DAVE MUSTAINE: 'I've Learned To Let Go Of The Harsh Stuff Some People Say About Me'

In a brand new interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke about the opening track on the band's new "Super Collider" album, "Kingmaker", which is described as a scorching narrative on the scourge of the pharmaceutical industry on society, in particular teenagers.

"When I was growing up, pot was like the real big thing among young guys," Mustaine said. "I smoked when I was 13. Now, you see lots of young kids doing crack and ecstasy and crystal meth. It's so sad. And while I don't deny anybody the right to have an out-of-body experience, music can do that for you. Love can do that for you.

"My concern is we have a new generation of people who really don't want to experience any emotions, whether it's themselves or the people around them.

"Instead of learning to communicate and share their lives and emotions with other people, we're just putting them on psycho-pharmaceutical stuff just to shut them up. Like 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' kind of stuff."

Mustaine, who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and is now a born-again Christian, also spoke about his own struggles with addiction and how his spirituality aided in his recovery.

"It's really weird," he said. "I was forced to go to AA. And I hated it. But I had come to a point where I knew that the jig was up. The thing was, God had entered my life and he sent me to AA. Then after I got sober at AA, he sent me back to him. Now I have this real simple, easy-Dave-and-the-Big-Guy relationship. There's no middle man. No funky stuff. No having to pay dues or membership or anything. And I don't push my beliefs on anyone. It's about attraction, not promotion."

According to Mustaine, he is no longer bother by some of the criticism that has been leveled at him over the years, particularly as it relates to his often-controversial viewpoints on everything from the theory of evolution to President Obama.

"I've learned to let go of the harsh stuff some people say about me," Mustaine said. "But I do pay close attention to what our fans are saying about what they like or don't like about our shows or song selections. I love when I can read music-oriented reviews of our records.

"There's nothing worse than reading a review from somebody giving a Rorschach ink-blot description of a band," he said. "I don't care if a guy is unbalanced. What's the music sound like? I don't care if you don't like the guy or what band you came to see. Is the music cool? It's all about the music, isn't it?"

Read more at Reno Gazette-Journal.