DAVE MUSTAINE Clarifies His Comments About Gay Marriage: 'I Would Never Tell Anybody Who To Love Or Who Not To Love'

Dave Mustaine has clarified his comments about gay marriage, claiming that he "would never tell anybody who to love or who not to love."

The MEGADETH leader made headlines in February 2012 when he was interviewed by Josh Kerns for an episode of "Seattle Sounds", which airs on on Seattle's KIRO 97.3 FM radio station. When asked if he supports gay marriage, Mustaine said, "Well, since I'm not gay, the answer to that would be no." Dave was then questioned if he would support legislation to make marriage between a man and another man legal. He replied, "I'm Christian. The answer to that would be no."

Mustaine revisited his comments about gay marriage during a brand new interview with the New Jersey radio station WSOU. Recalling the original comments which got him in hot water with the gay community, Dave said (hear audio below): "I was up in Seattle. I was talking on talk radio. It wasn't even a music show. And the [radio host] goes, 'What do you think about gay rights?' And I said, 'Buddy, I'm a heterosexual. I'm a happily married man. This doesn't really apply to me. So I don't really know. Ask me another question.' And the guy says, 'So you're not for gay rights.' And I said, 'I never said that. I just said that I'm a happily married, straight man.' And the guy goes, 'So, are you against gay people?' And I said, 'I'm against Dave being gay.' And that was all I said. And now the gay community thinks I am a gay hater."

Addressing the fact that some people think his faith prevents him from supporting the legalization of gay marriage, Mustaine said: "I'm a Christian, so for me, I have my beliefs, but I never tell people what to do. And I would never tell anybody who to love or who not to love. And by the standards of what people think Christians are, I wouldn't be a Christian, because Christians are supposed to be against abortion. And if my daughter was raped or her life was at stake because of a disease or delivery or something like that, I would be for protecting the life of the mother. So I've got all these conflicting things."

According to Dave, his stance on gay marriage is one of many misconceptions about him that are perpetuated on social media.

"People think they know me, and they don't," he said. "It's really easy to say, 'Dave this' or' Dave that.' Because people read stuff, they think they know who I am. So I've been fortunate, with my radio show, to explain some of this stupidity away.

"It's one of the bummers about social media now," he added. "People take things and turn it into hate so quick."

Mustaine made even more headlines in early 2012 when he voiced his support for ultraconservative Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum. He explained at the time that the Pennsylvania politician looked "like he could be a really cool president… kind of like a JFK kind of guy." That same year, he drew ire on social media when he suggested onstage at a concert in Singapore that President Obama was behind the mass shootings in Aurora and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Mustaine later blamed media outlets for taking his statements out of context, explaining that never said he officially "endorsed" Santorum. As for the Singapore concert, he claimed to have been repeating the theories of Larry Pratt, a pro-gun activist who runs the organization Gun Owners Of America.

Also in 2012, Mustaine revealed his "birther" opinions on a talk show, saying he doubted President Obama was born in the United States. He told radio host Alex Jones: "With all of the proof about his birth certificate being fake… And you see the signs in Kenya that say 'the birthplace of Barack Obama.' Hello?! C'mon, guys. How stupid are we right now?"

Mustaine has consistently denied that he is a Republican, telling Artisan News in a 2012 interview: "I'm an independent, not a Republican — I've never been a Republican. I've always said that. I don't belong to any party — I'm non-partisan. And for me, the sad thing is, instead of voting for the best man, I have to vote for the lesser of two evils."