Mustaine

MUSTAINE ASKS FOR HELP

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and his wife Pam held a press conference yesterday (Friday, October 10) at the Sheriff’s Department headquarters in San Diego to ask the public for help in finding his mother-in-law, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and has been missing for a week. 75-year-old Sally Estabrook was last seen at a campground near Julian, California on October 4. Her husband noticed she was gone when he returned from a shower and couldn't find her. Said Dave Mustaine: "Sally Estabrook went missing Saturday at 4 p.m. up at the Pinezanita Campground up in Julian. She has Alzheimer's, severe, [and] she's not communicative. And we're just asking everybody right now, because of the search and how extensively that it's gone, we're looking outside of the camp area now. And we're just asking everybody that may have been up there to take a look in your sheds, in your garages, any of the thick brush around your house. A lot of times, people that wander that have Alzheimer's are found very close to their home. They just take shelter underneath bushes and stuff. So we're asking that you look there. Also, anybody that's working in the medical field, in the hospitals and shelters, any of the senior citizens, adult homes, stuff like that, look at your patients. Maybe there's somebody there that's not supposed to be there. We need your help. For any of you that are watching this right now, we're just asking that if you see Sally — we call her nana — she's probably not gonna answer to you, just call 911 and then we'll go from there." Added Pam Mustaine: "There's been some sightings in a couple of cities off the mountain, and I'm just wondering, even the fast-food restaurants, if she's with homeless people, travelling around, I don't know that they would know the situation right now, but that they'd be around the fast-food restaurants or taking shelter in places where they can get food. Just looking more into those areas. And again, she wouldn't know how to put two words together. And she may look like a homeless person at this point. But just keeping an eye out maybe in those areas also or even the freeway ramps or however she could be surviving right now on her own." Search-and-rescue teams from four counties and the U.S. Border Patrol and more than 300 volunteers have taken part in the search for Sally Estabrook. Estabrook is 5 feet 4 inches tall, about 145 pounds with shoulder-length, blond hair. She was last seen wearing a teal top and white, Capri pants. Because Estabrook suffers from Alzheimer's, she isn't very communicative, but might respond to her name. Anyone who sees Estabrook should call 911 or the sheriff's department at (858) 565-5200. Mustaine revealed last year that a lot of the songwriting process for MEGADETH's 2013 album, "Super Collider", was affected by the fact that he had just found out his mother-in-law had Alzheimer's disease. He told Loudwire: "Until it happens to you, you really have no idea. And I think that when I saw how upset our family became and yet how we are able to provide the resources for her, it made me think about all the families going through this that don't have the resources to take care of a loved one. It also made me really appreciate our fans, because without them, I would not be able to take care of things the way I am. It really brings it all home. And then beyond that, I just did what any good artist does. I put my emotions into my music. That's the pain you hear in the music. It's real. People can say, 'We don’t want to hear this kind of shit,' but to me, this shit is important." According to Mustaine, the "Super Collider" track "Forget To Remember" was written specifically about some experiences with memory and forgetting that have come very close to home. "The sad thing about Alzheimer's disease is it's like watching an ice sculpture of somebody you love melt in front of your eyes; it's really, really painful," he told the "Shockwaves" podcast. "So the song has a double entendre where there's a guy and he talks to a girl in the song and it's kind of like the movie 'The Notebook' where the character in the movie, the female, comes in and out of Alzheimer's and she is present and she is back in La La Land again. So you don't really know in this song if it's a girl that is intentionally trying to forget a relationship with a guy or if it's somebody who has Alzheimer's disease, which, really, is what it's about. I worded it so that it could be either way."

MUSTAINE: Getting FRIEDMAN And MENZA Back In MEGADETH Makes As Much Sense As Putting Rotten Tooth Back In Your Mouth

