MEGADETH Frontman DAVE MUSTAINE - "I Think Playing Music Is Political In Essence, Because It's A Platform For You To Say Something"
September 20, 2007, 16 years ago
John Serba at The Grand Rapids Press recently caught up with MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine to discuss the band's latest album, United Abominations. The following is a brief excerpt from the story:
In the 1980s, Megadeth was an integral part of metal's evolution. Along with fellow genre luminaries Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer, Mustaine helped create an aggressive musical strain that burst into the mainstream by the early '90s, when Megadeth was selling out arenas on the heels of 1992's "Countdown to Extinction." Yet Mustaine doesn't see much difference between artists and politicians.
"I think playing music is political in essence, because it's a platform for you to say something," he said. "It's almost the same as having a podium in a general assembly hall -- you're talking to people."It's remarkable that Mustaine still has the gumption and drive to create music of such depth and fortitude, considering: His much-publicized past drug problems; a bitter, ongoing feud with his ex-bandmates in Metallica; a falling-out with his longtime Megadeth partner, bassist David Ellefson, which turned into litigation. And in 2002, an injured arm nerve prompted Megadeth's two-year hiatus and required extensive rehabilitation.
All of this has given Mustaine perspective.
"For the longest time, I was really spending a lot of time looking in the rearview mirrors, making sure I wasn't being chased, and I had my foot crammed through the floorboard trying to catch up to whoever I thought was in front of me," he said. "Maybe it was a maturation of sorts, but once my arm got injured, I finally started to be content with what I had."Go to this location for the complete story.
