Hypocrisy comes in many shapes and forms, but one of the shining examples of recent times is Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's boast that he illegally downloaded his own new album.

Ulrich, a man so rich that he could sweat pound coins for several years without becoming dehydrated has long been one of the main campaigners against peer-to-peer downloading, and his legal actions were instrumental in having Napster, the first great file-sharing site first closed, and then re-launched as a neutered lackey to the record companies.

 

Lars reckoned that every time someone shared his songs then it meant he wouldn't be able to claim every single greasy little penny on the surface of the globe. Despite protestations from people such as Dave Grohl that sharing songs meant a bigger fan base and ultimately more record sales, Lars persisted and became the music industry's poster boy for prosecuting individual downloaders. And now he has committed the 'crime' himself.

 

"I sat there myself and downloaded Death Magnetic from the internet just to try it. I was like, 'Wow, this is how it works'. I figured if there is anybody that has a right to download Death Magnetic for free, it's me."

 

Let's hope this two-faced hypocrite now gets arrested and hauled into court like some of his victims. After all, as the adverts say - 'Would you steal a car?' Well, would you steal a Metallica album? Of course not! You can't give the fuckers away!

 

And it looks like there is a God after all, as the band were forced to cancel a show in Sweden on Sunday after singer James Hetfield fell ill with a stomach bug. Nice try God, but aim further towards the back of the stage next time, and a few bolts of lightning instead of e-coli would be just dandy, thanks very much.