https://realrocklab.com/people/mike-bordin/Recent content in Mike Bordin on Real Rock LabHugoen-usThu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://realrocklab.com/forty-years-without-cliff-burton-the-card-draw/Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://realrocklab.com/forty-years-without-cliff-burton-the-card-draw/<p><em>On 27 September 1986 a bus went off the road near Dörarp, Sweden, and Metallica lost its bass player at 24. Four decades later the fan argument is still Jason Newsted versus Robert Trujillo, which has never been the actual question.</em></p> <h2 id="the-night-before">The night before</h2> <p>The band was on the European leg of the Damage, Inc. tour, out behind <em>Master of Puppets</em>, riding a bus between Stockholm and Copenhagen. On the night of 26 September, <a href="https://realrocklab.com/people/cliff-burton/">Cliff Burton</a> and <a href="https://realrocklab.com/people/kirk-hammett/">Kirk Hammett</a> drew cards to decide who picked a bunk first. Burton pulled the ace of spades and took the one Hammett had been sleeping in.</p>