Interview with D. Mustaine and D. Ellefson: The Politics of Extinction

Vic counts on the abacus, one, two, three, and only one remains, a lonely skull, while the old man screams in pain, his body withering, peeled to the bone and wrapped in decrepit and worn rags. The countdown to extinction, indeed.

"For us, it's not about selling ten million copies of this album," begins Megadeth bassist, Dave Ellefson, "because we know that no matter what, the record has everything we could put into it of ourselves. We've done our homework. We've worked hard enough to make this record worthwhile for itself, for what it is. It's what we wanted to do in the past but had never been in the position to fully make it happen."

'Countdown to Extinction' is Megadeth's fifth album. Produced by Max Norman along with the band, it features the same lineup that recorded the previous LP, 'Rust in Peace,' a surprising fact given all the personnel changes in the past. The songs cover a wide variety of topics, from the diatribe of the title track against the evils of organized sport hunting by fat, stupid rich people in country mansions, to 'Foreclosure of a Dream', a song that touches on a topic close to Dave Ellefson's life.

"When I write any lyrics, I can really only draw on personal experiences," says Ellefson. "'Foreclosure of a Dream' is about something that happened to my family in Hartland (Minnesota). The demise of a dream can happen for economic or spiritual reasons. More often for spiritual reasons than economic. When this is the case, politics and all that kind of crap have a lot to do with it. In this specific case, it's about the loss of a farm, but practically everyone right now can feel affected by the recession crisis."

'Sweating Bullets': "I think all of us are sweating bullets all the time," grunts the new and improved, though still intense, Mustaine. "Society is a joke right now, and people are increasingly hostile. When you think about whether you have some kind of evil 'other self' or schizophrenia, I think many of us are crazy because we live inside our minds. Today, someone we all talk to is called our conscience. Some cannot control that other side; it is something that overcomes them. Everyone has that psychotic side; everyone has something that will make them want to bite."

'This Was My Life': "Six years ago I had a very sordid and gruesome love affair, and from that story, I've gotten a lot of good songs," Mustaine continues. "She's probably biting her nails now wondering what this album will say about her! This particular track talks about a time when I wanted to kill her. I'm lying in her bed and she's examining my mind, and my feeling of being under her microscope is the part of me that hates it. I know I'm going to win her back, but then when I do, I flip my own switch to an electric chair and die. It is a confession of the madness I experienced at the time."

'Countdown to Extinction': "The basic idea came from Nick (Menza, the drummer), who saw an article in Time magazine talking about these jerks who hunt animals illegally," Mustaine explained. "That disgusted all of us. These guys get ten or twenty thousand dollars per animal, depending on how rare the species is. We all felt it was the perfect example of a society going crazy, going extinct. Their big guns are the same as their great stupidity! Everything that happened here in L.A. with those riots is an example of man heading towards extinction. All those riots were caused by depression, oppression, inequality, and racism, by a prejudiced judicial system."

It seems to me that what you have is a ruthless sense of disgust towards humanity.

"That's pretty accurate. I'm disgusted, and we all are," Mustaine sharply replies. "People do things you can't believe, I mean, what's wrong with just living your own life?"

'Psychotron': "This is based on real evidence that has come to light that the Russians use something called Lida machines," says Mustaine. "These machines transmit impulses to a microchip that has been placed in the nasal cavities or at the base of the brain. They inject this microscopic chip and control you from a central point. What they wanted to do was create ceaseless fighters who felt neither pain, nor hunger, nor regret, nor fear, nor guilt. Allegedly, they did this implant to Jimmy Carter. Something supposedly went wrong in the process but, anyway, suddenly he got sick and had to cancel his summit conferences. The theory is that some of those behind the Lida machines didn't want that summit to take place and wanted the Cold War to continue."

'High Speed Dirt': "This is a song that obviously talks about skydiving," says Mustaine. "It's the beautiful little story of what happens if the parachute doesn't open. You hit the ground hard at full speed and kill yourself! Skydiving has replaced many of the addictive sensations I used to have. Marty (Friedman, guitarist) is the only one in the group who still hasn't jumped, but he has promised that when the album goes platinum he will, which means that even if I have to go out and buy a million records, I will to see him do it." (Interviewer's comment: If it hadn't been for the years Mustaine spent in the Yank hell, he would probably have a wall covered in platinum records now. That despite all the crap he's been through, he's managed to achieve international fame and a good amount of fortune is a testament to his immense talent. I personally consider his transformation from a desperate heroin and cocaine addict to a healthy, sharp, and vibrant guy to be nothing short of a miracle).

