We’ve heard of British tabloids making stuff up, but we thought “The Times” was above such barrel-scraping. Well, apparently not, claims Metallica’s representatives, who told Usmagazine.com that frontman James Hetfield was neither detained nor interrogated by airport security in London before the band’s performance at Live Earth.
The scuttlebutt stemmed from a July 6 report, in which The Times.com wrote that Hetfield “was apparently questioned by security officials at Luton airport when arriving for the Live Earth gig.”
“The Times” also reported that “friends” of the band said that the officials singled out Hetfield because of his “Taliban-like beard,” then added sarcastically, “We’re thinking of a particular scene in “This Is Spinal Tap.’”
After the story posted, countless reputable news agencies and Web sites picked it up, which says something about the lack of reliable fact checking in today’s digital age. When Usmagazine.com took it upon themselves to check with a rep for Hetfield, they were told, “It’s false. It’s not true.”
So there you have it. Hetfield can never be accused of being suspected of terrorism — unless you include all those years he harassed ex-bassist Jason Newsted, who — as fate would have — played on this video for “Fuel” along with a live orchestra:
