Stab Magazine | Jay Phillips, backstage at Metallica and Rob Trujillo, North Narrabeen
429 Views

Jay Phillips, backstage at Metallica and Rob Trujillo, North Narrabeen

You may remember a while back in the first Creative Destruction episode (Wade Godall’s new project, a choose-your-own-adventure by voting deal), when Wade and pal Sterling ‘Centaur’ Spencer hung out backstage at a Metallica concert, then went surfing with lead guitar player Kirk Hammett and bass player Rob Trujillo. Metallica are now in Australia, touring and getting a few waves in. At the band’s final Sydney show before flying to Melbourne, photog Rod Owen fired some shots off backstage, then shot the guys surfing the next day. It was the third Sydney show, having been organised after two sell-out shows. The black and white photo is Coolangatta surfer Jay Phillips, with son Shandor and Metallica’s head bodyguard, Tom. Tom’s real good at his job. He’s so well-trained that he even teaches the LAPD how to knife-fight. Despite that, Rod assures that Tom’s a super-nice, mellow guy. The surfing image is bass player Rob Trujillo shredding North Narrabeen, on Sydney’s northern beaches. According to Rod, “As dudes they are just real people. They’re so normal, they love talking about surfing and going surfing and they shred pretty well too.”

full frame // Mar 8, 2016
Words by Rod Owen
Reading Time: < 1 minute

You may remember a while back in the first Creative Destruction episode (Wade Godall’s new project, a choose-your-own-adventure by voting deal), when Wade and pal Sterling ‘Centaur’ Spencer hung out backstage at a Metallica concert, then went surfing with lead guitar player Kirk Hammett and bass player Rob Trujillo.

Metallica are now in Australia, touring and getting a few waves in. At the band’s final Sydney show before flying to Melbourne, photog Rod Owen fired some shots off backstage, then shot the guys surfing the next day. It was the third Sydney show, having been organised after two sell-out shows.

The black and white photo is Coolangatta surfer Jay Phillips, with son Shandor and Metallica’s head bodyguard, Tom. Tom’s real good at his job. He’s so well-trained that he even teaches the LAPD how to knife-fight. Despite that, Rod assures that Tom’s a super-nice, mellow guy. The surfing image is bass player Rob Trujillo shredding North Narrabeen, on Sydney’s northern beaches.

According to Rod, “As dudes they are just real people. They’re so normal, they love talking about surfing and going surfing and they shred pretty well too.”

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: Episode 01 of Stab In The Dark X Starring Kelly Slater

Who will the greatest surfer of all time crown the shaper of the decade?

Jan 14, 2026

2025 Was The Year Of The Rat

Comment of the Year 2025 goes to...

Jan 13, 2026

We Had Eight World Class Surfers Blind Test 117 Surfboards From 37 Shapers

This is the story of Stab In The Dark, so far.

Jan 12, 2026

Do We Appreciate Creed McTaggart Enough?

GERAMANIA — ASIA DOWN THE LINE

Jan 12, 2026

The Year Of Magic Boards, Bare Thighs, Strong Chins & Euro Dominance Is Upon Us

Read Stab's 2026 predictions, and take our future-telling quiz

Jan 11, 2026

“One Of Those Forecasts That’s So Scary You’re Kinda Hoping It Goes Onshore”

The Gaelic swell that put three of the world's best big wave surfers on the…

Jan 9, 2026

SEOTY: Eithan Osborne Stars In ‘Lost Pinterest’

Two bionic shoulders, an extra $100,000 in the bank, and a lot of sand-bottom Mexican…

Jan 8, 2026

Revealed: The 5 SITD-Winning Shapers Listed In The Kelly Files

The nerve to throw in a swallow-tail...

Jan 8, 2026

Had A Beer With A Stranger, Ended Up In A War

How a pleasure-seeking Indo trip became a tour of duty in Ukraine's frontline.

Jan 7, 2026

The Most Spectacular Waves Of 2025

Saltwater // chlorine.

Jan 6, 2026

49 Surfers Dead: A Dark History Of Brazil’s Southern Coast

The most lethal surf coast you've never heard of.

Jan 4, 2026

We Tracked The Board-Buying Habits Of 7,500 Surfers 

What, why, and how much are we buying? 

Jan 2, 2026

Surfing’s 2025 Q4 Report

Detecting surfing’s dark matters.

Jan 1, 2026

Noa Deane Wins Stab Surfer Of The Year 2025, Best Male

Two films, one edit, and three film sections later, Noa's incomparable work ethic pays off.

Dec 31, 2025

Breaking: Medina Splits With Rip Curl, Noa Deane Signs On The Jagged Line, Yago Dora’s New Brand Revealed

2025's grand industry finale.

Dec 30, 2025

Molly Picklum Wins Stab Surfer Of The Year 2025, Best Female

The year of Pickles, immortalized once and for all.

Dec 30, 2025

Snapt5 Wins 2025’s Film of the Year

Logan Dulien hits a walk-off grand slam in surf filmmaking.

Dec 29, 2025

Harry Bryant and Dav Fox Win 2025’s Edit Of The Year with ‘Roasted’

A study of time, space, and surfboards longer than you need.

Dec 28, 2025
Advertisement