In a new interview with Kerrang magazine, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine looked back on his youth, his “terrible” childhood, and more.
When asked how misunderstood does he feel “all these years down the line,” Dave responded: “People don’t know me at all. They think they do, but they only know the guy Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] have been trying to smear for 40 years. They know the guy that usually responds to bad sh*t being said about them, but do they know me? No. I don’t usually come out and say stuff about people unless I’m provoked… especially nowadays. In the beginning, if someone said something I didn’t like, I may have retaliated in jest, but never seriously. I would never attack anyone without good reason.”
Asked what does he remember growing up in ’60s California, he said: “Not much, though there are bits and pieces of everything. Whenever I drive from San Diego to Los Angeles it’s easy to find myself drifting on freeways I didn’t need to take. One of them goes past my old house in Huntington Beach, and Costa Mesa where I grew up. I remember seeing this local band called THE SYNDICATE practice and something was out of tune. The drummer stopped and yelled, ’Somebody’s outta tune!’ I remember thinking he sounded like such a dick.”
Dave continued about his childhood: “It was terrible. My dad drank a lot and was abusive, so my parents got divorced when I was young and it got worse from there. We moved up to Costa Mesa to move in with my aunt, who was a Jehovah’s Witness, and that’s when my mum became one too. They don’t believe in Christmas, birthdays, or holidays. My life was ruined from that point onwards until I moved out.”
“At school, whenever it was time to stand up and do the pledge of allegiance, I had to stand there with my hands by my side not saying a word. The other kids were all wondering what the hell was wrong with me. I couldn’t have any other friends because they were considered too ’worldly.’ I was only allowed to have friends from church, most of who lived far away and weren’t the kind of people I’d generally mix with.
“They weren’t even my f*ckin’ age,” he added. “Whenever it was a new school year, I would see my dad just to get money for the clothes and supplies, then I wouldn’t see him until the next one. Later on, whenever he found out where we were living, we would move. That would change you. It makes you not trust people. You can’t let anyone in because in a few weeks dad will come and you’ll be gone.”
