Even though he's no longer with Metallica, Jason Newsted remains one of the band's biggest fans. The bassist, who has found big success this year launching his self-titled band, says he remains impressed by his former band's risk-taking ways, which most recently included the release of their 'Metallica Through the Never' 3D film.

"I'm very impressed by that," Newsted told us. "I'm a big fan of them, they keep taking these chances. They keep investing in themselves and that's a big f---ing deal man. There's no one else you can invest in that will work harder for your own money than yourself. That's the way to go about it. I've always believed in that from the very beginning even for myself, and my band. I re-invest every penny we make with this band -- every penny from every t-shirt I invest it back into making new t-shirts and designs. Always believed in that so I support Metallica in whatever they do."

He continued, "They've worked so hard and there's no way that you get to be as big of a band, or the biggest band without working so f---ing hard. And don't let anyone ever believe anything other than that. The shiny side is nice but the shiny side takes a lot more gristle side. They work very hard and I'm proud of them for it."

With the film focusing on the adventures of a crew member, we also asked Newsted about some of the wildest things a roadie had done for them. He laughed before answering, "People like to hear the stories where they pulled all the chicks for you, you're pointing out the chicks in the crowd. I'll give them that story, we have flashed our signals with the road crew guys. You got your dude on the side of the stage, your man, your security guy. Then you see someone that you find appealing in the audience and you give them the signal. We've got our hand signals, 4th row, 3rd seat in. Blah."

But Newsted didn't stop there, also sharing some of the more important things crew members do. "They're always a few steps ahead of you and making sure that you can do the best show that you can do. Those things are always the ones that are commendable," he explained. "The other stuff are the things -- for example. Let's say when James [Hetfield] got burned in Montreal. Those guys were so on point about making sure that no one touched him, no one messed with him and he was protected and cared for. Above and beyond anything a big brother would do in a lot of different ways. Not just James but if anyone ever tried to mess with the band, if anyone truly ever tried to harm us or get too close, these guys go above and beyond being able to protect us."

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