MEGADETH's BRODERICK On 'Rust In Peace' Tour, 'Endgame' And Influences

On March 16, Chris Dahlberg of Cosmos Gaming conducted an interview with MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Cosmos Gaming: You're about halfway into the "Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour". How has it been going so far?

Broderick: It has been awesome. Even from the first couple of shows it started already feeling like we had been out on tour for a month. You know, we were just really getting into the groove of things. Things have been going real smooth, there haven't been any major hiccups. You know, sometimes you roll into venues and the system that they have for the show wasn't the correct one and you're dealing with all these constraints in terms of sound or lighting, whatever it may be. You run into those constraints frequently, but I think this tour has been rolling real smooth. It has been great. (Editor's Note: On this show MEGADETH encountered major sound problems and had to cut their set short for the night.)

Cosmos Gaming: So you joined the band in 2008 right?

Broderick: Right.

Cosmos Gaming: Had "Endgame" been started at all at that point?

Broderick: No. "Endgame" wasn't started until around August of 2008. So two thirds of the way through 2008 or somewhere around that time we started looking at it, but it was a little bit of a drawn out process because at the same time that we started looking at creating that CD we were moving into Vic's Garage which is Dave's [Mustaine] recording studio. The studio had to totally be built up, there were no walls where you wanted them as it was just an open warehouse. So we were going down there and trying to do some recording and riff ideas while all of this construction is happening at the same time. So it was a little more drawn out than I'm sure it had to be but under those constraints I think it turned out really well.

Cosmos Gaming: How involved were you in the writing process? Was it equal with you and Dave and everybody else?

Broderick: In a sense, it could have been because we all submitted potential songs and ideas, things of that nature for the CD. But at the end of the day we have to live up to the name of MEGADETH, we have to be true to that sound. So what better person to go to than Dave for that kind of stuff? Ultimately, it was mostly his material that made it on the CD but both Shawn [Drover, drums] and I had tidbits, parts that made it onto the album.

Cosmos Gaming: Do you think if [MEGADETH] were to somehow end in the near future you would get back together with NEVERMORE or JAG PANZER?

Broderick: No. I love all those guys a lot, I talk with Mark, Richard, and Jeff all the time and we all remain friends. JAG PANZER has moved on with Christian Lasegue and NEVERMORE, Jeff's doing his solo project right now and so is Warrel. So I don't see myself rejoining either of these bands.

Cosmos Gaming: What kind of music do you listen to when you have free time?

Broderick: I listen to a variety of things, but I'm really particular within individual categories. I listen to a lot of flamenco, classical music, very virtuosic metal such as Greg Howe, Paul Gilbert, all the shredder stuff like that. I also listen to jazz and a lot of other kinds of music, so that's what I listen to.

Cosmos Gaming: Do you try to pick up guitar styles from the different types of music and then see how you can incorporate them into metal?

Broderick: Absolutely, I have some songs that work well with flamenco guitar on top of some very heavy metal riffs. So yeah, I always try and do that. I remember I used to play this song that was kind of jazz metal, and I know other people have done that as well but I do try to amalgamate all of these different styles.

Cosmos Gaming: Do you have any tips for any up and coming guitarists or people who are in bands?

Broderick: Definitely just play out as much as you can and try and expose yourself. In music in general, trying to get to where you can actually make a living doing what you love takes a lot of luck. It isn't just what you can do on the instrument, but also the people you meet and how good your social skills are and all of that. Take every chance you can and keep playing, and try and stay humble because there are tons of great players out there.

Read the entire interview from Cosmos Gaming.

Photo below courtesy of Metal Mind Productions