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“If someone brings it up, I’ll answer the question”: Dave Mustaine says he doesn’t go out of his way to talk about Metallica

“’Cause I think in a way that kind of gives the impression that I need to talk about them in order for me to feel good about myself. And I don’t.”

[L-R] Dave Mustaine and James Hetfield

Credit: Getty Images

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Dave Mustaine — ex-Metallica guitarist in case you didn’t know — has claimed that he doesn’t bring up his former band unless someone asks about it.

Speaking to Rock Antenne, the Megadeth frontman is asked if he ever gets tired of constantly having to answer questions about his old band and bandmates, to which he replies: “Well, I don’t really talk about my time with Metallica. I don’t bring it up.”

“So if someone brings it up, I’ll answer the question, but I usually don’t bother doing that. ‘Cause I think in a way that kind of gives the impression that I need to talk about them in order for me to feel good about myself. And I don’t — I don’t,” says Mustaine.

“I feel good about who I am just ’cause I feel good about who I am,” he adds. “It has nothing to do with bands that I’ve played in in the past. And if it was, I would say of the three bands that I was in that I enjoyed Panic and Megadeth more than I did in Metallica because we did argue a lot.”

The rocker says that while he loved playing with the rest of the Metallica gang, all of it was only “meant for a season”.

“And I look back on that time with a lot of fondness,” he says. “I used to not, because I was still hurt from losing my job, but now I know, basically, that things happen for a reason, no matter what they are, and whether I was still in that group or not, that was outta my hands.”

“And once I accept those things… Acceptance is the key to all of my problems today. If there’s something happening in my life and I can’t change it, and I spend my time wasting energy and effort to try and change something I cannot change, man, you’re gonna go nuts. So I’ve chosen to find the happier things in life.”

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