Published: September 22, 2025 · 12:49 PM EDT
Winger and Whitesnake guitarist Reb Beach once made headlines for his brutal comments about Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, sparking one of rock’s most talked-about feuds.
Originally published on Rockum (April 11, 2010). This upgraded evergreen version revisits one of Reb Beach’s most controversial interviews, a throwback to a classic moment in rock history.
In one of the most controversial interviews of the early 2000s, guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake) didn’t hold back when asked about Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.
During a conversation with Jeb Wright and Jesse Lee of Classic Rock Revisited for their radio show Decades of Distortion on KACY 102.5 FM (Arkansas City, Kansas), Beach was questioned about comparisons between his style and Hammett’s.
His answer shocked fans:
“I don’t know the guy, but I think he’s one of the worst guitar players I’ve ever heard in my life. I’ve never heard a solo from that guy that was good. He’s out of tune, and his leads… what are they? Vibrato. Oh God. It sounds like a beginner.”
Beach went further, recalling the frustration he felt in the ’80s:
“Back in the ’80s he was always voted ‘best guitarist,’ and I thought, ‘How? This guy is horrible.’ And I don’t like to say this, because I might run into him one day.”
When the hosts reminded him that Hammett played in Metallica, Beach doubled down, linking his comments to a long-standing rivalry between Metallica and Winger:
“Oh, he’s in Metallica? Then I don’t mind saying this, because in their most popular video, Nothing Else Matters, they were throwing darts at a Kip Winger poster. And when they showed it live, 20,000 people mocked Winger every night. So I don’t mind saying Kirk Hammett sucks.”
This outburst from Reb Beach tapped into one of rock’s most infamous grudges. Metallica’s mockery of Winger in the Nothing Else Matters video and Lars Ulrich’s appearances wearing a “Winger” T-shirt on his butt, cemented a cultural moment in which Winger became the butt of jokes during the grunge era.
Beach’s unfiltered words reflected years of frustration over that mockery, and the comments continue to circulate online as part of rock’s folklore. While many fans defend Hammett as a cornerstone of Metallica’s sound, others see Beach’s critique as brutally honest.
More than two decades later, this interview remains a fascinating snapshot of the tensions, rivalries, and egos that shaped the world of hard rock and heavy metal.
