Metallica and Lou Reed open up about collaboration

Metallica and Lou Reed are two legends in their own right – Metallica for their doom-steeped riffs, and Reed for his psychosexual, poetic, and experimental approach.

The two don't exactly seem compatible, but in an interview with GQ, it's clear they completely disagree. Newfound soulmates, Metallica's Lars Ulrich and Lou Reed talk about their upcoming collaborative album Lulu, how the album's recording process forever changed their future approaches, and how the idea was born.

Lars Ulrich on Metallica's collaboration with Lou Reed: "I think it's the most obvious collaboration on this planet ever. It puts a smile on my face every time I read somebody saying, 'That's the oddest collaboration.' Can you think of people that are more suited for each other than Metallica and Lou Reed?"

Lou Reed on how Metallica has changed his future approach to music: "After Metallica, sixty miles an hour won't do anymore. It's 110 or nothing."

Ulrich on how the idea came to be: "We got together two years ago and played music at Madison Square Garden [Reed joined Metallica on a version of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane"], and we fell in love with each other more or less instantly."

For more of Metallica & Lou Reed's interview and GQ's November Music Issue go to GQ.com