Ex-MEGADETH Guitarist AL PITRELLI On Working With DAVE MUSTAINE

April 5, 2010

Elliot Levin of the New York Hard Rock Examiner recently conducted an interview with guitarist Al Pitrelli (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, MEGADETH, SAVATAGE, ALICE COOPER). An excerpt from the chat follows below.

New York Hard Rock Examiner: I have to ask the obligatory question: How was it working with [Dave Mustaine] on a personal level?

Al Pitrelli: I thought we got along pretty good as long as I always kept in mind that his work was lore, it was his band, his vision, and he's the boss. You know, it's like anything else — you go to work, and either you like your boss or you dislike your boss, it doesn't really matter, it's whether your boss likes you. I went in there, he pulled me out of a pretty troubled personal life and he helped me get through a lot of things like that, which I was real appreciative of, and he was pretty hard, he's a hard guy to work for. If you don't bring your game every day, you're gonna catch his wrath, and that's something that you probably don't want to do more than once. I had no problem with it. When he was being strict and disciplined me, well, dude, it's your thing, y'know? I mean, he got kicked out of METALLICA and created the second largest metal band on the planet, so, you know, whatever you're doing seems to be working. I'm all ears, let me learn from you, because you did pretty good for yourself. There were nights we'd get along like two brothers, and there were other nights where he'd want to throw me off the bus, so it is what it is.

New York Hard Rock Examiner: How did you feel when you heard that David Ellefson rejoined the band recently?

Al Pitrelli: I thought it was great. Good for Dave. He started that band, he's been around with Mustaine for what, 20-something years now, I think it's great that he's back together, I would love to see the Marty Friedman and Nick Menza lineup back together, and have those four guys go back out and do some of those records. That band had a particular chemistry to it that was really, really special. I haven't had a chance to talk to Ellefson in a little while, because I know he's busy, but I'm real happy for him as long as he's happy doing what he's doing. He's a great bass player and he helped create that thing so he should be part of it.

Read the entire interview at the New York Hard Rock Examiner.

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