Dave Mustaine: I Probably Shouldn’t Have Punched James Hetfield in the Mouth
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine gave a wide-ranging interview (listen above) to the Israel-based radio show 'Met Al Metal.' The band was supposed to play a show in Tel Aviv tonight (Aug. 6), but it was canceled amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Among the questions he was asked in the interview (transcribed by Blabbermouth) was if he had any regrets about certain aspects of his career. "Oh, sure. I would love to have said goodbye to [original drummer] Gar Samuelson before he passed away," Mustaine revealed. "There's a couple of things I wouldn't have done myself, like ODing and I probably wouldn't have punched James [Hetfield] in the mouth. There's a lot of stuff. You look back in hindsight and you think, 'God, I probably should have done that differently.'"
Mustaine was famously kicked out of Metallica for his alcohol abuse and violent behavior. He would go on to form Megadeth shortly thereafter. While his relationship with Metallica has been strained over the years, there's been some reconciliation lately with the 'Big 4' concerts. In fact, a few days ago, Mustaine tweeted out a very warm birthday wish to Hetfield.
Elsewhere in the interview, Mustaine talked about refusing to share the stage with Satanic metal band Dissection back in 2005 at an Israeli festival. "I don't wanna be hanging around guys that are gonna be dangerous for me spiritually, because I had just decided that I was gonna start following a spiritual path," Mustaine said." I figured I don't wanna go back… 'Cause I was into witchcraft and black magic and everything like that, so I know about that stuff. And I figured, you know what?! I'm just gonna try and avoid that stuff. I never said that I hated anybody; I just didn't wanna play with them."
Megadeth's current world tour continues Aug. 9 in the Netherlands. They also have two shows in Japan later this month and will be part of Motorhead's inaugural Motorboat Cruise in September.
See Dave Mustaine and Other Metal Musicians' Yearbook Photos