Dave Mustaine (leader of Megadeath) is a tough redhead

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Dave Mustaine is one of the world's greatest guitarists, but like all of us, he has his flaws. He had drug problems for many years, but after several courses of treatment, he still managed to cope with them. He once played in the cult team Metallica, but because of his difficult nature, he did not last long there. Then the talented musician founded his own group and called it Megadeth, which, in fact, brought him popularity.

Biography

Dave Mustaine (full name David Scott) was born on September 13, 1961 in the California town of La Messa. The origin of the musician is quite colorful, as it contains German, English, Irish and Jewish roots. The family was large, and in addition to Dave, the Mustaine couple had three older daughters.

The only boy in the family became a victim of domestic violence because he was always drunkdad, trying to raise a "real man", often beat him. When Dave was only four years old, his mother, unable to withstand the tyranny of her husband, divorced him. However, dad did not allow the family to live in peace, so they constantly traveled around California to avoid meeting him. In 1969, the mother saved up money and gave her beloved son a guitar, but he really learned to play much later. When the guy was in school, he was fascinated by baseball, and he even became a catcher in the local team.

Young years

In 1975, the family went to live in the house of David's older sister, Suzanne, who had already married by that time. However, Dave Mustaine's son-in-law could not stand hard rock, so a mutual antipathy arose between them.

As a fifteen-year-old boy, David became a drug dealer, which allowed him to rent a separate apartment for himself. One of his regular clients often didn't have the money to buy checks, so she paid by bringing the guy vinyls of the legendary AC/DC, Motörhead, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

In '78, Dave Mustaine dropped out of school and plunged into the world of "sex, drugs and rock and roll." For twenty long years, the musician suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction, and one day he almost went to the next world.

Bad experience

Dave's first band, Panic, did not last long as it was not commercially successful. However, at that time, several songs were written that were included in the first Metallica album. But even before the recording, Dave Mustaine was fired for his pig attitude towards other musicians of the band. GroupPanic played one show, which was also their last, as their bus ran into a train shack on the way home. The drummer and sound engineer died in that accident, so the future fate of the band was sealed.

Working with Metallica

Back in 1981, a young musician came across a newspaper ad that said "a guitarist is required for the band". That's how Dave Mustaine and Metallica ended up in the same boat, but the collaboration lasted no more than a year. He credited four songs from the band's debut album, and The Four Horsemen also featured on Megadeth's first vinyl under its original name Mechanix. James Hetfield modernized the composition for himself, changing and adding something, so it sounds a little different. Dave was replaced as lead guitarist by the equally talented Kirk Hammett, who is with Metallica to this day.

Causes of contention

According to former colleagues, Mustaine is a very gifted musician, which is in direct proportion to the severity of his character. Moreover, at that time he was constantly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and this greatly increased his negative qualities. A serious conflict between Hatfield and Mustaine was that David brought his dog to the rehearsal, and James got angry and kicked the poor animal. In addition, one day Dave decided to play hard on the bassist - Ron McGovney, pouring beer on his instrument, after which the musician could not stand the insult and left the band. Shortly after these events, the guyswent to New York to record their first vinyl, and Mustaine continued to play pranks on the road. Therefore, the musicians decided that they did not need such a friend, and fired him even before arriving at the label.

Fallen Angel and Megadeth

In '83, Mustaine formed the Fallen Angel gang, which lasted only a few months. The band performed with songs written in previous years, as well as cover versions of famous rock hits.

After the collapse of the failed project, Mustaine remembered how on the way home after being fired from Metallica, he wrote new lyrics on scraps of newspapers, and here on one of them was a note about the Megadeath arsenal. He liked the name, and initially he wanted to give it to one of the songs, but changed his mind. Thanks to a random memory of him during the creation of a new group, he did not have to think long about how to "christen" it.

The tenacious Dave Mustaine became the nuclear engine of the new band, responsible for vocals, rhythm and lead guitar at the same time. The burning desire to surpass Metallica in everything gave him strength, and each new single aroused in him a thirst for the fight for the championship. Megadeath's symbol, Vic Rattlehead, was also designed by Mustaine, in response to the "star" of former comrades.

Should I say that Dave hated the members of Metallica for kicking him out of the band like a lousy dog?! He was especially infuriated by the fact that on their debut album Kill `Em All there were compositions that he invented himself, and no one even asked Mustaine for permission. Despite a long feud, the twoteams once played on the same stage.

On the verge of death

Megadeth was expected at the Budokan, but shortly before that something happened that had to happen sooner or later. On February 17, 1993, the guys performed in Oregon, and Dave was in a deplorable state - he could barely stand on his feet. After finishing the concert, Mustaine ate a couple of dozen "wheels" of "Valium", and by the time he arrived at the clinic, he almost went to the next world. Help was provided on time, and they managed to pump him out, after which he was sent for compulsory treatment in Phoenix. The bandmates made sure that the rehabilitation course was not interrupted and was brought to an end, as they did not want the death of their leader. Mustaine had to be treated for addiction as many as fifteen times, as he constantly returned to drugs. In 2002, he badly damaged the nerve of his left forearm, so the other members of the group were sent on vacation. However, two years later, Megadeth rose from the ashes and released The System Has Failed.

It was 2009 and Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Mustaine was on the guest list, but Dave said he was busy and didn't show up. In 2011, Dave underwent surgery on his neck, and, apparently, the problem with this part of the body is purely professional, since Tom Araya (Slayer) was under the surgeon's knife for the same reason. In general, comrades, do not shake your head too much, otherwise you will face the same ailment by the venerable age!

Tools

Dave Mustaine's current guitars are Zero and Dean VMNT. These are personalized instruments with different sensitivity and body color. He also has a Dean Mako acoustic, which is usually used for lyrical compositions.

Guitars that the musician used at different times are: Jackson King V, B. C. Rich and ESP DV. Dave Mustaine prefers Cleartone strings and Jim Dunlop Tortex yellow picks.