Adam 12

Remember the Metallica AOL Commercial?

Author adam12

November 9th, 2022 2:48 PM

(Photo by Chris Hondros/Newsmakers

In the spirit of this “Throwback Thursday,” let’s all remember the Metallica AOL commercial that’s not as old as you think it is.

Remember, the AOL we all know and love traces its history all the way back to the the mid-’80s. It wasn’t until 1989 when they became America Online, and the AOL rebrand coincided roughly with the web portal’s peak in 1995. If you want more AOL history, just hit the Wikipedia page like I did. Oh, and as an aside, I donate a couple of bucks to Wikipedia every year and you should, too. For as much chaff as there is on there, it’s a great resource for album anniversaries and birthdays and all the goodies I feature on Today in Boston ROCK.

So yeah, usually when you say “AOL,” most people think “the ’90s.” But AOL was still alive and kicking in the early ’00s. In 2003, they rolled out AOL 9.0 Optimized. And who better to pitch the new updates than James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, who were just years removed from the Metallica v. Napster lawsuit and were probably looking to rebrand themselves a bit and move away from the “we hate the internet” image they’d created.

The Metallica AOL Commercial

There’s so much going on in this short thirty-second spot. First of all, the fellas get full marks for starting things off on the homoerotic tip. Metalheads at the time weren’t all that progressive when it comes to sexuality, so that’s a bold move on Metallica’s part. Second, I wonder if James and Lars were using their real AOL handles? Or did they even have AOL handles? And holy crap, you could press a button in IM and it would call the person on the other line?

2003 at once seems both so quaint and so futuristic. Take a look at James and Lars doing their thing.

AOL 9.0 Optimized Commercial featuring Metallica (2003)

Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.

90s Leadoff Cuts: 12-Inch Poll

The first song on an album can really set the tone for what’s to come. These 90s leadoff cuts do just that. But which one’s the best?

This 12-Inch Poll came about almost by accident. It started with my guy Coach Leo on Twitter:

Is Cherub Rock the best side 1 track 1 of the 90s?
— Anthony Leonelli (@CoachLeo_) October 13, 2022

So? Is “Cherub Rock” the best side one, track one of the ’90s? My immediate reply was: no. Because I believe the answer to that question is “Them Bones” by Alice In Chains. Like Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, Dirt was AIC’s sophomore release. They needed to make a statement right off the bat, in the wake of the Grunge explosion out of Seattle in the previous year. And boy, did they ever. Layne Staley belting it out over Jerry Cantrell and Company’s riffs in 7/8 time. Still hits 30 years later.

I had some people back me up on Twitter, but I had even more weigh in with their favorite ’90s leadoff cuts. And while a few of the selections were obvious, there were some that I’d completely forgotten about. And that’s saying something, seeing as I consider myself a bit of a buff when it comes to ’90s alternative rock.

90s Leadoff Cuts: 12-Inch Poll

So of course, I crowdsourced the hell out of everyone’s suggestions. And here we have this week’s 12-Inch Poll: 12 side one, track ones from the 90s. I even threw it back and included the music videos for each cut. So now it’s up to you: scroll through the list, get a dose or two of alt-rock nostalgia, and let me know: which 90s leadoff cut is the best of the batch? And, as always, if I didn’t include your favorite, let me know about it. ROCK 92.9’s Facebook is here, and our Twitter is here, and if it’s beween 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on a weekday, I’m the guy minding the store.