, sz�val minden az � szars�gai k�z�l. Minden Thin Lizzy sz�m. M�g mi? J�zus, mi van m�g....? Ajjj, pics�ba!

K�rd�s: English Dogs? Credence?
Cliff: A-aa... (Nem) A r�gi Black Sabbath sz�mai.... Mi m�g? Van egy R.E.M. nevezet� banda amit �latira, k�l�n�sk�ppen nagyon birok. Azt�n m�g.... Egy csom� Aerosmith sz�mot a r�gieg k�z�l, de az Aerosmith �j szars�gait szint�n birom. Nagyon szeretem az Aerosmithet.

K�rd�s: Sz�val hogy ker�lt�l el�sz�r kapcsolatba a Metallic�val?
Cliff: A Traum�val leugrottunk Los Angelesbe koncertezni. M�g LA-ben voltunk Lars �s James l�tott minket j�tszani �s elhat�rozt�k, hogy megszereznek engem a band�juknak. �s �gy felvett�k velem a kapcsolatot, felh�vtak, �s elmentem megn�zni a fell�p�seiket itt, mikor San Friscoban voltam. �s v�g�lis a Trauma m�r kezdett... az agyamra menni... j�p�r k�l�nf�le szempontb�l, �gyhogy v�g�lis ezt mondtam: "K�s�bb."

K�rd�s: Zeneileg?
Cliff: Zeneileg? Ja, ja, zenei szempontb�l is. Elkezdt�k felvenni ezt a p�zol�st... h�t, sok szempontb�l elkezdett az eg�sz az �zlet fele menni, csak ezek a k�l�nb�z� szok�sos zenei p�zol�sok, az eg�sz t�k az agyamra ment.

K�rd�s: Valami z�zosabbra v�gyt�l?
Cliff: Hat�rozottan.

K�rd�s: Sz�val mondtad nekik – a Metallic�nak – hogyha �ssze akarj�k hozni �gy veled a band�t, akkor fel kell cuccolniuk ide San Franciscoba.
Cliff: Ja, ja. Mondtam nekik, hogy fel kell k�lt�zk�dni�k, mert nekem semmi kedvem nem volt lemenni LA-be, ugyanis �n nagyon szerettem itt, San Franciscoban. �gyhogy megmondt�k: „J�, h�t, mindenk�ppen meggondoljuk a dolgot”. Olyannyira �tgondolt�k, hogy v�g�lis �sszej�tt a dolog. Sz�val, felcuccoltak, �s �ssze�lt�nk egy�tt ugyanebbn a szob�ban, ahol most mi is �l�nk, �ssze�ll�tottuk a felszerel�st �s p�r nap alatt t�nkre is v�gtuk. Ott r�gt�n t�k egy�rtelm�v� v�lt, hogy j� dolog ez az eg�sz, �gyhogy belev�gtunk!

K�rd�s: Mit mondan�l a legels� p�r napr�l? Minden bizonnyal jelent�sen jobbak vagytok az�ta.
Cliff: �gy visszan�zve, vicces volt az eg�sz, �s vicces most is.

K�rd�s: �gy t�nt, hogy r�gebben j�val t�bb volt ebb�l a „bassz�tok meg az eg�szet”-b�l a hozz��ll�sodban.
Cliff: H�t, szerintem �vatosan ki lehet mondani, hogy zeneileg meg�rt�nk - ha m�s m�don nem is – az elm�lt h�rom �vben. �s most m�r sokkal nagyobb a t�t.

K�rd�s: Ja, nagyobb n�v �s nagyobb menedzsment, igaz? Management's taking real good care of you guys, eh?
Cliff: Jah. Mindenki, akivel szerz�d�s�nk van, remek munk�t v�gez a sz�munkra. Az eg�sz nagyon j� �ton halad.

K�rd�s: Rendben. Mit gondolsz, hova juttok a sr�cokkal p�r �v m�lva? Egy�rtelm�en felsz�ll��gban van a karrieretek, de gondolod, hogy le�lln�tok ott ahol a Maidens �s a Priests is tette? Mert most �gy n�z ki.
Cliff: H�t, nem tudom. Pr�b�lok nem, uh, pr�b�lok nem t�prengeni ezekr�l a dolgokr�l, tudod, �gy nem t�vedhetek ha nem tal�lgatok ezzel kapcsolatban. Egyszer�en csak pr�b�ljuk a legjobbat adni magunkb�l, olyan messzire eljutni ezzel amilyen messze csak tudunk, megtessz�k amit tudunk �s majd megl�tjuk mire jutunk ezzel.

K�rd�s: Melyik fell�p�s volt sz�modra a legeml�kezetesebb? Biztos vagyok abban, hogy mindegyiken j�l �rezted magad. Mindig �gy t�nt, hogy nagyon j�l sz�rakozol.
Cliff: A legt�bbj�k�n, igen. Sometimes, it, you know, gets to you a bit, but all in all the percentages are real good for the good shows. It's hard to tell when you're onstage you know. You don't really know what's going on; you just do it and find out what happens later.

K�rd�s: What about the Donnington bottles? Tell us about Donnington [Festival, England].
Cliff: Donnington was a day of targets and projectiles. [Stuff] was piling high on the stage all throughout the day, and freaks were flipping.

K�rd�s: And it wasn't because they didn't like you.
Cliff: No, they just do that because they like to do that. I think they liked us, though.

K�rd�s: Yeah, I heard good reviews. Mi a helyzet az �j albummal, a Master of Puppets-szel? Mondj r�la p�r dolgot. Melyik a kedvenc dalod?
Cliff: A „Master”. A „Master,”, szerintem, m�ris a legjobb Metallica dal. Sokal jobbak a sz�vegek.

