Dave Mustaine says Bruce Dickinson‘s advice as a fellow cancer survivor gave him hope during his own treatment.
Dave Mustaine has described what set Bruce Dickinson apart from everyone else who reached out after his 2019 cancer diagnosis: the Iron Maiden singer had been through the same thing, and said so in detail. The Megadeth frontman made the remarks to Metal Hammer ahead of his memoir, “In My Darkest Hour“, which is published next month.
“Bruce had some fantastic stuff to say as a cancer survivor,” Mustaine said. “There’s a big difference between someone saying, ‘You’re in my thoughts and prayers’, versus somebody who goes into detail about his treatment and tells you about the outcome. I needed hope, and he gave me it.”
The advice itself was practical rather than profound: “surround yourself with good people…make sure you’re spending time with people who are upbeat and positive.”
The parallel between the two men is closer than the word cancer suggests. Dickinson announced in February 2015 that a cancerous tumour had been found at the back of his tongue, and was declared clear that May after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Mustaine was diagnosed in February 2019 with a squamous cell carcinoma in the same place — the base of the tongue. He made it public that June, telling fans doctors had given him a 90 per cent chance of survival, and was declared cancer-free that October. His treatment ran to 51 rounds of radiation and nine of chemotherapy.
He kept working throughout, writing and recording what became The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, and returned to the stage in early 2020, weeks before touring shut down worldwide.
Mustaine said he announced the diagnosis early “to let the people who are my support system know.” Messages followed from across the industry, among them Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Kiss‘ Paul Stanley, and James Hetfield, his former Metallica bandmate.
“It wasn’t any more significant than the other people who gave their support to me,” he said of the messages. “I’ve always looked at that stuff like one beggar giving another beggar a crust of bread. But I appreciate it, because I know how our time is measured out, and to take the time to stop and do something like that means a lot.”
“In My Darkest Hour: A Memoir” is out on 8 September through Da Capo, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. Mustaine wrote it with Joe Layden, who also worked on his 2010 book “Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir“. It is his third, after that and 2020’s “Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece“.
He has framed it as covering considerably more ground than the medical side.
Mustaine‘s statement when the book was announced: “One of the most harrowing experiences of my adult life has been my seven-year journey through cancer treatment and onward into remission. This story is considerably more than just, ‘Go to the doctor, get diagnosed, get treatment and hopefully I live happily ever after.’ This was a journey of me saving myself, staying alive, keeping my family together, and continuing to make music through it all.”
Ben Schafer, Da Capo‘s executive editor, said: “’In My Darkest Hour‘ is Dave Mustaine at his most revealing, vulnerable, and true. With lacerating honesty and soulful reflection, he speaks to the universal human experience of facing serious illness and how it changes a person, their family and friends, and one’s relationship with creativity.”
Official “In My Darkest Hour” book description, courtesy of Da Capo, is as follows:
“From King of Metal Dave Mustaine, a powerful reflection on the harsh truths and raw realizations that can only come from confronting death.”
“Dave Mustaine is no stranger to pain and suffering. He battled demons all his life — including an alcoholic father, addiction, and black magic — and turned fifty-eight believing he’d survived the worst. But in 2019, Mustaine was forced to face the loss of his instantly recognizable voice and the disintegration of his musical talent. Diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma at the back of his tongue, his entire career — and possibly his life — was about to end.”
“For Mustaine, it was one more opportunity to fight like hell.”
“‘In My Darkest Hour’ takes readers from the treatment room to the studio as Mustaine chronicles how his diagnosis inspired him to take up the pen and guitar pick, going from radiation and chemotherapy appointments straight into hours-long recording sessions, resulting in Megadeth‘s sixteenth studio album, The Sick, The Dying…And The Dead!. Along the way, Mustaine details how confronting his own mortality brought him closer to his family, taught him how to ask for help, strengthened his faith, and challenged the vulnerability of his art.”
“Filled with perseverance, hope, and the determination to never let the bastards grind you down, ‘In My Darkest Hour’ is a masterful portrait of a Dave Mustaine that the world has yet to see, and serves as a moving reminder that even our most invincible heroes are human.”
The book arrives during the busiest stretch of Megadeth‘s farewell. Their self-titled seventeenth and final album went to number one on the Billboard 200 in January, the first chart-topper of their career, and the European leg of the farewell tour, with Black Label Society and Testament, runs from March to April 2027.
