MICHAEL ALAGO
Metallica were the talk of the town, and as a young A&R man at Elektra, he was determined to sign them
How did you first hear Metallica?
“Through the underground metal scene. There was a demo cassette being circulated and flyers being handed out at all the metal shows. They were becoming the talk of the town. I got to see them at L’amour in Brooklyn in 1983 with my friend [and future Monster Magnet guitarist] Phil Caivano. Their insane, kickass performance completely blew me away.”
How did you convince them to sign with Elektra? “It didn’t take much convincing. We were all young, in our early 20s, and the band knew I understood their music. They were familiar with Elektra’s rich history, so the day after the Roseland concert [with Raven and Anthrax], in August 1984, I had them come to the Elektra conference room where we had Chinese food and beer. I also gave them a bunch of vinyl and cassettes, specifically the MC5, The Doors and The Stooges. It was a very exciting and joyous time.”
How did you find out that Cliff had passed away?
“On the morning of September 27, 1986, my home phone rang and it was Cliff Burnstein from Q Prime management letting me know he had bad news. When we hung up, I sat there in total shock. I got up from the sofa and started pacing back and forth in my apartment. A few minutes later, the tears started to flow and it felt neverending.”
What do you remember about his wake?
“We were still shocked and in disbelief that Cliff was dead. At some point at his parents’ home, a bunch of family, friends and musicians went to Cliff’s bedroom and reminisced about him.”
What’s your favourite memory of him?
“I don’t have too many memories of Cliff because we worked together for a short period of time, from 1984 to 1986. We always had a good laugh. I joked with him about his flared elephant bell bottoms, and that I was going to purchase him a different pair of jeans. He basically told me, ‘Fuck off, Alago, get me a six pack.’ I remember going to dinner with Lars and Cliff in London on Neal Street to a very posh restaurant. At some point I said to Cliff, ‘We can’t snort cocaine in this restaurant.’ He said, ‘It’s not cocaine, it’s purple snuff!’ Again, we all had a good laugh.”
How involved were you with recruiting Jason Newsted?
“I had just signed his band Flotsam And Jetsam to Elektra Records. I didn’t want the band to lose him, but I thought it would be much easier to have someone replace him. Jason is one of those wildly charismatic people; when he walks in a room, you feel his presence. I recommended him to Lars over a few phone calls. He got the gig, which came with a lot of aggravation and shoddy treatment. In those early days, in my opinion, the band treated Jason poorly because of their deep hurt over losing Cliff.”
How do you look back on your time with Metallica?
“With great pride. I am honoured to have contributed to their success.”