MEGADETH FRONTMAN DAVE MUSTIANE DISCUSSES WINNING A GRMMY AWARD AND HOW IT FELT TO RECEIVE IT WHILE METALLICA WAS PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND

Bram Teitelman of Billboard reports:

When Megadeth picked up their first-ever Grammy for best metal performance on February 12th, it was a long time coming, but not for lack of trying — they’d been nominated nine times before in their 34-year career. What was frontman Dave Mustaine thinking being there for the tenth time?

“A little bit of everything, Mustaine tells Billboard. “Obviously the gratitude of being recognized, but also the disappointment lingering from the years where they’ve given the award to somebody that didn’t belong in that category.”

The frontman says he means [no] offense to any of the bands he lost out to in the past, mentioning Nine Inch Nails, Jethro Tull, “a live version of a 27-year-old song” (Judas Priest) and “someone doing a cover song” (Metallica)…

…What many watching the pre-ceremony at home will remember about the win, however, was the house band launching into Metallica’s Master of Puppets as the band took the stage. Mustaine was famously kicked out of that band in 1983 before they’d recorded their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, starting Megadeth later that year. For his part, Mustaine states that it wasn’t worth getting upset over.

“They could have played any song by anybody, and it wouldn’t have mattered because that was our moment,” he says. “I could see the correlation with [the band] who would think, ‘Oh, Megadeth, Metallica, we don’t know any Megadeth, but we do know this one Metallica song, so let’s play this. You think he’ll get mad? I don’t think so, let’s hope not. Hit it, Lefty!’ And then we get up there and go, ‘Boy, that was the worst f–king version of Master of Puppets I’ve ever heard.’ But that kind of stuff, you’ve just won a Grammy and you’re going to worry about some house band doing a cover song in the background?…”

…And while they’re basking in the glow of their Grammy win, Mustaine says we can expect a follow-up to Dystopia sometime next year. “I’m pretty afraid of picking up my guitar during the off season, so I try to keep my distance from it,” he says. “It starts to call my name when it gets close to new record time, and the past couple weeks, I’ve actually been playing a little bit, so it’s kind of like ‘ok, here we go.’”

Read more at Billboard.

source: billboard.com

15 Responses

  1. I think its supposed to read “he means no offense to any of the bands…”

    One thing I haven’t seen mentioned until now is how poorly the house band played Master of Puppets. Pretty shoddy for an organization that is supposed to represent the pinnacle of music.

    1. Waverider,

      You are probably correct to state that Muscatine most likely meant “no offense,” but that is exactly how it appears on Billboard. I will put “no” into the article in brackets.

      Thanks,

      D 🙂

  2. Metallica got dissed also when Lady Ga Ga did a song with them and Met wasn’t even introduced. Corporate has no idea or clue when it comes to metal.

    1. Donald,

      Not only is she being criticized for her performance with Metallica, she is now being blamed by Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu, for their Super Bowl loss.

      San says, hat Lady Gaga’s 40-minute halftime performance “definitely did” impact the team’s play in the second half.

      “Usually, halftime is only like 15 minutes, and when you’re not on the field for like an hour, it’s just like going to work out, like a great workout, and you go sit on the couch for an hour and then try to start working out again,” Sanu said on the NFL Network, via by CBS Sports.

      Sanu said he doesn’t “know if you can simulate something like” the lengthy halftime break.

      If you are interested, you can read more at http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/02/25/patriots-falcons-super-bowl-li-mohamed-sanu-lady-gaga/.

      D 🙂

    2. The Superbowl and all pro football games are TV entertainment events, which is why the extravagant half time event. The NFL exists today because of TV.

      Blaming Gaga for the Falcon’s loss is pretty thin though. I find it hard to believe that millionaire football players with every convenience on the planet, waited on hand and foot, with Dr’s, physical therapists, motivational staff, and pampered like queens, couldn’t get over a slightly longer halftime.

      Just watch college ball, it’s better all around. 🙂

      Also, Gaga had nothing to do with the introduction at the Grammy’s. The lady that intro’d them screwed up and apologized. It’s live, and pretty complex event, and I’m not surprised at the snafu’s. No big deal.

      The Grammy’s are irrelevant when it comes to metal/rock anyway, and they always have been.

  3. What Sanu fails to mention is the new England Patriots also had to wait the same amount of time during halftime. He also fails to mention that his coaches play calling went very conservative in the 2nd half. He also fails to mention that the game is 4 quarters and that it was evenly played thus overtime was played and the Patriots made more plays than them plain and simple. I’m a Steelers fan.

    1. Frank,

      I know it all comes down to play calling and performance, but time management also plays a crucial role in sports. However, I just found it funny that Gaga is even being blamed for a Super Bowl loss-LOL!

      As a Giants fan, who respects the Steelers tremendously, I will never slag Brady’s talent as a QB. However, Bellicheat is a snake whom should have disbarred from the league a long time ago, and because of that, I am always side eyeing a Pats victory.

      D 🙂

    2. Remember that one time when Dana posted a Megadeth article and it turned into a commentary on Tom Brady?

      There’s a sentence I never thought I’d type.

      In today’s day and age, why does the Grammy’s need a house band? Couldn’t they have just played Muster Of Puppets by mistake digitally instead of having an actual band screw it up?

  4. Pretty gracious of Dave M. concerning the Grammy Awards screw up. He had every right to go off on those morons, put stayed professional. As I’ve stated previously, Megadeth has always been my favorite of the Big 4, and I was thrilled that they finally got the recognition that they deserve. Glad to hear that a new release will follow up Dystopia, which is a KILLER record.

    1. I agree, Keith. Mustaine has handled this situation with class. Loved the way he played “air guitar” to Master of Puppets as he walked down the aisle to accept the grammy. I’m also glad Megadeth finally got some long deserved recognition for their work. And I think Mustaine was a huge influence and part of Metallica’s early success that helped catapult their career. I just wonder how the careers of both bands would have differed if Metallica didn’t copy some of Mustaine’s riffs and solos on their early albums, and Mustaine had released them to the world as Megadeth music.

    2. I think Dave will always be a little bitter about getting kicked out of Metallica due to his drinking/ drug issues. But I think that bitterness is what drove him to create Megadeth, and I am certainly glad for that. I love the early Metallica records, but the later ones just don’t due anything for me. Megadeth’s records, on the other hand, I have consistently enjoyed. Even RISK had some pretty good tunes on it! I know everyone says that Megadeth is really Dave M. and a supporting band, and that may be true. But I will always support Megadeth!

  5. Keith, I concur with your comment “…Megadeth is really Dave M. and a supporting band”, but overall, Dave has consistently had the best talented players of the Big 4 thrash bands (IMO) because the band’s music demands it due to the technicality of Megadeth’s music. And these talented players are responsible for some iconic lead guitar, bass, and drum work on many Megadeth songs. But I do wish the lineup was a lot more stable.

Leave a Reply