INTERVIEW WITH DAVE MUSTAINE: Dave at Home
Dave Mustaine discusses his personal life, his special relationship with Argentine fans, the MD.45 project and its 'metallic' sound, the longevity of Megadeth and Metallica compared to bands like Maiden and Priest, and his indifference to Metallica's image changes and press criticism.
Date
July 1, 1996
Media
Madhouse (AR)
Interviewer
Gustavo Olmedo
Interviewees
Gustavo Olmedo
What are you doing for distraction, besides playing?
Dave Mustaine
“I haven't been sky-diving for a long time. I prefer to be calm. It was definitely an adrenaline-charged sport.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Do you have any hobbies?
Dave Mustaine
“My only hobby currently is staying healthy. Haha. Well, it's a full-time job, but I'm doing well.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Since you mention the tour with Alice, I remember you said here that you were going to kick his ass on stage, do you remember saying something like that?
Dave Mustaine
“Maybe. If I said something like that, I was probably kidding. I'm very good friends with Alice, I love him. I would never hurt him. What I saw was that in Argentina the fans liked Megadeth more than Alice Cooper. It's like Argentina and Megadeth have a kind of love affair.”
Gustavo Olmedo
You also said you were planning to record a live album...
Dave Mustaine
“We would like to. If we did, the Argentine audience would be there singing 'aguante megadeth' and that other one... 'ta tara tara tara' (referring to the ole, ole, ole chant) or whatever. We would love that on the album so the rest of the world can see how fanatic Argentines are. I'm sure that would change the way audiences participate in shows. In Europe they sing soccer songs, in Japan they are very fanatical, but no one sings like the Argentines. I remember a single concert, it was in Dublin, Ireland, where people sang the lyrics of the songs like in Argentina.”
Gustavo Olmedo
And are you going to release a live album?
Dave Mustaine
“In due course, we will. We just spent two months in the studio, demoing new songs. We are ready to go back to the studio and record. If I told you when it's coming out, I would be lying.”
Gustavo Olmedo
How did this thing about MD.45 come about, because I remember the Beverly Killbillies?
Dave Mustaine
“It's the same project, only the name is different.”
Gustavo Olmedo
And weren't you going to be with Dave Lombardo and Flea in the Killbillies?
Dave Mustaine
“That's what it was going to be about, but when the time came, our schedules didn't match... in fact, I never spoke to Flea, Lee Ving did. I did speak to Dave Lombardo. But when we should have started recording, other opportunities presented themselves to them.”
Gustavo Olmedo
And how did you get in touch with Lee Ving to do this project?
Dave Mustaine
“My agent knows him. He gave me the number and I called him.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Did you choose to work with him, just like that, out of the blue?
Dave Mustaine
“When I was doing 'Countdown to Extinction', the Diamond Head people asked me to help them with their album. Since I liked it so much, I decided to do something separate from Megadeth. I called Lee Ving, we started talking... he suggested Flea, but it never worked out. I talked to a lot of people, listened to their tapes, but it wasn't what I was looking for. When I was in South America on the Monsters of Rock tour, I asked Jimmy DeGrasso, who was playing drums with Alice Cooper, if he wanted to do something with me. He loved the idea, so I sent him my tapes. Then I heard what Kelley Lemieux was doing, who was in Shrine and had previously been with the Electric Love Hogs. He had even played bass in Fear with Lee, during a tour. The four of us got together in Arizona, on October 6, and recorded the album in two months.”
Gustavo Olmedo
What does MD.45 mean?
Dave Mustaine
“The letters MD are for Mustaine, Dave. The 45 in Roman numerals is V L, which is Ving, Lee. I came up with the idea.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Wasn't MD.45 supposed to be more punk? To me it's quite metallic...
Dave Mustaine
“They define it as NWOBHM with a punk singer. I never set out to do something like that. It's about a new project, with different people, and seeing what it's about.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Do you think it sounds very different from Megadeth?
Dave Mustaine
“Yes. The tone may be similar, but the performance is totally different. I just went into the studio and messed around.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Was it more fun than recording with Megadeth?
Dave Mustaine
“With Megadeth there is always pressure. There was also some pressure in MD.45, to meet my expectations, for having chosen the right people. For sharing ideas...”
Gustavo Olmedo
Speaking of singing, you are missed in MD.45...
Dave Mustaine
“Thanks. You'll like Lee over time. I don't know if you listened to Fear before?”
Gustavo Olmedo
Just a couple of songs.
Dave Mustaine
“He is one of my favorite singers, when it comes to punk. He is very charismatic. It's difficult to find an original singer these days, and I think he is one.”
Gustavo Olmedo
I understand that you don't like new punk much...
Dave Mustaine
“It's not that I don't like it. It's that it's not punk. I think Rancid is punk, but the other bands that claim to be punk, are not. They are very successful and prefabricated rock bands.”
Gustavo Olmedo
I wanted to ask you something, why do you think bands like you and Metallica stayed at the top for much longer than others like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden did?
