Metallica applauds a super fan

BY TONY GICAS
STAFF WRITER | CLIFTON JOURNAL

CLIFTON Rarely are fans afforded the

opportunity to become friends with those they
idolize but one City fanatic not only had his
dreams came true but ultimately received
recognition and traveled the world with the
band he loves.

By day, Ron Clark is your average Joe. A

resident of the Athenia section of Clifton, he
owns a custom carpentry company in Nutley
and also runs an ATM business in the area.

A devoted Christian, one would never imagine upon passing him on the street, seeing him in
church or working with him on a construction project in Paterson that he was a globetrotting
heavy metal band enthusiast.

And, he may never have traveled such a path if it wasn't for a stubborn, yet important, musical
influence which paved the way for his unexpected journey.

Two decades ago, as an impressionable 13-year-old, Clark said his musical knowledge was
limited to "whatever you could listen to with your mother or father" in the car, adding with a
laugh that "it was probably girly music."

One day, however, a good friend tossed a CD into his stereo and pressed play. The song was
Metallica's "One," an epic, 7-and-a-half-minute track released in 1989 which seesaws between
clean and heavily distorted metal riffs.

"He put the disc on repeat, left and took a 35-minute shower," Clark remembers. "At first I was
annoyed and hated it but, by the third time, it was alright and, by the fifth time, I was like 'well,
I'm a Metallica fan'."

His first time seeing the band perform live came during the "Load" tour in 1996 at Madison
Square Garden. Then, he came into tickets for the following night at the Meadowlands.

"We were like 'oh [expletive], you've got us'. I don't do drugs or anything but, for me, seeing
them live was a drug," Clark said. "It's one of the things you have to put on your bucket list."

From that day forward he slowly embarked on a mission. Throughout high school and up until
his college graduation he worked and saved his money.

"I ate pasta every single night at 75 cents a pop and didn't even have tomato sauce on it,"
Clark smiled.
In 2003, after receiving his degree in Criminal Justice from CUNY John Jay in Manhattan, he
bought a little van, took out the rear seats and installed a bed. The plan was simple: drive to
each and every of Metallica's shows during that year's North American tour.

"It was crazy," Clark said.

During one tour date, Limp Bizkit, the opening act of the tour, stopped in the middle of the
show and singled out the dedicated fan.

"Dude, how many shows are you going to?" Clark recalled the lead singer, Fred Durst, asking.

"All of them," he responded.

"No way, not all of them," Durst scoffed.

About six months and 80 tour dates later, Clark had stayed true to his word, swimming through
the general admission area's mosh pits before settling front row, dead center, every night.

"That was my dream," he said triumphantly. "Even though I wasn't getting much sleep."

Near the end of the "Poor Touring Me" tour, however, the Cliftonite's wildest expectations were
exceeded.

Months after starting the tour, and a decade after "One" was forced on his ears, Metallica's
founding vocalist and drummer, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, pulled Clark aside.

The two famous rock stars told the wide-eyed 23-year-old that they didn't want him spending
any more of his money on tickets. So, from that day forward, if he wanted to attend a show, he
was instructed to dial a number they had scrawled on a scrap of paper and he would be given
free tickets any night, anywhere.

"I thought that was pretty phenomenal," a humbled Clark said. "Considering I was just out of
college at the time and, not having much money, it made it much easier for me."

Clark's apprenticeship began by assisting with the band's fan club, which entailed passing out
flyers at shows and carrying out various other menial tasks. As time passed, the band's trust in
him grew.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds., Clark was "promoted" to and became a member of the group's
security detail. He did not want to be paid but Clark said there were other job perks.

Primarily, he received a hallowed all-access pass from the band which enabled him to visit
backstage, eat with the crew and travel with the band's staff. The pass he received trumped
even those which the tour's opening act or friends and family receive.

