MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke with Steve Appleford from LA Weekly this week about a number of topics including tomorrow's (April 23rd) Big Four show at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA and finally getting over METALLICA. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

LA Weekly: Leaving Metallica and then becoming a platinum-selling artist on your own was a huge accomplishment, but your acrimony with that band seemed to go on for years.

Mustaine: "It was a pretty big mountain to climb. The thing was, I wasn't really looking at what was right in front of me. I was looking down the road at my pals that had left me behind because the different chemical reaction that alcohol had on us. When we drank, those guys would get happy and I would get angry. I grew up fighting. My whole life I was living on the streets, scratching and clawing. I'm almost 50, and when I think back . . . David Ellefson and I had an asinine agreement: We were panhandling in Hollywood, and if we didn't make it, we were going to handcuff ourselves to a light pole and pull a hand-grenade pin and go out in a bang. Obviously we were stupid and probably stoned at the time."

LA Weekly: You've said that performing 'Am I Evil?' with all those guys in Bulgaria last year was an important moment for you.

Mustaine: "Well, I think it was important for everybody. It was almost like a cosmic polarity thing that happened between two opposing forces. Me and James (Hetfield) were the guys that people used to always put against each other. For us to be onstage finally playing . . . The sad thing was, when they put a face to the feud, it was me against James. So when it was over, I remember hearing the audience when I hugged James and how loud they were - it was like a global sigh, like the world going, 'Uhh, finally.'"

LA Weekly: Tom Araya of Slayer told me he would actually be interested in doing 'The Four Horsemen' (an early Metallica song originally written by Mustaine). He said it was more representative of what you guys were all about.

Mustaine: "Wow. On tour I've gotten to know Tom and I really like that guy. He's a really interesting and cool guy. Today I just walked in [to Slayer's dressing room] and said I heard from (ailing Slayer guitarist) Jeff Hanneman - because I texted Jeff and told him I've been praying for him about his arm and asking if he wants to talk to me. I said to Jeff, "Look, I want you to remember I had an arm injury that almost ended my career. And I know what it feels like to not be able to play."

Read the entire interview here.