Dave Mustaine
“I don't know. Maybe because we haven't changed so much. Iron Maiden had too many lineup changes, and Judas Priest changed their image too many times. Maiden had Dennis Stratton, that would be like us changing Chris Poland for Jeff Young. Then they changed Paul Di'Anno for Bruce Dickinson. When we brought in Marty Friedman and Nick Menza. But then they changed Clive Burr, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson... you can't do something like that without tiring people out. I remember holding the back cover of the Judas 'Sad Wings of Destiny' album, and the image looked cool to me. Then they started wearing increasingly strange leather clothing... don't get me wrong, I love Judas Priest and I get along well with Rob Halford; but if you change drastically, the audience is going to wonder what is happening. I loved 'British Steel', but I couldn't listen to things like 'Turbo' because the changes were too dramatic. Judas is one of my favorite bands of all time and Rob is one of the best vocalists, but we haven't changed as much as them. I would like to sing like Halford and fill the stadiums that Maiden filled, but... even though I know a voice like that wouldn't fit in Megadeth, even if I could sing like that, I wouldn't.”
Gustavo Olmedo
When we talk about changes, do you feel pressured to change and not change at the same time?
Dave Mustaine
“I know why Maiden and Judas changed, because they endure terrible pressure. That's why bands like Metallica, Pantera and Slayer make the changes they do, because there is incredible pressure. It is very difficult to be at the top. Once you are there, there are others who want to kick your butt and bring you down. How many bands do you think would want to be in our place?”
Gustavo Olmedo
I don't know, many...
Dave Mustaine
“I don't think we are the number one band in the world, but we are definitely at least number two. Possibly, we will be number one for some time and number three at another time. But I know that we are one of the top heavy metal groups in the world, and I know that many bands want our place, and I don't blame them, I have a good time being here.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Could you tell me more or less how the new songs are sounding?
Dave Mustaine
“Some sound like 'Rust in Peace', others like 'Countdown...' and others like 'Youthanasia'. It's a mix of everything. In a way it will be heavier than 'Youthanasia'. I don't know exactly what, but I know that when we record it, there will be a certain heaviness that 'Youthanasia' didn't have. We already have some tentative names for the songs, but I prefer not to say them until they are final.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Does it still bother you that Metallica is the number one band?
Dave Mustaine
“No, it's better to be number two than number two million.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Did you listen to the new Metallica?
Dave Mustaine
“Yes, something. It's different. Metallica is good at what they do.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Speaking of image changes, what do you think of Metallica's new image?
Dave Mustaine
“I haven't seen it yet. I only heard their song on the radio.”
Gustavo Olmedo
They changed a lot...
Dave Mustaine
“Seriously, tell me...”
Gustavo Olmedo
They all cut their hair...
Dave Mustaine
“Nooo!”
Gustavo Olmedo
Lars looks like Jim Morrison at times...
Dave Mustaine
“Seriously?”
Gustavo Olmedo
Kirk Hammett is a Michael Jackson look-alike...
Dave Mustaine
“Noooo!”
Gustavo Olmedo
Then you saw them...
Dave Mustaine
“No, I haven't seen them. Seriously. I don't watch MTV. I haven't seen photos either. I live in Arizona, my son plays football, Tae Kwon Do. I pick him up from school every day and take him to Tae Kwon Do. At home I get ready to work on my things. I've been in the studio and I really don't give a shit about the other bands. It's like being a dentist who looks at other dentists' teeth.”
Gustavo Olmedo
How old is Justis?
Dave Mustaine
“He just turned four.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Is he doing well in Tae Kwon Do?
Dave Mustaine
“Yes, he's going to be a yellow belt in a few days. Yes, I'm his sparring partner. We practice together, I teach him things. He's practicing a special style now, for which he needs to learn certain things to move up in rank. He's going to be a yellow belt and he's only four years old. I'm happy with him.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Well, then tell me what a day in your life is like.
Dave Mustaine
“I get up around 7 in the morning. I drink coffee, play with my son, have breakfast. I take him to school. When I get back home I work on my computer, write lyrics. Then I take care of business, give interviews. I take care of my animals, check my house, make sure there are no holes in the fences so that wild animals don't enter my property. Then I go to business meetings and attend to my other occupations. I pick up my son from school, take him to Tae Kwon Do and wait for his class to finish. I come home and have dinner. I spend some time chilling out. I do math homework with my son, and I teach him a little reading. Then we play for a while. Afterwards, his mother and I go to sleep.”
Gustavo Olmedo
Well, the last one: does what the press says still bother you?
Dave Mustaine
“No, not anymore. You have the right to an opinion. If you don't like me, Gustavo, it's totally okay. If you say some shit about me, it doesn't mean I won't like you. It's just your opinion. Even if you say shit about me, if one day we run into each other just when you're being beaten up, I'm going to help you. I believe people shouldn't hurt each other. Life is too important to get angry about what others think. What you think is valid, whether you are wrong or not, is your opinion and it is very important. You said Kirk looks like Michael Jackson, I think it's funny, but many people could get really angry with you. I think you were kidding. He probably does look like him, but I understand that you were saying it as a joke. Some people are going to get angry, but I don't care because I have a sense of humor.”