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I met Robert in 1998, during the "Googol tour" - a week in which myself and eight other contest winners took in four midwest shows, courtesy of the MetClub. I learned that Robert and Gerben were from Germany and Holland, respectively, and that they were attending every single show on the summer tour. I learned that they had rented a car and were driving themselves from city to city, getting very little sleep and sometimes just making each show. This was about half-way through the tour, and I was amazed at their project; I don't think anyone had ever done anything like that with Metallica before. I had to wonder if I would be up for such an adventure - go to a foreign country and drive all over it following a band! At one point, I wondered whether Robert even spoke English, because I never really heard him say much at all. He would just nod and flash me that huge, round smile of his. Being on tour with Metallica is certainly a blast, but Robert's smile was bigger than anyone else's.
 "Attention passengers. This is Captain Elvis speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts." (picture courtesy of MetOnTour.com) Over the years, I would hear stories of many other people running into Robert at shows. But I don't think I ever saw him again. That smile of his remains in my mind as his single most recognizable feature. Because of his exuberance, it seems particularly tragic to me that Robert is no longer with us. Yet I take comfort in knowing that during his days, he often wore a genuine smile one could never forget. |