Loaded Radio's Scott Penfold recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the status of the songwriting sessions for MEGADETH's follow-up to 2013's "Super Collider": Mustaine: "We're taking our time with this one. The last record we've done, we felt we were really on a positive upswing with [producer] Johnny K and we were excited to get in and do the record. But looking back over time, all the records that we had a lot of success with, personally…. Because, I mean, at the end of the day, if you don't like what you're doing, then what's the point? But the ones that we really got the most enjoyment out of was the ones that took the longest to write. We would sit with the songs and let them digest and assimilate and become part of us, instead of, 'OK, that's a great song. Let's go.' Or versus, 'You know what? Would it be better if we [played] this part one more time or cut that one in half or sped this up a little bit. There's so many variables." On whether he still gets pressure to get guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza back in MEGADETH: Mustaine: "Yeah, but that makes as much sense as somebody saying, 'Put a rotten tooth back in your mouth.' Don't get me wrong, but I've seen stuff that Menza's been saying [in interviews and online postings], and it's unfortunate. And I know that Marty's happy doing what he's doing. And frankly, if I wanted to get them back in the band, I would have worked it out, but I don't want 'em in the band. I think that Shawn [Drover, current MEGADETH drummer] is, all around, if you add all the parts up, is way more what I want in my life and my band, and the same thing with Chris [Broderick, current MEGADETH guitarist]. We all have our peculiarities. I'm strange by the definition myself, and I'm sure you are too, but that's what makes us unique and awesome and cool and everything like that. Because if we were all the same, one of us would be unnecessary. I kind of like the fact that you never know what you're gonna get with these guys; they're funny, their sense of humor is really dry, and they love the fans. There's no 'I'm in it for myself' bullcrap and 'I can't wait to do my solo albums' kind of stuff that'll tear a bunch of bands apart. If you look back at my career, I've been doing this for 33 years, almost, and I've only done one thing outside of MEGADETH, and that was the MD.45 thing, and that was because I loved FEAR; I thought FEAR was one of the greatest punk bands from America ever. I'm sure people will disagree, but I don't care." On whether there has been any more talk of further "Big Four" shows with METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX: Mustaine: "The thing about reconciliation is… it kind of is like that story about the monk that was walking down the river and saw a woman out in the middle and the tide was coming and he rolled up his garment and went out and got her and set her down on the side of the river bank and continued his journey. And about a mile later, another monk standing next to him said, 'Isn't it against our vows to have touched a woman?' And he goes, 'You know, I set her down a mile ago, yet you still carry her.' And, to me, that's… a lot of these people, they're still carrying the woman when it comes down to this whole thing about us and METALLICA having some kind of a grudge. We don't. In fact, I just recently contacted James [Hetfield] when people were attacking him about the whole PETA thing. And I just told him, I said, 'Look, man, you're my brother and I love you. Just be strong and it'll blow over.' Coming from a guy that's no stranger to controversy. I still love James a lot. That's part of the reason why there was so much emotion about it… I mean, it's kind of like when you really like a girl and you go up to ask her to dance and she says 'no' and you walk away and you say, 'Well, F you.'" On joining METALLICA on stage in December 2011 at one of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the band's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a group for fan club members only: Mustaine: "Well, they gave me an invitation and I thought it was really awesome. And I had asked them, 'Do you want me to just play rhythm?' Because, you know, Kirk's [Hammett] in the band. And Lars [Ulrich] said, 'No. Play your stuff.' And I went, 'Alright. Now we're talking.' So I went up there and I did my thing. And it was great. I imagine it must have been really awkward for Kirk watching me play the songs the way that they were supposed to be played in the beginning, but that's open for his artistic interpretation. If he doesn't wanna play it the way that I played it, hey, that's cool."

DAVE MUSTAINE Signs Publishing Agreement With WARNER/CHAPPELL MUSIC

Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has announced that it has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with renowned MEGADETH singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Effective immediately, Warner/Chappell will administer Mustaine's songwriting from MEGADETH's recently released album "Super Collider", as well as future songwriting. Mustaine said, "I am very excited about this new partnership with Warner/Chappell. I am glad to be reuniting with a hero of mine, Jon Platt, and industry legend Greg Sowders. I have never been happier." "As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, Dave Mustaine has virtually defined heavy metal music for the past three decades," said Jon Platt, President, Creative - North America, Warner/Chappell Music. "Since founding MEGADETH, Dave has built a body of work that serves as the benchmark for an entire genre. Today, MEGADETH remains a vital force, and Dave continues to rank among rock's most creative and influential musicians and composers. We are thrilled to welcome him to Warner/Chappell." In 1983, Mustaine founded MEGADETH and, in 1985, they released their first album which established the band as pioneers in the thrash metal movement. The band has since sold 50 million albums worldwide, including five consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums in the U.S., while garnering 11 Grammy nominations. The band's 14th studio album, "Super Collider", was released this past summer and debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart. It was the first MEGADETH album to be released via Mustaine's own imprint, Tradecraft. Prior to MEGADETH, Mustaine was an early member of METALLICA. Before leaving the band in 1983, he had co-written a half dozen songs that would appear on the band's first two albums. In the video game arena, Mustaine composed the Grammy-nominated MEGADETH track "Sudden Death" for the 2010 release Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock. The game also featured two other Mustaine-composed MEGADETH songs: 1990's "Holy Wars… The Punishment Due" and 2009's "This Day We Fight!" Noted rock author/journalist Joel McIver ranked Mustaine No. 1 in his 2009 book, "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists", and 2010 saw the publication of Mustaine's New York Times bestselling autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir". Mustaine is also the organizer of the traveling heavy metal music festival known as Gigantour. Throughout MEGADETH's various personnel changes over the years, Mustaine has remained the band's sole constant member.

