Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has shared his thoughts on the current state of songwriting and pop music, calling it “crap”, amid controversy over him wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt.

• READ MORE: Metallica live in Amsterdam: still the greatest heavy metal band around

The musician faced backlash from Swifties earlier this month, when he donned a satirical tee reading ‘Taylor Swift Is A CIA Psyop’ at Metallica’s concert in Budapest. Hammett and co. are currently out on their ‘M72’ European and UK tour.

Photographs of the shirt circulated on social media, prompting criticism from some Swift fans. Hammett did not publicly address the response, but has since discussed the state of modern “popular music” on the whole.

During an interview with The Irish Times, between Metallica’s two stadium shows in Dublin last week, the guitarist claimed that “right now, songwriting and pop music is crap”.

The comment came about when he recalled how music used to challenge him when he was growing up, explaining: “I started off learning off records, just trying to develop my ear and learning songs and guitar solos from playing records over and over again…

Kirk Hammett wears t-shirt that says “Taylor Swift is a CIA Psyop,” mocking conspiracy theorists during a show in Budapest.

This satirical shirt humorously critiques and mocks the absurdity of the real-world conspiracy theories that assert Swift is a government asset.

The…

— BBQ Chiefs (@BBQChiefs) June 19, 2026

“And it was a real challenge because if you got three different guitar players together and said, ‘OK, play ‘I’m The One’ on Van Halen’s first album’, all three guitar players would play it differently. There was some charm to that.”

Hammett continued: “I kind of lament [not having] those days when people had to really struggle to learn, because it’s all in the struggle. And it’s all in the determination and being inspired at the same time that forces you to come up with your own stuff and eventually your own sound and style.

“I just worry about how things are so perfect these days, the musicianship. It’s great that all these guitar players have all this vast knowledge of technique at their fingertips. I wonder where it’s leading to.”

He went on: “I hope it leads to a better quality of pop music, popular music, and just a better quality of songwriting. Because right now, songwriting and pop music is crap.

“I’m hoping that all these great musicians who can teach themselves through the internet step up and put all that great learning and all that great inspiration into creating new stuff, new songs, the future of music, and at a higher standard than what it is now.

“Because I’ll say it again, K-R-A-P. Crap. Sorry for all you pop fans out there.”

Shortly after Hammett wore his Swift tee at a Metallica show, the musician fell off stage during the first Dublin date last Friday (June 19) – with some Swift fans saying the incident was “karma” (via Reddit).

However, some users on the thread hit back at this: “So karma is a 63-year-old falling off a stage because he wore a tongue-in-cheek shirt that a handful of obsessive weirdos took too seriously?”

Hammett, who quickly recovered and continued playing live, joked about the moment on his Instagram Stories. “Slip & Destroy,” he captioned the clip.

Metallica’s current tour is scheduled to resume with a massive show in Glasgow tonight (Thursday June 25), ahead of a stop in Cardiff on Sunday (June 28). They’ll then take to the stage at the London Stadium on July 3 and 5. Find any remaining tickets here.

The metal outfit have teamed up with UK blood services for their UK tour to urge fans to donate blood.

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In April, Metallica announced two further US shows for later this year, taking place in Connecticut with Suicidal Tendencies and Spiritbox. Their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, meanwhile, will run from this October to March 2027.

In a four-star review of Metallica’s ‘M72’ tour opener in Amsterdam in 2023, NME wrote: “Metallica have always been a gateway band for heavy music, but there’s a renewed excitement around them now. Tonight’s surprising, ambitious and giddy gig matches that energy at every turn.

“[…] From the gorgeous ‘Nothing Else Matters’ through to the unifying ‘Seek & Destroy’, the majesty of heavy music is on full display throughout the gig as Metallica prove why they’re clearly still the greatest metal band around.”