#joe-bobb arlington

[boy-oneder]

who is this... jim-bobb, hetfieldington? 🤨🤠🧔🏼‍♀️🐴

The legend of Jim-Bobb Hetfieldington goes back decades, if not centuries, and has a long and colorful history. So strap in for this one, pardner.

Rumor has it that James Hetfield was possessed by the spirit of an old prospector during a battle of incredible feats against the Devil himself. Some sources claim that James ultimately lost when he failed to adequately unholster his .45 colt in a test of reflexes and the Devil promptly disarmed James by striking him in the right arm. (this is backed up due to the fact that James had an odd shaped scar on his arm, but it has since been covered up by tattoos).

In the aftermath of the quick draw duel, it's said that the Devil admired James' tenacity and took pity on him. Instead of damning his soul to the fiery depths of Hell, he cut a deal with James. He would be allowed to walk the Earth and his soul would be spared from eternal fire, but in exchange he would have to share his body with another. That being the spirit of an old prospector by the name of Joe-Bobb Arlington...

Legend says that Joe-Bobb had become trapped in a mine shaft collapse during the summer of 1851 while mining for gold in the Sierra Nevada. He remained trapped under the rubble for two grueling days calling out to whatever higher power that would hear his pleas. It was then that the Devil appeared before him on the night of the second day. Joe-Bobb pleaded with the Devil to let him live and in exchange he would craft the Devil a golden scepter and crown fit for a king. The Devil accepted his offer and set Joe-Bobb free. To people's amazement, old Joe-Bobb had emerged from the mine shaft in the early hours of the morning completely unscathed.

Staying true to his word, Joe-Bobb then spent every waking moment for the next year working tirelessly on fulfilling his oath to the Devil. It was on the anniversary of Joe-Bobb's rescue that he'd finally managed to complete the scepter and crown. Unfortunately, in the weeks following after, Joe-Bobb had succumbed to dysentery and in his final moments the Devil paid him one last visit, adorned with the golden scepter and crown Joe-Bobb had worked so hard on. The Devil made a pledge to Joe-Bobb that he would one day live again as payment for keeping his promise.

Now, there's no record of a Joe-Bobb Arlington and people haven't been able to dig up much information on the mine shaft collapse of 1851 other than the fact that 14 people had perished and only 1 had managed to survive (presumably Joe-Bobb). BUT there's said to be remnants of a headstone with the initials J.B. and what appears to be "Arlin" but no one has managed to find any other pieces of the headstone. People speculate that it's Joe-Bobb Arlington's grave marker (or what's left of it at least).

And I know what you're asking yourself: "Robin, what does this have to do with anything? Where are you going with this?" I'm so glad you asked, bestie.

It's because a lot of people believe that the spirit of Joe-Bobb Arlington currently inhabits James Hetfield and has been for decades! A lot of people who know about this story will lead you to believe that James became possessed after the accident in Montreal during '92. This is because people believe that James would have been able to beat the Devil in a quick draw if it weren't for his burn injuries. That, however, is a common misconception.

A good portion of people believe he was actually possessed pre-Black Album era (about a few months before they started recording it). And the reason is, is that James' appearance and style had slowly started to change. He started wearing cowboy boots and cowboy hats and even some of the songs on the Black Album were heavily inspired by old western themes. It also marked a major shift in Metallica's musical direction as it didn't have that thrash metal sound that was so prevalent in their previous albums.

And, because of all of this, people believe TO THIS DAY that James Hetfield is possessed by the spirit of Joe-Bobb Arlington. Hence why you'll see people sometimes referring to James as Jim-Bobb Hetfieldington. Kind of like how celebrity couples have a nickname where it's both of their names put together. It's a mouthful, but it kinda just caught on and now we're stuck with that name. What can ya do? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now as to why James was battling the Devil in the first place is up for debate. Some say it was the classic "deal with the Devil" scenario to help Metallica's career and longevity, but most believe it was because the Devil saw so much of Joe-Bobb inside of James that he decided James would be the perfect vessel, thus fulfilling his promise to Joe-Bobb Arlington.

And THAT, my dear friends, is the legend of Jim-Bobb Hetfieldington...

Obviously, there's a lot more to the theory if you go down the rabbit hole. Like, I think at one point Joe-Bobb managed to somehow possess Kirk as well and that's why Kirk cut off all his hair and started smoking a lot of cigars during the Load/Reload era, but we'd be here all day if I went into every little detail. You get the general idea.

A lot of the story has been lost to time, unfortunately, but there are a few people in the community that continue to do research and unravel the mystery. Without their dedication, the memory of Joe-Bobb Arlington would die.

Hopefully that answers your question a little. I'm sorry if that's a lot to take in all at once✨