Dave Mustaine says musicians can no longer speak freely the way they could when Megadeth started, and that an artist who reveals a political allegiance loses half their audience on the spot.
The Megadeth frontman was asked by Hakos Pervanidis of the Metal Hammer Greece programme “TV War” whether the current climate would still let him say what he thinks, as he could four decades ago.
“Well, I think right now, the world has changed for the worse, with all the cancel culture, all the hatred that people have. You used to be able to say stuff in the United States, and now you can’t, unless you’re the people that’s telling everybody else they can’t. The other thing is, the times have just changed. If you sing about politics, for example, and somebody can determine where your political leanings lie, you’ve just halved your audience, because the people who are one party will be for you, and the other party will be against you. And that really sucks. Before, it used to be nobody knew who you voted for. Nobody cared. And now it’s important for the hateful people in the world to find out who people voted for and to expose them for something that’s very private. I think anybody that is a Megadeth fan aren’t of that walk. I don’t think any of our fans are that kind of person who would get joy out of doing sh**ty things in life. I think our fans know that I came from a terrible upbringing, and that everything I’ve done, I’ve tried to make myself better, and that includes sharing everything that I’ve done with our fans so that they can get better, too,” he replied (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He went on to describe what fans tell him at meet-and-greets, and one encounter that has stayed with him.
“At our meet-and-greets every night, I can’t tell you how many times people come up and say, ‘In My Darkest Hour‘ saved my life’ or something to that degree. I remember one time at a meet-and-greet, this girl came up to us in a wheelchair, and she was missing her legs, and she was a professional classical violinist who was an amazing violinist. And she said, ‘Train Of Consequences‘ is my song.’ And I thought, ‘Really? That is so weird.’ And she said, ‘No. I lost my legs by a train, so ‘Train Of Consequences‘ is my jam.’ And I went, ‘Wow, you never f**king know.’ You never know,” he said.
“In My Darkest Hour” appeared on So Far, So Good… So What! in 1988. “Train Of Consequences” opened Youthanasia six years later.
Mustaine has been described in the press for years as politically conservative, a characterisation he disputes. He set out his own version in February on “Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations“, the podcast hosted by The Independent‘s music editor.
“I’m a very keen observer, and I probably see things very similar to the way you see things. But the world has developed into a place where if you’re somebody offering a product, it’s best for you not to talk about your political persuasion. We never used to do that. People never used to say who they voted for. It’s none of your goddamn business. And people think I’m a right-winger. I’m not. I’m an independent. I’ve voted for Democrats, I’ve voted for Republicans. I vote for whoever’s the least of two evils, sometimes three,” he explained at the time.
When questioned about why he believes that perception has followed him for so many years, Dave responded:
“Well, I believe that people who get fired from Megadeth are bitter, whether it’s musicians or people who work in another area with the band. And it’s really easy to say bad stuff about me. You can ask anybody I work with… All you can do is show up and be the best person you can be. And my reputation will precede me, of course, but my character will remain. And I think a lot of people are finding out that a lot of the stuff they hear about me or about the band is not true, because we’re very personable and I’m very approachable. When we’re down in South America, we’ll sit out on the steps of the hotel and serenade the fans. That’s how we really are. That’s how we live. We love our fans.”
He made a similar point to The New York Times in January.
“I’m a Christian, and I answer to a different set of angels. I obey the law, but no, I’m not a right-winger,” Mustaine said.
He went on to describe the distinction he draws between faith and organized belief, adding: “We used to always say that religion’s for people who are afraid of going to hell, and spirituality is for people like us who have been there.”
Megadeth released their seventeenth and final studio album, the self-titled Megadeth, on January 23 through Mustaine‘s Tradecraft imprint with BLKIIBLK. It became the band’s first record to enter the Billboard 200 at No. 1. The farewell tour opened on February 15 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, and the band are currently crossing North America supporting Iron Maiden on the “Run For Your Lives” run alongside Anthrax.
The goodbye will not be quick. Mustaine said last November that the band could be on the road for another three to five years. The current lineup is Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren.
