In a new interview with Vinyl Writer Music, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine said that he has been “secretly hoping there’d be a day” when he could write music again with his former bandmate in METALLICA, James Hetfield. He added: “I think the world really does want us to do that, and I think there is a pretty good possibility of it happening down the line.”
He continued: “I do think that it’s possible that one day James is going to come around and that he and I are going to be able to do something together again. I guess that’s one of the things that has always kept me pushing forward. I think it’d be good for MEGADETH, and it could be great for METALLICA too.”
Back in 2012, Mustaine apologized to Hetfield for publicly discussing the fact that Dave wanted to assemble a “supergroup” combining Mustaine and then-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson with Hetfield and METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich.
Hetfield laughed off talk of a possible collaboration between members of his band and members of MEGADETH in an interview, calling it “crazy” talk on the part of Mustaine. An early member of METALLICA before being kicked out in early 1983, Mustaine has jammed with his ex-bandmates on several occasions in 2010 and 2011 during “Big Four” shows and at METALLICA‘s 30th anniversary concerts.
Hetfield told So What!, METALLICA‘s fan club magazine, “I see [Mustaine] healthier now. I see him as less of a bitter guy. But I do see a lot of stuff in the press with him talking about jamming with us and making an album. All this other crazy stuff. I read it and say to myself, ‘Hold on. This is the Dave that we kind of wanted to forget about. You know, the big-mouth that wants to just go-go-go.”
Hetfield added, “But there is an authenticity about him when he speaks. He doesn’t think too much before he does. He just goes off the cuff. Plus, when he says stuff like that, it’s well-intended.”
In an interview with Artisan News, Mustaine was asked about Hetfield‘s comments. “I already sent [James] a text message and said I apologized to him for saying that and that I won’t ever mention it again,” Mustaine said. “I like James and I thought what he said was flattering, and then it kind of went the opposite way, and then it kind of came back again. And you know, that’s okay. I guess my whole thing was I just wanted them to know that I loved them and that I missed them and I enjoyed playing with them. If that’s not mutual, then I understand. I still respect him, and I still care about the guy. If he doesn’t wanna play [with me] anymore, that’s cool. If he doesn’t like the idea of what I said, that’s okay, too. It wasn’t like I said it was gonna happen, it was something that I kind of wished would happen. But you know, it’s okay now, since it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna happen. And you know what?! It’s off my bucket list.”
He added, “The thing is that I probably shouldn’t have said stuff like that, ’cause, I guess, to some people, they may think that I’m trying to use that as a way to get publicity, so I can see where there would be some feelings about it, and that wasn’t my intention.”
Mustaine feuded with the members of METALLICA for more than two decades before finally patching things up more than a decade ago.
In a 2009 interview with Norway’s Lydverket, Mustaine said that he was “so hurt” by getting kicked out of METALLICA for allegedly drinking too much. “I said, ‘What?! No second chance, no warning? C’mon, we all drink. C’mon.'” he recalled. “And [they were like], ‘No, that’s it. You’re gone.’ And I was like, ‘All right.'”
Mustaine also went on to claim that an altercation with Hetfield led to his being fired from the band.
“I was selling pot,” Dave said. “When I would go play in concert, people knew that my pot was sitting in my apartment just saying, ‘Go ahead and keep me company.’ So I was broken in on. People stole everything that I had; all my stash. And I figured, screw this. I’m gonna get some dogs to stay in the apartment when I leave. So I got two…
Read More: DAVE MUSTAINE Is Still Hoping To Write New Music With JAMES HETFIELD: ‘The World