MEGADETH Is 'Doing Everything Right' At The Moment, Says DAVE MUSTAINE

Last week, Do512 blog conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Do512: With such a huge catalog of music, how does MEGADETH form their set list from night to night?

Mustaine: It always changes. Sometimes we'll have a set that we use for the entire tour, sometimes there will be a song that we are working in or out of the set and it just doesn't come together as a song to be performed live very well, or it will be in the wrong spot so we'll move it around a little bit because the show is all about timing, too. When you go to the circus, they don't bring the lions out first because everyone would split. The music business is so competitive now, you really want to make sure your show is a full-on experience… Our catalog is so vast, we could do a set with a band like FOREIGNER or JOURNEY or we could go out and do this thing with [IRON] MAIDEN which is the current setlist we're talking about. We added "Tornado Of Souls" back into it. And we can do the same thing when we do the set with [BLACK] SABBATH. We should make a set list for that that's totally unique and killer just for that tour.

Do512: Outside of music, outside of your life in MEGADETH, what do you like to do in your free time and with your family?

Mustaine: I like to read a lot. I'm very curious about history, world history, American history. I went to school to be a stockbroker; I'm a New York Times bestselling author. I have three black belts in various martial arts styles. I like to golf. I used to skydive and do stuff like bungee jumping but then I had a surgery on my neck which makes it a little difficult for me to do anything that's going to be dangerous for my neck. Those are some of the things I like to do. I like to surf. I used to skateboard but again with the neck thing, hitting the ground hard or something like that can be very painful. [laughs] We also have horses and I love exotic cars. I have an Aston Martin Vanquish S that I just got. I am really grateful that our fans have supported us and given me the opportunity to have a neat car or have a car at all. That's why when we get out onstage we work as hard as we do and we sign autographs. Man, I remember signing autographs in the snow with wet hair! It's not comfortable, but it's the right thing to do.

Do512: What do you see the future holding for MEGADETH in the next 5 to 10 years?

Mustaine: I think for the next five years we are going to try and maintain where we are at and just build on the legacy we have right now. We're at that point now where we've gone from being just a historic heavy metal band to getting into those legacy periods where you either go out in a blaze of glory or you kind of fizzle out and people say, "Oh, them again?" And I think right now we're doing everything right.

Read the entire interview at Do512 blog.