Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday (July 24th) at the age of 71. While he was best known for his moves in the wrestling ring, the Hulkster also was an aspiring musician — in fact, he had hopes of playing bass in both Metallica and The Rolling Stones.
Back in 2014, Hogan discussed his experience as a musician in an interview with VICE, recalling playing in a band called Ruckus, and declaring that he became a “pretty darn good bass player.”
At one point he found out that The Rolling Stones were looking for a bass player, likely after Bill Wyman retired. “I was in the UK for some award show, and Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger’s old lady, was walking out with me to present this award,” remembered Hogan, who by that time was already a wrestling superstar. “I heard her talking on the phone to Mick about “Oh, you got to find a bass player and you’ve only got two different choices.”
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He continued, “She had already told me that her kids are big fans, and she wanted merchandise, so I was like, ‘All right, let’s reel her in.’ I was like, ‘Look, I used to play bass. I know all the Rolling Stones songs. Tell Mick if you guys need a bass player for the Rolling Stones, I swear to god I could show up. I could rehearse one day and play everything they play. Please tell Mick, please tell Mick.’ I got home, sent her all the merchandise—never heard a word back, right?”
Hogan went on to say, “So then I heard that Metallica needed a bass player, and brother, I was writing letters, made a tape of myself playing and sent it to their management company. Kept making calls trying to get through. I tried for two weeks and never heard a word back from them either.”
He added, “I would have quit wrestling to play in The Rolling Stones or Metallica like that [snaps fingers]. I was hoping for a call from them but never got one. All the haters were like, ‘You never auditioned for Metallica!’ Of course I didn’t — but I tried!”
In an interview with The Sun, Hogan took his Metallica story one step further claiming, “I used to be a session musician before I was a wrestler. I played bass guitar. I was big pals with [Metallica drummer] Lars Ulrich and he asked me if I wanted to play bass with Metallica in their early days but it didn’t work out.”
Ulrich later refuted Hogan’s story in an interview with Howard Stern, while frontman James Hetfield said in a different interview, “I don’t know [Hogan]’s version of history. I don’t remember him. What is it? He was in the band for a minute?,” according to Metal Injection. “Definitely not. But anyway, it’s a good fit, yeah? [Laughs] He makes us look very small.”
Hogan also spoke with comedian Jim Norton on the Opie & Anthony show about his Rolling Stones and Metallica dreams, as seen in the interview below. While he didn’t get to play with either band, he did jam with the group Diamondback at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally one year (also below).