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    Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir
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    Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir
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    Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir
    Ebook431 pages6 hours

    Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

    By Dave Mustaine and Joe Layden

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    New York Times Bestseller

    Founding member, singer, and lead guitarist of Metallica and Megadeath shares the ultimate, unvarnished story behind his involvement in the rise of two of the world’s most influential heavy metal bands in history. 

    Dave Mustaine is the first to admit that he’s bottomed out a few times in his dark and twisted speed metal version of a Dickensian life. From his soul-crushing professional and artistic setbacks to his battle with addiction, Mustaine has hit rock bottom on multiple occasions. April 1983 was his lowest point, when he was unceremoniously fired from Metallica for his hard-partying ways. But, what seemed to be the end of it all was just the beginning for the guitarist.

    After parting ways with Metallica, Mustaine went on to become the front man, singer, songwriter, guitarist (and de facto CEO) for Megadeath—one of the most successful metal bands in the world. A pioneer of the thrash metal movement, Megadeath rose to international fame in the 1980s, and has gone on to earn seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance.

    In this outrageously candid memoir, one of heavy metal’s most iconic figures gives an insider’s look into the loud and sordid world of thrash metal—sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll included.  

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 3, 2010
    ISBN9780061997037
    Author

    Dave Mustaine

    Dave Mustaine is the lead guitarist and singer of the metal band Megadeath and was a founding member of Metallica. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

