Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine claims he was the “alpha male” in Metallica
Megadeth mastermind Dave Mustaine has reflected on his time in Metallica, claiming that he was the “alpha male” of the band and that it was he who had to do all the work, in what is one of his most contentious claims to date.
During a new interview with Classic Rock, Mustaine sat down to discuss Megadeth’s recent record, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, and unsurprisingly, at one point, the conversation turned to his short time in Metallica at their inception and his role within the group.
Only in Metallica between 1981 and 1983, Mustaine claimed that he was the “alpha male” of the outfit. When the interviewer pointed out that Mustaine wrote in his memoir, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, that he was the “leader of (Metallica), and that that was an odd thing to say”, the thrash legend asked, “Why?”, to which the interviewer explained: “Because James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich are such alpha males.”
“Oh, no,” Mustaine maintained. “I am clearly the alpha male between the three of us. Why did I have to do everything when I was in the band? Why did they always ask me talk to the promoters and collect the cash? Why was I the one who had to do the fighting? Why did I have to talk in between songs?”
Then, Mustaine was questioned whether he finds it difficult to discuss his time in Metallica, to which he responded: “I really don’t give a fuck. And you know what? I love those guys. I sent a text message to James just a couple of days ago after he admitted onstage that he was insecure about his guitar playing.”
He continued: “I said: ‘James, I love you and I really like your playing.’ He didn’t answer. Of course not. Why would he? The point is I wanted him to know that I’ve had those feelings too, but I don’t now.”
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