MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke with Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Chicago Tribune: You’ve said that after writing your autobiography, you felt like finally you’d been understood. What were the biggest misunderstandings about you that you wanted to clear up?

Mustaine: "The biggest misunderstanding is all of the stuff in the past, the disagreements with other bands, stuff that is so old. None of us care about it anymore. You can see what happened with the Big 4 reunion (the Megadeth stadium shows in Europe this summer with ‘80s thrash-metal bands METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX) and all of us playing together. It was like there was some kind of enjoyment having disagreements, this feud among all of us. A lot of people have disagreements. But there we were on stage playing together and hugging at the end. How can this be a feud when you have proof right there on film? It will be released on DVD - the shot heard round the world. It shows you this whole terrible thing has been perpetuated by the press."

Chicago Tribune: Oh, c’mon Dave. You can’t deny that your relationship with those other bands has had its share of tension and competitiveness over the years.

Mustaine: "Like Lars (Ulrich of Metallica) says, there is the relationship we have and the relationship the press thinks we all have. And the proof is when we were all doing the jam on (DIAMOND HEAD's) 'Am I Evil', I was listening to how loud the crowd was, and it was as loud when we hugged each other as when we played the song. It gave me chills. James (Hetfield of Metallica) and I being able to embrace on that world platform shows people that metal is a close-knit community. We don’t leave our wounded behind. Kerry (King of Slayer) says to me, 'I don’t even know what I was mad about anymore.' What’s important is that the four pillars of the metal community are all in a great relationship right now. It’s a shame our politicians can’t get along as well. In America there is always that good-luck story and everyone wants to see the person win in the end. I’ve had a little redemption watching this whole thing come around full circle."

Chicago Tribune: Yet in the Metallica documentary (Some Kind of Monster in 2004) there is the scene where you and Lars talk and you come across like a guy who has never quite completely gotten over being fired from Metallica in 1983.

Mustaine: "I think that’s pretty accurate. I care about those things. I still do. I was drinking and drugging, but I never got any warning from Lars and James when they fired me. They just put me on a bus and sent me home. The movie was something they were doing, and I didn’t know what it was about. I’d been through enough therapy myself, so I didn’t mind being put in that situation. All I wanted was some closure and to have a new relationship with those guys. We did so much damage to the relationship through drugs and alcohol. I still wanted to be friends with him. I knew sitting down and talking with that guy was going to address part of it. I just wanted closure with these guys so we could put the past behind us. We were kids when it all went down. But James wasn’t there when Lars and I had our talk (in the movie). James said to me at the Big 4 concert that he wished he had been there, and I was moved by that. I thought he was a gentleman, I was very proud of him. This is all so fantastic now. I am so exited about this new relationship I have with these guys."

Read the entire interview here.