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.”