Jeff Niesel from the Cleveland Scene spoke with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine recently about a number of topics including the band's new album, Super Collider, and the current Gigantour. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Cleveland Scene: Has Gigantour been difficult to sustain?

Mustaine: "I think the hardest thing about all of this is the ego of the concert promoter and arranger. If the guy making the concert is hung up on the size of the venues and if you aren't willing to move the goalposts, you're going to lose money and people are going to say, 'Stay away from that.' With Gigantour, it's not about me and it's not about Megadeth. It's not about making money. It's about taking bands to the streets. Heavy metal has a much different relationship with its fans. We care. Believe it or not, it's a lot like NASCAR and the country music scene. Unlike pop music, which is all about 'I'm so bitchin' and you're not,' we're all cut from the same cloth. We're all salt of the earth."

Cleveland Scene: I was surprised to read so many negative reviews of Super Collider.

Mustaine: "I don't know what you're talking about because it's the No. 6 record and those guys are probably sheep. There are a lot of pond scum out there who follow me wherever I go, and they just say stuff because they don't like me and they don't like what I stand for. I love our country and I'm a pretty conservative guy but I'm not a Republican. I didn't endorse (Rick) Santorum and I didn't endorse Mitt Romney. Nobody knows who the hell I voted for. That shouldn't matter. That's like, 'Do you like cheese on your hamburger or not?' Who gives a crap? I don't care. For people to target me and take everything I say and turn it into some conundrum and some topic for discussion. It's like, 'C'mon. Do you think I take myself that seriously?' I've had a lot of my friends come up and say, 'Do you know what this site says? They sure have it out for you.' I laugh because I know I own those bitches because they can't go a day without talking about me. If I don't own you, stop talking about me. The most important thing is that I know who my enemies are. I try to be kind to them. That makes me feel better and it pisses them off."

Cleveland Scene: Do you think you ever deserved the controversy that has followed you for your entire career?

Mustaine: "Can you imagine saying that to Johnny Rotten? If we were going to ask Johnny, 'Do you care about what you say? You sang, 'God save the queen/she ain't no human being.'' Dude. Metal is punk rock with long hair. Look at the lyrics. There's a band called HAVOC out there. Their lyrics could have been my lyrics when I was in my twenties. There are bands all over the industry that say the same exact things I used to say. But I'm Dave Mustaine and I used to be in METALLICA and Metallica followers want to carry a grudge. But (the bands) don't even have a problem any more. People are still carrying that cross. They need to give it a rest and not pick on me for something that's 30 years old."

Read more at the Cleveland Scene.