DAVE MUSTAINE Says ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ For MEGADETH

On October 22, Mau Alvarado of Costa Rica's "80s Y Mas" conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine when the band played at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José as the support act for BLACK SABBATH. Check out the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow. On where he sees MEGADETH five or ten years from now: Mustaine: "There was a period about ten years ago when I was really unhappy with the way things were going in the music business and with MEGADETH in general. And there was a lot of internal turmoil with the band — a lot of fighting and stuff like that — and a lot of times, I would ask myself: 'Is this really what I wanna do with the rest of my life?' And once we had the breakup after I my arm got injured and I re-evaluated my career, it changed things, and meeting up with Shawn [Drover, drums] and Chris [Broderick, guitar] really made me, I believe, a much more grateful player. So I think right now the best is yet to come for us. We really have gotten a lot better in the last, probably, two years even. We're playing better now than, I think, we've ever played." On whether he will still be rocking like THE ROLLING STONES when he reaches the age of 65 or 70: Mustaine: "Like THE ROLLING STONES? [laughs] Let's see. I hope so. I hope better, actually, because I think I am in better shape than they are at… When they were 52, I think I'm in better shape than they were. And I have tremendous respect for THE ROLLING STONES, but I think it's all relative. I mean, look at Bruce Springsteen; he's just as old as they are, but nobody says anything about it, 'cause he takes of himself. I take care of myself. A lot of people say stuff about my age because of the whole 'Big Four' thing and what it stands for, or they [mention] the injury to my neck. But if I didn't have those two things, nobody would say, 'Oh, God, he's 52.' They wouldn't even care."

MEGADETH Mainman Defends ‘Super Collider’, Rules Out Reunion With FRIEDMAN And MENZA

In a brand new interview with the Las Vegas Sun, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke about the reaction to the band's latest album, "Super Collider", and his plans for the follow-up effort. "A record is that — a record, a piece of time," Mustaine said of the fan response to "Super Collider". "I was going through a lot of really cool stuff with the band, but a lot of really heavy, personal stuff with my mother-in-law's Alzheimer's. So people like some songs, don't like others, and that's always been the way with MEGADETH's fans. They're opinionated. "I think when you have a band that doesn't really follow a set formula, people are going to react to certain songs and not to other songs. I mean, the very first song we ever did, we started with piano. Who would've ever thought that?" Regarding the recent reports that MEGADETH has already begun work on the material for the next CD, Mustaine said: "I do want to continue to write. I think it's fun to write songs and as a musician, sometimes you've got something stuck in your soul that you gotta get it out. "['Forget To Remember' on 'Super Collider'] is this whole process of watching this loved one in my family just melt in front of your eyes; it's hard. It really, really challenged what I was made of; she's still alive, but she's not there anymore. And how do you put that in a song if it's not going to be a sad song? It'd be pretty fucked up to make a happy song about something tragic. "So, yeah, we always have a lot of stuff we want to write about. I think it comes in due time. We're always picking up the guitar and making noises, sometimes it's a cool riff, and you're 'tape that real quick,' and other times it's 'stop.' [laughs] And that's the great thing when you're close like we are. We're four guys who are really, really close, and I can't tell you how many times I've gone into the jam room and told Chris [Broderick, MEGADETH guitarist] to knock it off, and he'll do the same solo for an hour and a half straight. It's Chinese water torture. [laughs]

MEGADETH’s DAVE MUSTAINE: Singing ‘Is Not My Strong Point’

Lewis and Floorwax of Denver, Colorado's classic rock radio station 103.5 The Fox recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine (guitar, vocals) and David Ellefson (bass). You can now listen to the chat below. Asked how he first decided to become the lead singer in MEGADETH, Mustaine said: "Well, my pal here, Dave, and I were auditioning guys and we kind of ran out of patience. The last guy that auditioned as a vocalist came — and we were homeless at the time — and the guy rolled up with a 12-pack of beer, and we thought, 'Great!' Then we got a closer look at him and he had eyeliner on. And we figured, 'As soon as the last beer was down, he was out of the band.' It was New Year's Eve one night, and David just goes , 'Man, why don't you sing?' and I was like, 'Why don't you?' So I ended up doing it, and it stuck. I actually enjoy it a lot of times, but it's not my strong point. I've been working really hard at it the last few years. I wish I would have given it as much attention in the beginning as I do now… It's definitely a unique voice sound. You know, you hear people like Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES] or myself or [James] Hetfield [METALLICA] or some of the other people that are really easily identifiable, it's scarce. Like Chris Cornell [SOUNDGARDEN], you hear Chris, you know it's him." MEGADETH has just completed its run as the headliner of this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by Mustaine. In addition to MEGADETH, this year's installment of Gigantour featured BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, HELLYEAH, NEWSTED and DEATH DIVISION. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold 61,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). It marks MEGADETH's first release since the band's split with Roadrunner Records.