Dave Mustaine Talks Metallica, Religion, and Rock and Roll Excesses

In a recent interview, CTV.ca chatted with Megadeth main man Dave Mustaine about his upcoming autobiography.

Leaving no stone unturned, Mustiane discussed an array of personal topics, including the neglect he experienced during childhood, the excesses of his "rock and roll lifestyle," and the more recent events in his life including his newfound religious devotion. Concerning his turn to God, Mustaine commented on how religion doesn't readily meld with the metal archetype:

"I think in the beginning there were a lot of people who were very angry because they'd lost their guitar player, their singer, their frontman, their Dave Mustaine. [But] if you go back and look at all my lyrics now, there's a lot of God in it."

Mustaine also discussed metal giants Metallica. His excessive drug and alcohol use was the reason for his being booted from the band in 1983. In his book, Mustaine writes, "Without my songs and my solos - without my energy - I don't know that Metallica ever would have become the band that it was."

Outside of substance abuse, Mustaine experienced a number of other setbacks in his career. Among them: an arm injury that nearly ended his career entirely, the near-disintegration of his marriage, and a number of stints in rehab. "Heroin was a terrible experience for us," he admitted. "It was part of my life for 13 years." According to Mustaine, Megadeth's back catalogue is full of clues regarding the band's downward spiral: "You can see where the different types of drugs changed, where the band changed. The heroin and the cocaine use, and the debauchery, and the fighting and the theft and stealing and robbing."

Having recently embraced a more spiritual outlook on life, Mustaine credits religion as having saved his life, protected his family, and kept him going as a member of Megadeth:

"When I got saved it wasn't about getting me saved. It was about me getting my life right with God, getting my family out of what looked liked extremely dire straits ... and just making a really good decision for once in my life."

After all he's endured, Mustaine has no intention of stopping in the near future. "I think that I'll be a musician for the rest of my days," he remarked.