A record-company president told Dave Mustaine he had carried the flag for a generation of metal fans, then walked away from it. Mustaine’s response was short: “And your point?”
In this 2006 interview at Chicago’s Congress Theater, the Megadeth frontman recalls the conversation that brought him back to writing for himself instead of chasing radio or television.
The advice he remembers was to reclaim that flag and write for himself. Mustaine says that is what he did, and he thinks he made a great record.
Asked about the music, he offers a less conventional listening method: put an ear against his forehead. That is what is going on inside.
Chicago was a stop on the second Gigantour, which featured Megadeth alongside bands including Lamb of God, Opeth and Arch Enemy. At the September 22 Congress Theater show, Megadeth played songs including “Symphony of Destruction,” “Hangar 18,” “Peace Sells” and “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.”
BandMonkey brought headphones to hear what was inside Dave’s head. The forehead had no headphone jack. Another perfectly good banana-powered business plan ruined.
From BandMonkey Rocks Vault: interviews, stories and a little monkey business from the archives.