Dave Ellefson, who, during many of those dark years, supported Mustaine while fighting his own bad habits, is also three years sober. He is engaged to a woman, fitter and clearer-headed than ever, and more independent. As we speak now, the two must be experiencing an inner peace they never thought possible before.

"It's the most comfortable I've felt in my own skin," Ellefson agrees. "All the crazy and fucked up things I've done in the past, abusing my body with drugs, it was all because I was trying to find what I have now, which is that inner peace. You have to start with yourself and maintain that interest in yourself, in what you need, in what those answers are."

"Arrogance is often confused with self-confidence, especially in the music industry," Mustaine comments. "Confidence is necessary to do whatever you do; arrogance is not needed. You just have to continue being who you are and doing what you do regardless of what others say or think of you. Musically speaking, most of the bands that started at the same time as us have fallen by the wayside... We have proven ourselves to be a main pillar. This time we can sit comfortably and say, 'listen for yourselves.' One thing that has helped us a lot has been finally being able to have a life, a real life. I mean, what can I bring to the band that is fresh if my life is the band?"

I tell Mustaine and Ellefson about the Dead Ringers twin theory I have formulated about the two of them. They quickly disagree.

"Between the two of us?" Mustaine says, incredulously. "No, the only thing I really knew in the old days when we shared an apartment was that when I got up, if Dave wasn't there, I knew he had gone out to get drugs. I couldn't have told you what he was thinking or exactly what he was doing. However, a few days ago I was thinking about all this; that every time Dave went out to score, he would always leave a line of coke on his dresser. I used to wonder if that was a setup to find out if I had entered his room and opened his dresser—which I surely did! I was so high that I didn't care. When you're in that situation, you never really know what's going on."

"In the past we've had people in the group with whom we didn't really have too much in common—not even musically," Ellefson recalls, "the only thing we had in common was drugs, that narcotic confusion you're wrapped up in. It's like being in a bar and watching the game, drinking beers with everyone. You're buddies till the end of the world. Then, one day you go to the bar and you don't want to drink, and suddenly things are different. You and those people are in different places."

Lately there has been much criticism from sober converts who wave the sobriety Bible with such zeal that everyone who even has a beer is considered 'troubled kids' who should be avoided. It has been said that Mustaine and Ellefson have fallen into that category.

"I don't feel like we're really that way," Mustaine whispers. "As far as smoking marijuana, or hash, or just cigarettes, where there is going to be smoke in the air, I don't like that because it's going to be uncomfortable for me. If someone wants to eat a pill, or snort a line, or shoot something up in their arm, or drink something, well, at first it would have been a temptation for me, but I've had many opportunities and I've been with many people who have been doing drugs or drinking, and I have made the personal choice not to go through that again. I am satisfied with the relationship I have right now within myself and the higher power I have through my family and my friends."

The two Daves started a therapy 'support group' that includes all members of Megadeth. "I think it was something needed long before I got sober and long before I became a drug addict. Many of the things that go wrong for one are a product of childhood. The sins of the father are passed down to the son. I am going to break this chain with my son (Justis) and I am consciously going to try not to pass these sins on to him."

What sins?

"A general dysfunctionality within the family," says Mustaine. "My father abused me many times and in many ways. One day I didn't come home until late and he dragged me by putting tongs on my ears. There are things he did to my mother and I saw them. Once he cut his whole hand and smeared the blood all over my mother's face, and that really fucked me up. My father was an alcoholic. Knowing the disease as I do, sometimes you don't really know what you're doing... When this defense mechanism appears, the first ones to be harmed are those close to you. Counseling helped me identify what part of my inner turmoil was about. Now that I more or less understand what all this was about, things are easier. Now I have spiritual deposits. You see, before I was spiritually bankrupt. But two and a half years ago we cleaned up our house and right now we are healthier than we have ever been, both spiritually, physically, and musically."

Dave Mustaine and Dave Ellefson have crossed the toughest bridge of their lives, and if there is still some justice in the world, they will achieve all the fame, fortune, and happiness they deserve. I know I'm promoting them.

Steffan Chirazi.