Megadeth: 'We're Living The Dream Because We're Awake And We're Working It'

Gav Ross of Australia's Beat magazine recently conducted an interview with Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the fact that talking about his craft and answering the same questions over and over again is far from a chore:

Dreams are for people who sleep. We're living the dream because we're awake and we're working it. It's really important that we remember that things aren't just going to happen by us sitting back and waiting for something to drop into our laps.

On Megadeth's new album, "Endgame":

Part of it was written in the studio; part of it was some riffs I'd saved over the years. I'm just really excited about how it all came together. Granted, there's a lot of stuff I'd like to have had happen with this record, like doing it all in one sitting rather than having all the interruptions that we had with tours and stuff. Sometimes it makes it so difficult — you're in a creative moment and then you've gotta stop.

On the unexpected generosity he encountered while putting together his recording studio, Vic's Garage, in San Marcos, California:

We had a guy come into (Vic's Garage) and he and his wife were huge fans. While I was a little uncomfortable with his offer, he has now — no shit — dropped over $100,000 in sound-proofing the studio for free. His son is a drummer and they've already done some recording in here too.

On the general support he has received during his career and his position as something of a guitar deity:

I haven't felt as honored or respected [by] our fans or the heavy metal community as much as I do now. It's so rewarding and almost inebriating. I've never been one of those guys to get caught up in the hype because I put my pants on just like everyone else, y'know?

On Megadeth's recent Canadian tour with Slayer — the first time the two bands played together in almost 15 years:

(Because) we hadn't played together in quite some time we didn't really know how it was going to go. The concerts were great; the fans were great and the bands will continue to grow closer over time. We'd had some problems in the past, but we're considerably more mature now and I've changed a lot, so anybody that's waiting for me to say something to ruin the tour, they're going to get disappointed.

On being on the road for long periods of time:

I don't really tire from the touring as much as a normal guy would because I take really good care of myself. The touring rigors will eat you alive if you don't get your act together. It's real easy to be out on the road and to lose sight of what's good for you; you can get sick really easy out there by following some bad habits or doing some stuff with people.

On Megadeth's upcoming Australian tour with Slayer:

That's the problem when you're in the situation of there being more than one band (on the bill). Because it's a co-headline show both bands get exactly the same amount of time. They're closing, we aren't, but we're going to play as many songs as we can in the amount of time we have. The four concerts we did Canada were only 60 minutes and that only allows us to play about 12 songs.

I'd like to play longer, but I also know that we're being followed by a very capable band and they're going to be just as exciting to listen to as we are. My main goal is to play the best that I absolutely can on this tour and be in the best physical shape I can be.

Read more from Beat magazine.