MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE On Singing About Political Issues: 'I Don't Try And Tell People In My Songs What To Do'

On Friday, April 5, the four members of MEGADETH took part in a press conference one day prior to the kick-off of their spring 2024 South American tour in Lima, Peru. One of the first questions was for MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine, who went to the White House in 1992 with the "Rock The Vote" campaign for the Democratic National Convention coverage. Asked what that experience was like and if he would do it again, the 62-year-old Mustaine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What was it like going up to the White House and doing the 'Rock The Vote' thing? Well, I think if you wanna say something, you need to know what you're saying. And I was asked to help get people in my country registered to vote — not to become a Democrat, not to become a Republican, but to vote. And I've always said, when I talk to people, I try and show them both sides and then let that person pick. I don't try and tell people in my songs what to do.

"Would I do it again? I guess I kind of do it still every day, just being an example in heavy metal music that not everyone in metal is uninterested in civil matters in their country, singing about things that matter," he added.

Two years ago, Mustaine claimed that he "peed on the floor" of the White House bathroom when he went there more than three decades ago. Dave made the outrageous claim while introducing the song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" during MEGADETH's concert at the Tucson Arena in Tucson, Arizona. Mustaine said in part: "I want you guys to know that I've lived through a lot of different eras in the United States and seen different things, and one thing that makes me the most proud of everything here in our country is you guys, the way that you are handling yourselves and the way that… as the metal community. There's a lot of people that go out there and they say things and they totally embarrass themselves. And I want you guys to know how proud I am to represent you."

He continued: "When I went up to the White House, I was so proud to be able to go up there and say, 'Fuck you. You think we're stupid? We are not stupid, motherfuckers.'

"By the way, when I went into the White House, I went into the royal — whatever the fuck it's called — White House bathroom, and I peed on the floor. I had to. I had to."

Five years ago, Dave, who has attracted a fair amount of media attention over the years for his political thoughts, said that he and other public figures have fallen victim to so-called negative partisanship, in which people identify as being against the opposing political party, and vocalize their beliefs through anger or loathing.

"I've got this reputation that I'm a right-winger," Mustaine told Ron Keel of the "Streets Of Rock 'N' Roll" radio show. "Well, check my voting record to see that I've voted Democrat and Republican. And it's just a shame that people are trying to destroy people's careers because of a vote."

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."

Back in 2016, Mustaine refused to say if was going to vote for Donald Trump in that year's U.S. presidential election but called the billionaire real estate mogul "a very successful businessman." He also said that he wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton.

Four years earlier, Mustaine made headlines 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 he 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?"

In October 2011, as Occupy Wall Street protests were raging across the country, Mustaine railed against what he saw as the president's inappropriate support for the populist movement, calling Obama the most divisive president we've ever had. "I've never, in my 50 years of being alive, listened to an American president try and turn one class of people against another class of people," he said. "I've never — never — heard a president say, 'Go down and join the protesters down at Wall Street,' knowing that there are Nazis down there, knowing that there are people down there who are trust-fund babies, that are super, super wealthy and they're going down there and pretending that they really care; they just wanna be part of the 'movement.'"