K�rd�s: �gy t�nik, a zen�tek kezd egy kicsit g�piesebb lenni, nem?
Cliff: Jah, nagyon fontos a fejl�d�s. Ez a halad�s.

K�rd�s: What about the thrashier ones? The heavier, faster ones--"Battery" and "Damage?"
Cliff: They're uh... they're uh... very fast. You know, typical kinda Metallica [stuff]. Fast. Then there's, you know, a bunch of other stuff.

K�rd�s: How did it go in the studio, as smooth as anticipated?
Cliff: It took too long. We didn't manage our time all that well, but the songs were all real good and what we came out with was very good. Like I said, we could've managed our time a bit better, but all in all it was, I think, quite a success.

K�rd�s: It's a good follow-up to Ride The Lightening, then?
Cliff: Definitely.

K�rd�s: Ok�. �s milyen felszerel�ssel dolgoztok? Mit haszn�ltok az er�s�t�shez?
Cliff: I'm using Mesa Boogie amps, Mesa Boogie cabinets. I got some 4x12 cabs for them and some custom-built 115 cabs.

K�rd�s: What, to your specifications?
Cliff: Well, they're basically a 115 stuffed inside a 412 box. So, you know, you uniform the fit with the backline. I'm playing Aria basses. Aria Black & Gold is the one I prefer.

K�rd�s: What happened to the Ricky [Rickenbacker]?
Cliff: The Ricky needs some work. I had an Alembic for a while, which I was very happy with until it was STOLEN!! If anyone out there comes across a black spoiler bass with a fair-sized chip in the back finish, up around the side of the peg head, it very well might be mine, so... just send it to me.

K�rd�s: Hallottam az �j albumon p�r r�vid basszus-sz�l� szer� dolgot, ahol „volume ped�lok”-at is haszn�lsz. Mir�l sz�l ez az eg�sz?
Cliff: Ezen az albumon ez az into a „Damage” c�m� dalunkhoz, �s az eg�szet basszusgit�rral k�sz�lt. It's about eight or 12 tracks of bass, a lot of harmonies and volume swells and effects and stuff. I would hesitate to call it a bass solo, it's more just an intro, but it is all bass. There's also a little bass solo in "Orion," it's right next to a little guitar solo. No one will probably be able to tell that it's bass, but it is.

K�rd�s: That's cool. Is it in the first break?
Cliff: Nah. It's, uh, probably about two-thirds of the way into the song.

K�rd�s: I noticed, in some of the older songs, you've added a lot of fills that you weren't doing before.
Cliff: Yeah, well, you get so you know the song like the back of your hand and you can just flip off and do different stuff. It's funner that way, it keeps me entertained. You know, something to do.

K�rd�s: Mik a kedvenc sz�maid az els� lemezr�l?
Cliff: *morog*

K�rd�s: Felt�telezem, az „Anesthesia”, nem?
CLIFF: Uh, nem igaz�n mondan�m, hogy az Anesthesia dal egy�ltal�n.

K�rd�s: But that's your showcase there.
Cliff: Well, yeah, but a song is a song, you know? That's a solo.

K�rd�s: That's true. Well, what are the ones you like playing live, out of the older stuff?
Cliff: I like playing "Seek" live. It's easy, you know, I don't have to pay attention to what I'm doing. "Four Horsemen" is fun.

K�rd�s: Yeah, I noticed Dave [Mustaine of Megadeth, ex-Metallica guitarist] didn't play that on New Year's Eve.
Cliff: Oh yeah?

K�rd�s: Dave left "The Mechanics" out of the set.
Cliff: I didn't get a chance to see Dave that night.

K�rd�s: Not very many people did; they started before eight o'clock. I just though it was kind of strange. They definitely made a point not to play that in the set, and
they always used to close with that.
CLIFF: Hmmm, that's interesting.

K�rd�s: Tell us about the Spastic scene [Spastic Children, Metallica's "joke" band].
CLIFF: Spastic Children. That's an excuse to bash a few and drink a few. Tudod, a Spastic Children egy rakat KIBASZOTT SEGGFEJ!

K�rd�s: OK. So, that's made up of you on bass... give me some details on this.
Cliff: You want details on this, huh, Harald?

K�rd�s: If it's cool. Unless it's something you don't want massively publicized.
Cliff: It's probably best not. Then everyone else is gonna ask me about it, right? Every time I go into an interview it'll be, "Oh, what's this?" Forget about it!

K�rd�s: It's just going out and thrashing, having a good time and not worrying about what it sounds like too much, eh?
Cliff: We're not worried about much of anything. It's just something to do on a, you know, Tuesday night, when you don't have anything else to do. No big deal.

K�rd�s: Do you have anything to say to aspiring musicians? Let's say in your past, what did you do to stick it out? What's your advice?
Cliff: H�t, mikor el�sz�r elkezdtem, elhat�roztam, hogy ennek szentelem az �letem.

K�rd�s: Val�sz�n�leg ez az egyetlen m�dja annak, hogy egyr�l a kett�re juss, igaz?
Cliff: H�t, nekem bej�tt. K�pzelem, vaan egy csom� m�s ember, aki ennek szenteli az �let�t, �s nem �rik el azt a sikert amir�l �lmodnak. �gy �rtem, nagyon sok mindenen �ll vagy bukik ez a dolog, de a legfontosabb az az, hogy teljes m�rt�kben ennek �lj, hogy j�form�n k�telezd el magad mellette – amellett amit csin�lni akarsz – �s ne hagyd hogy mell�kv�g�nyra tereljen az a sok l�szar, amit az �let m�g el�d t�r.