Monday June 17, 2013
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine
Super Collider
Many are aware that Dave Mustaine was once a member of Metallica. A natural inclination is to wonder what Metallica would have sounded like had Mustaine remained. Imagine how different it might have been. However, everything comes at a cost. Insert Dave into Metallica and the odds are about 10 to 1 in favor of Megadeth disappearing. Frankly, we find it to be a more compelling argument to wonder what would have happened if Dave had not departed? Because there likely would have been no Megadeth and that would be a downright shame. The band just released their 14th album, "Super Collider" and it will stand tall with its catalog mates as a relevant, thought provoking, foot-stomping, ass kicking album with a really cool title and accompanying song. We have a fantastic history with Dave and his band, they even wrote a song in our kitchen while tuning up for their first ever live American acoustic performance, which was on Rockline on February 23, 1998. (Look it up on our website by clicking on "Archive History"). That song, "Time", is on their "Risk" album, which was released on August 31 of 1999. Mustaine (what a great last name!) also gave my son, Dallas, a guitar lesson at the Hollywood Palladium after putting him onstage during sound check to join the band and perform "Die Hard Enough", which was then the current single from the Megadeth album "The System Has Failed" in 2004. There's plenty more we could regale you with, but our focus is on "Super Collider". Hit the Internet and travel to Megadeth.com
For some, Mustaine is a polarizing figure. While we haven't exactly experienced that from the practicing Christian, we'll attribute those sentiments to the fact that he's an outspoken figure with right-leaning politics and a ready opinion regardless of the topic. As the succinct joke goes, "He's outspoken? Oh yeah, outspoken by whom"? Ba-da-dum! From where we sit, a band can't be relevant and interesting without a leader who is opinionated and forthright. A band without a compelling figure in front is like an arrow with no head. Flightless. Long sounding the warning we live in a Big Brother society, does "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?" ring a bell? Dave continues to beat the drum for anyone who will listen that we're under surveillance and even worse are being subtly programmed to accept it. How's that Verizon account working for you?
It's always fun, always interesting and always compelling radio when Dave stops by, so join us for Mr. Mustaine and "Super Collider" on the next ROCKLINE!
- bc