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    Reviews for Mustaine

    4/5

    34 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This book really took me back to my heavy metal roots. I was a fan in high-school and college, saw a lot of head-banging bands play live, and still have the hard rock/alternative stations programmed in the car radio. Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir is a look behind the scenes at how a scrawny kid from La Mesa, California became a rock and roll god. It’s full of great backstage stories and plenty of gritty truth about how Dave Mustaine got to where he is today. It’s a must-read for heavy metals fans.Read my full review here.
    • 5/5
      This is a truly great read! I highly recommend it for anyone interested in reading about the rock and roll life.
    • 5/5
      What a life he has lived! I loved this book from start to finish.
    • 3/5
      I'm so sick of reading about drug addicts and alcoholics. Why can't any great musician just be interesting and talented? I love hearing about the creation of the bands, the process of creating music, crazy tour stories, sexcapades etc... But then, like clockwork, they're in rehab, the band and friendships, relationships and maybe marriages are being destroyed. And then they do it again and then again, and guess what? Again. It's so freaking cliché and boring.Other than that it was interesting to hear the Metallica/Megadeth story told from Mustaine's side. I was never a big fan of Megadeth, but I do like some of their music, I always thought Mustaine was a great guitarist. The way he tells it, Lars and James are pretty huge assholes. He's just so arrogant and simple, not very likable, so it's hard to believe him. I never liked the idea of a main musician and then a bunch of "other guys" just kind of hanging out. Just seems like a band should be a group of people all with equal power. Mustaine was more like a boss than a bandmate.
    • 4/5
      Awesome biog. Bit whiny, but anyone familiar with Megadeth would have expected that. Sure, there's a bit of God and a lot of Metallica-bashing, but overall a well-paced, decently written and entertaining heavy metal book.
    • 3/5
      Published in the US as ‘Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir’, I apparently bought a UK import version with an alternate title/cover.The only way to properly talk about this memoir is to begin by paraphrasing Mustaine’s book regarding the stuff that everyone expects:“I was in Metallica until they kicked me out. I am so sad and bitter. I started a new band, Megadeth, which is pretty kick ass and is a metal force to be recognized. Twelve stepping is good so long as you are not to drunk to walk. Even through all my success, I continue to whine about Metallica until I have annoyed even myself…Oh look, there’s Jesus! What’s he doing here? I should ask him if he wants to jam with me..”Dave Mustaine, druggie fist-fighting front-man for metal band Megadeth. Self-titled “Mustaine” covered his mid-teen years to current, his descent into alcoholism and drug abuse, greater than ten stints in various rehab facilities. It doesn’t focus solely on the negative, instead calling out the many positive things his career has brought forth.My previous summary does not do true justice to the autobiography. Mustaine brings the book from a solidly honest perspective. Nothing is more evident than his desire to level with fans, and critics alike in a straightforward and honest conversation.His memoir was actually pretty interesting to read. The repetitive nature of his dislike for previous bands/Megadeth members was almost overwhelming at points, as was his need to tell readers about conflicts he has had over the years which have resulted in the co-conflictor becoming a good friend. It was good though. Anyone who has followed Mustaine’s work over the years has had questions, and this book has a number of the answers.Fans of metal should check this out. It was far from terrible, but I cannot say it was great. Pick up a copy if you can find it on the cheap side, just make sure you don’t may cover price.--xpost RawBlurb.com
    • 3/5
      Published in the US as ‘Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir’, I apparently bought a UK import version with an alternate title/cover.The only way to properly talk about this memoir is to begin by paraphrasing Mustaine’s book regarding the stuff that everyone expects:“I was in Metallica until they kicked me out. I am so sad and bitter. I started a new band, Megadeth, which is pretty kick ass and is a metal force to be recognized. Twelve stepping is good so long as you are not to drunk to walk. Even through all my success, I continue to whine about Metallica until I have annoyed even myself…Oh look, there’s Jesus! What’s he doing here? I should ask him if he wants to jam with me..”Dave Mustaine, druggie fist-fighting front-man for metal band Megadeth. Self-titled “Mustaine” covered his mid-teen years to current, his descent into alcoholism and drug abuse, greater than ten stints in various rehab facilities. It doesn’t focus solely on the negative, instead calling out the many positive things his career has brought forth.My previous summary does not do true justice to the autobiography. Mustaine brings the book from a solidly honest perspective. Nothing is more evident than his desire to level with fans, and critics alike in a straightforward and honest conversation.His memoir was actually pretty interesting to read. The repetitive nature of his dislike for previous bands/Megadeth members was almost overwhelming at points, as was his need to tell readers about conflicts he has had over the years which have resulted in the co-conflictor becoming a good friend. It was good though. Anyone who has followed Mustaine’s work over the years has had questions, and this book has a number of the answers.Fans of metal should check this out. It was far from terrible, but I cannot say it was great. Pick up a copy if you can find it on the cheap side, just make sure you don’t may cover price.--xpost RawBlurb.com
    • 4/5
      I never really listened to Megadeth, but of course grew up with a heavy metal mindset. I thought the book was really well written and a fascinating look int the world of a Thrash metal guitarist/artist. After reading the book I sought out some of his albums and really realized just how great of a musician he was. Funny how that is. I had no idea what a great guitarist he was, something he doesn't rally talk about a whole lot in the book. Anyway, the guy is smart, had a tough and interesting life and has come full circle. His journey was fascinating to me. Made me want to pick up my guitar ans start rocking, like now!
    • 1/5
      Typical junkie bio except with boring stories
    • 3/5
      Dave Mustaine starts out as a small-time drug dealer who answers a want ad looking for a guitarist placed by Lars Ulrich. He becomes a key member of Metallica during their earliest days, but gets kicked out because of drug and alcohol-fueled personality conflicts. Stung by the dismissal and determined to rise again, he forms his own band, Megadeth. He enjoys great success with Megadeth, but falls into full-blown addiction to heroin and cocaine. He goes through rehab several times, and sees a multitude of players join and then leave the band. After a freak injury to his arm he quits the band, told by doctors that he may never be able to play the guitar again. He finally manages to stay clean and sober, converting to Chrisitanity and reconnecting with his wife and kids. He regains the ability to play, puts together a new lineup and returns to the stage.I read this book very quickly - speed metal style, if you will. It's interesting to hear his side of things, but there is a notable lack of depth to his personal analysis. He seems to have no strong idea of why he was kicked out of Metallica, other than the fact that he was a mean, violent drunk while Lars and James were both goofy drunks. His resentment of them drives his own desire to succeed, but he always feels like he comes up short in comparison. I wish there was a comprehensive biography of Metallica that explained exactly what happened, but that book has yet to be written. Mustaine doesn't offer a lot of insight into his creative process either; the primary focus of this book is his struggle with drug addiction and anger management. There are numerous anecdotes about scoring heroin and "getting well" as he puts it. I admire his tenacity and strong, fighting spirit - I just wish he had more insight into the events that shaped his life.
    • 5/5
      This was a long awaited biography for me, Dave Mustaine has long been one of my favourite musicians. When I finally got my hands on a copy I dived in and devoured it! I read it twice and then read my favourite passages all over again. It was amazing to hear in his own words his highs and all time lows, Dave shares with us his troubles with early family life, his short lived career with Metallica...he opens up about his unexpected departure and in all honesty, when he is recounting the day when he is sent home on the bus, and then hearing his songs on Metallica's breakthrough Kill Em' All my heart sank and I cried. Fast forward to the amazing formation of the legendary Megadeth and the genius behind quintessential thrash albums such as 'Rust in Peace', 'Peace Sells But Who's Buying?' and 'Countdown to Extinction', Dave opens up about his problems with addiction, his feud with Metallica as well as the many encountered in the murky music industry. He writes with such honesty and integrity and after reading this biography it has just made me realize how much more this man means to me as one of my idols and ultimately to the fellow devoted droogies out there!
    • 2/5
      Utterly ridiculous. Highly entertaining. One of the best comedy books I've ever read.
    • 2/5
      Utterly ridiculous. Highly entertaining. One of the best comedy books I've ever read.