“I finally said, ‘Where the f**k are these guys?’ and set my guitar down”: How Dave Mustaine got the Metallica gig just by warming up
How much of an audition do you actually need to land a gig? A blistering solo? A perfectly memorised setlist? Or, if you’re Dave Mustaine, maybe a few minutes of warming up is all it takes.
Following the recent revelation that the band’s next album will be their last, the Megadeth frontman has been revisiting the unlikely beginnings of his Metallica tenure, sharing how his very first jam with James Hetfield and original bassist Ron McGovney ended before it had really begun.
READ MORE: Megadeth wont be returning for any surprise ‘reunion’ tours, insists Dave Mustaine
Looking back on the trip to Norwalk, California, where it all kicked off, Mustaine admits he had no idea what to expect: “When I went to Norwalk the day that I met James Hetfield and Ron McGovney, I didn’t know what was gonna happen,” he tells Premier Guitar. “Nobody did. But I had my style, and it was based around the riff.”
“I went in there and I didn’t have any Marshalls yet because I was just starting to get serious,” he continues. “I had these Risson amps – they were tan, so from the moment I set up my stack, I was different.”
“I plugged in my guitar and I started warming up, and I kept warming up and warming up,” says Mustaine, who recalls being puzzled by Hetfield and McGovney’s absence.
“And I finally said, ‘Where the fuck are these guys?’ I set my guitar down and switched my amp to standby. And then I went out there and I said, ‘Man, where’s my audition?’ They said, ‘You got the gig.’ So I got my job just by warming up.”
And while he has previously described himself as one of the four “best rhythm guitar players in the world”, alongside James Hetfield, AC/DC’s Malcolm Young and Scorpions’ Rudolf Schenker, Mustaine admits he much prefers to be called “a guitarist that sings”.
“The term ‘rhythm guitar player’ seems a little diminishing for me,” he says. “I love the riff.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