"We want you to come and go as you please, eat our food and go to as many shows as
possible. We trust you," Hetfield told an awe-inspired Clark.
His responsibilities included keeping fans in line, passing out pens, snapping photographs and
ensuring nobody is accidentally hurt due to their own over-eagerness.

"That's my role, but I still get goose bumps every time I see [the band] in person," he
explained.

Following a meet-and-greet at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Clark rushed from his backstage
duties, ran outside, passed through the security line, maneuvered past the pit and manned his
familiar post located in the front row and dead center of the venue.

"I don't know if this is your first show or your 100th but Ron," Hetfield told the crowd while
pointing toward the Clifton resident, "he inspires us."

Although Clark admitted it was a "pretty cool" moment, things continued to snowball. One night
at the Bowery Ballroom concert hall in lower Manhattan his heroes called him on stage to sing
"Creeping Death."

Some time later, while vacationing in Cancun, Mexico with his girlfriend, Clark received a phone
call from one of Metallica's reps who informed the diehard fan that the band 'missed him' during
their European tour.

"They said there wasn't enough energy," he recalled. "They kind of feed off of my energy and I
feed off of theirs. So, we went to Europe and it just got to be that this was like a hobby for me
to see the world."

Thanks to his relationship with the band, Clark has been to Australia, India, the Middle East, all
over Europe and Africa on multiple occasions, including Johannesburg, South Africa, a mere
8,000-mile flight from home. He has seen many wonders of the world which he said would
never have been possible otherwise.

Today, a look through the 33-year-old's Facebook page takes visitors on a world tour of
Metallica-related photos from backstage encounters in Brazil to after parties at Mexico City
cantinas.

Jay Hayes, a longtime friend and high school classmate, remains unsurprised by the path his
friend has blazed.

"He's a really unique person and has always been a real loyal friend," said Hayes, who is also a
fervent Metallica fan. "Most people wouldn't think it because of the stigma attached to being a
Metallica fan, but Ron is pretty religious and involved in the community. He does a lot of stuff
with his church, like going down to New Orleans to help build homes for people affected by
[Hurricane] Katrina."

Hayes was in San Francisco at the famed Fillmore Auditorium in 2011 for a four-show weekend
celebrating Metallica's 30th anniversary as well as the band's passionate fan-base. The metal
pioneers surprised Clark on the final night by calling him on stage and presenting him with an
expensive golden trophy as well as a lifetime backstage pass.
"He must have talked for 15 minutes on stage," said Clark's great uncle, Frank Niader. "The
producer was trying to get Ron off the stage because Ozzy Osbourne was waiting to go on
next. But, the band wanted him to keep on talking."

Although the backstage area of Metallica's shows are frequently dotted with celebrities, famous
musicians and millionaire athletes, Clark said the band has always treated him equally, even
better, than the big named guests.

"Until you see it you really don't believe it," Hayes said. "They'll come up and high-give him
during a show. For his birthday James [Hetfield] sang 'Happy Birthday' and pied him in the face.
Nothing really surprised me at this point. If it was any other person who told these stories I
would probably hate them but the fact that it's Ron makes me happy for him because he's such
a big fan."

That night, the band did not recognize anyone else - other hardcore fans or fellow musicians -
and it was one of many occasions in which Clark was left dumbfounded.

"Who am I to deserve anything like that?" he asked. "I'm already living my dream so, for the
mighty Metallica who are worth literally hundreds of millions of dollars, to pay tribute or
homage to me, that was something special."

Two hundred twenty-five shows and counting, from the bottom of South Africa to a dangerous
riot in India, Clark says he hasn't lost a bit of the passion which was sparked 20 years ago
thanks to a friend's stereo.

"Every time 'Ecstasy of Gold' comes on [to start each show] I thank God that I got to this
distant location and did so safely," he said. "I don't want that fire to ever go out. But, the last
show was as good as the first one. As long as that continues, I'm not going anywhere."

Gicas@northjersey.com