In a new interview with Guitar.com, Dave Mustaine discusses 40 years of Megadeth, defying doctors, and a reunion with Metallica that almost happened. An excerpt from the chat follows...
Guitar.com: You have a reputation for being outspoken. Do you think that has benefited or hindered your career in the long run?
Dave Mustaine: “There’s three sides to every story, right. There’s my side, there would be the other person’s side, and then there would be the truth which is somewhere right in the middle. You know, oddly enough that was one of the last conversations I ever had with James Hetfield because we were talking about getting back together and doing a project.
“Something had come up about the publishing discrepancy that we have been arguing about for years and years and years, and I told James, ‘I’ll do it but we’ve got to get this stuff sorted out first’. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, sure’.
“So I said, ‘Now these two songs you and me split, 50/50. Lars didn’t write on this song - you know that. I don’t know why you gave him percentages but I’m not. I’m not going to sign another deal that’s gonna confirm that because I never agreed to that’.
“And James said, ‘Well, Lars has a different recollection of that,’ and I said that’s fine; there’s his side of the story, my side and the truth is somewhere. And that blew his mind, and we haven’t talked since. You know, I was trying to be really friendly with him; he told me that the last three projects they did bombed, and they wanted to go back and use all the stuff that I was on, and I said sure. As soon as I said that ‘three stories’ bit, it was over!”
Read the complete interview at Guitar.com.
Megadeth cap off 2022 with their 13th Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song “We’ll Be Back” from their new album, The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! (UMe).
“I am so happy to be nominated again,” says Dave Mustaine. “I am still on a high from our last win, and this is just surreal. After all the hard work put in by my team, this moment is for them to share in the celebration as well!”
Megadeth kicked off 2022 with the release of their 16th studio album The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! to both fan and critical acclaim. The album debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Album, Top Rock Albums, and Top Hard Rock Albums. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! is the highest charting Megadeth album of all time around the world, also notching #1 in Finland, #2 in Australia, Poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, #3 in the UK, and more.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy winning- Dystopia, while pushing forward musically and marking Mustaine’s recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting visionary Megadeth leader and sonic architect Dave Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (Danzig, Parkway Drive), who together helmed 2016’s Dystopia, the album was recorded at Mustaine’s home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album–with the kick off of Megadeth’s recent tour, Megadeth-alumni James LoMenzo rejoined the Megadeth family as permanent bass player.
The 2023 Grammy's, officially known as the 65th Grammy Awards, will air live on Sunday, February 5, from Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena, and it will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8 - 11:30 PM, ET / 5 - 8:30 PM, PT+. The special ceremony's broadcast time, hosts, presenters, and performers will be announced soon.
Find the complete list of nominees here.
