Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Reveals UFO Conspiracy Behind ‘Hangar 18’
Megadeth released the single "Hangar 18" in February 1991, a track that drew on a UFO conspiracy theory and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. The song originated during the chaotic recording sessions for the 1990 album Rust in Peace, when guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza joined a re‑formed lineup after Dave Mustaine dismissed Jeff Young and Chuck Behler in 1988. "By just about every conceivable standard, Rust in Peace was a watershed event for Megadeth," Mustaine wrote in his 2010 autobiography Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. Recording began at Rumbo Recorders, a studio owned by the pop duo Captain and Tennille. Mustaine recalled a bizarre first day: "I walked in and saw our producer, Dave Jerden, eating a chili dog and smoking a cigarette at the controls. The place just reeked." Within days, Mustaine had Jerden fired, joking, "I think there's too many guys named Dave around here, we're gonna get rid of one of them." Producer Mike Clink also left the project after a puppy chewed through a wall and knocked over Mustaine’s guitar, prompting Mustaine to say, "The damn dog ate a hole in the wall and then knocked over my guitar, and we just had to let him go." The lyrical concept for "Hangar 18" came from Nick Menza, who was fascinated by alleged government‑held alien aircraft in a Four Corners‑area facility. Mustaine explained, "It was an idea that Nick came up with. The idea’s based on a place in the Four Corners state region of the United States; it’s a place where the military intelligence is housing alien aircraft and alien life‑forms. Not that I subscribe to this point of view or any of that kind of BS, but Nick is way into it. I mean, the guy thinks that Jesus was a Martian." Menza’s belief in UFOs eventually led to his dismissal. Mustaine told Rock Radio, "Menza is the guy who believes in UFOs. If you look at his website or if you listen to his solo music, it shows you where he's at in his life. Nick said something that I found really juvenile and offensive. He told me that Jesus was an alien and he could levitate. That was the end of me taking Nick seriously – I believed in God ever since I was a kid." Musically, "Hangar 18" is one of Rust in Peace’s most ambitious pieces, featuring eleven traded solos between Mustaine and Friedman. Friedman recalled producer Clink’s guidance: "He said: 'Check out the lyrics of this song. It's about aliens and Martians, so play something that sounds like you are coming from outer space.' That was good advice and from then on, I really paid a lot more attention to the lyrics in a song than I had before." The single’s release earned Megadeth a Grammy nomination in 1992, though Metallica won the category. During the ceremony, Johnny Mathis quipped, "I just love the GRAMMYs. On what other list would I find my name between Madonna and Megadeth?" Mustaine later expressed frustration at the snub, but "Hangar 18" remains a thrash classic that blends technical prowess with a tongue‑in‑cheek nod to extraterrestrial lore.
Megadeth performing "Hangar 18" live in 1991
