Man, this Kirk Hammett vs. Michael Schenker Jam Sesh is Weird

I had really high hopes for VH1’s That Metal Show (possibly unlike many of you?). Mainly because I used to listen to Eddie Trunk’s Friday night radio show and thought he was a solid host, and of course because Jim Florentine is great.

But the show has yet to really meet those expectations. It’s painfully awkward in almost respect, it’s kind of normie, and it really doesn’t do a single thing to support any kind of metal that isn’t industry-approved. I still like Eddie and Jim a lot, but their skills really don’t adapt well to the show’s tightly-structured format.

All that being said, it’s not surprising that the show’s jam session between two towering guitarists of the 80’s, Michael Schenker (Scorpions, UFO, etc) and Kirk Hammett (you know) is weird. From Kirk Hammett’s chord progression to the lack of a rhythm section, to the awkward pentatonic licks, this whole thing is weird. And Schenker was a huge influence on Kirk (it’s strange they haven’t met before over the years), so having these guys meet with TV cameras everywhere is like an episode of the Kardashians. But like a trainwreck I couldn’t look away. Well after a few minutes, I looked away. I guess all this is to say, these guys are too talented to be producing this kind of content.

Am I a grouch? See below: