DAVE MUSTAINE On ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: 'I'm In There'

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has once again reiterated his belief that he is already in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Mustaine, who was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Kirk Hammett, was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the band during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium.

But Mustaine insists he has already gotten the nod because he is credited on the first two METALLICA albums and co-wrote half a dozen or so songs with the band which, inarguably, helped launch their career.

"I'm in there," he tells The Richmond Register in a new interview. "Anyone who thinks that METALLICA is in there and Dave Mustaine is not has got a short between their headphones. I'm there. As far as being there and standing on my own two feet and going into the head, taking a piss and saying that I own the house, no, not yet. But I'm sure at some point if it is meant to be, it will happen. I'm patient."

Mustaine also again spoke about the fact that MEGADETH finally won a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" earlier this year after twelve nominations in the past twenty-six years.

"Having been nominated so many times for a Grammy and not getting it, it almost made me just irascible," Mustaine said. "Now that I have it, most people would be like, 'Oh, wow. I did it. It's so great.' But behind every mountain there's another mountain. I was looking at my Grammy Award. It says 'Presented To Megadeth For Best Metal Performance For Dystopia.' It would have been way cooler if it would have said 'Presented To Dave Mustaine.' I still have a target. I'm not giving up yet."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included into the Rock Hall along with his former bandmates because "you've got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

MEGADETH is currently touring North America with MESHUGGAH and will play arenas later in the year as the support act for German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS.