Squindo Discusses Longtime Partnership With Metallica

“It was like, every time I go to a show, I just bang on the bus door and try to give away anything just to try to get somewhere.”

On Wednesday (Sept. 30), Squindo joined Loudwire Nights to discuss his journey as an artist, from banging on those bus doors to eventually getting connected with Metallica.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

Squindo is from Old Bridge, N.J., the same township that Metallica have significant roots, and he recalled going to shows at a local bar called the Birch Hill.

“[Corrosion of Conformity] came through and they were one of the first ones thaT I was banging on their door,” Squindo shared with Loudwire Nights‘ Chuck Armstrong.

“They didn’t buy anything, but it was just cool. They were cool and it was wild to meet them. I was just a little fan and the bands are like talking to you and not just brushing you off.”

As Squindo tried to get his art noticed by bands, his wife was also trying to get more connected to the scene as a photographer.

“We met up with the band Pro-Pain,” he remembered.

“They were super cool. They didn’t buy anything either, but they would hook us up with shows and we would follow them around a little bit in New York and Jersey. While she was taking photos, I was trying to come up with ideas for them — but again, they never panned out. Bands were being cool to me and letting me draw for free.”

The Turning Point For Squindo That Led to Meeting Metallica’s Lars Ulrich

As cool as it was to be creating art for bands that he was a fan of, Squindo ultimately wanted to be able to make a career out of his passion. Fortunately, one night while working a job re-stocking magazines in stores, he was listening to WSOU 89.5. The station just so happened to be featuring an interview with a relatively new artist named Kid Rock.

“I kind of didn’t know who he was, just he sounded cool on the radio,” Squindo said. As luck would have it, Kid Rock was going to be playing the Birch Hill soon.

“We went to see him and we walked in the bar, [it was] just him hanging out, his band was setting up. They had a little Winnebago and he was super cool to us. I asked if [my wife] could take photos and he was cool with that and the whole time I’m talking to him like, ‘I could draw this dude.’ He looks like a cartoon character, his red pants and his hat and all.”

A couple of months later, Kid Rock played a show in the Jersey Shore area, so Squindo went up and banged on his bus door. Squindo’s wife brought some photos that she had taken and he showed him a goofy cartoon of him with a shadow of a devil behind him.

“He was into it and used a couple of her photos and then bought the design for his tour pass,” Squindo expressed.

“From there, I started doing a few designs for him.”

On July 22, 1999, Kid Rock opened for Limp Bizkit at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Squindo and a bunch of his friends went into the city to see the show.

“I had a bag of shirt designs and stuff I had printed out to show him,” he said.

“We walk up backstage and walk in his dressing room and it was like a rock star party. There was all kinds of stuff going on and the room was super crowded.”

Squindo remembered seeing Kid Rock standing in the back of the room, but he didn’t really want to bother him. But his wife encouraged him to make his way through the room to say hi.

“My wife’s like, ‘He’s talking to Lars [Ulrich], just push your way back there and get through the crowd,'” Squindo shared.

“I squeeze through the crowd and they’re just having a little conversation in the back corner. I’m pulling out designs and showing the T-shirts and stuff. And Lars is all into it. My mind’s blown. I’m actually standing next to these two guys talking and they’re talking back to me.”

Ulrich asked Squindo if he had a business card, to which Squindo responded, “I got nothing.” So Ulrich grabbed a paper bag and scrawled his manager’s number on it.

“It’s probably bullshit,” Squindo thought to himself in the moment. “Why would he give me the number of the management?”

It took Squindo a few months to “get the balls to call the number,” but it was clear Metallica’s management was waiting to hear from him.

“The manager’s like, ‘We heard the story. Send some designs and let’s see what happens.'”

Fast forward more than 25 years later and Squindo has designed countless pieces of art for Metallica and has even been part of some significant events around the M72 World Tour like The Art of Squindo.

On top of that, he’s been directly connected to Metallica’s partnership with the American Red Cross and is in Las Vegas this week to celebrate the opening of the Vegas blood drive, the kickoff to Metallica’s Sphere residency and to be part of a fresh edition of The Art of Squindo.

Throughout it all, Squindo has maintained — and continues to maintain — a humble approach to his work and his partnerships.

What Else Did Squindo Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

What it means to be part of Metallica’s blood drive with the American Red Cross: “It’s just mind-blowing. I drew a goofy picture of whatever, skulls and stuff, and then if that makes people — I mean, most of the people would be giving blood anyway, but they get an extra bonus, and if it’s helping at all, it’s kind of like a little honor. We gave blood, the first time I ever did, a couple of months ago. It wasn’t so bad. I don’t like needles stabbing into me, sucking blood out, but I’ll do it again now. I’m good to go again for Vegas, so I’ll do it.”
Some of his favorite Metallica shows: “[One show] I brought my folks to. It was a Summer Sanitarium, I think 2003. They’re hippies, they didn’t know anything about Metallica. They were happy that I was working and making some money. We brought them and I got them back and they met [James] Hetfield and he thanked them for having me. They thanked him for using me and he thanked them for having me. Like, don’t make this more embarrassing! Then we went down and we watched the show and they were god sports. They sat through most of it and then ‘Creeping Death’ came on and everyone starts screaming, ‘Die!’ My dad leaned over and he’s like, ‘I understand why you like it, but we’re going to go now.'”
The first time he met James Hetfield: “It’s Minneapolis, in January, February. It’s freezing out there. I’m just soaked in sweat, like, ‘Oh my god.’ One of the crew guys points to me, points at the tour laminate and [Hetfield] looks up and he’s like, he says ‘Squindo’ in that Hetfield growl. I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’ He comes up and introduces himself. I’m like, ‘I know who you are.’ We went back in the dressing room, just hanging out with me and the rest of the band and everything. I try not to say anything stupid. It’s so hard when you’re blown away by who you’re standing next to, you know? They offer me a beer. I grabbed a non-alcoholic one, Hetfield’s laughing, ‘You got a fake one.’ I’m like, ‘I didn’t mean to,’ but I’ve got to drink it now.”