Controversy
Dave Mustaine is notorious for making inflammatory statements in the press, usually regarding feuds and problems with former Metallica bandmates or other bands, including Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera. The oldest of these, and most well-known among fans, was Mustaine's long standing feud with Metallica members James Hetfield and in particular Lars Ulrich. This feud stemmed from his ejection from the band, the method with which it was conducted, and disagreements on songwriting credits. After more than two decades, this feud has been resolved and Mustaine and the members of Metallica are once again good friends.
In April 1988, at a concert in Antrim, Northern Ireland, Mustaine unknowingly dedicated the final song to the IRA. Before the final song, "Anarchy in the UK", Mustaine said, "this one's for the cause!" Loyalists took offense at this statement and a fight amongst the audience ensued. The band had to travel in a bulletproof bus for the remainder of the tour of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Mustaine later alleged that he had been misled by T-shirt bootleggers about the meaning of the expression "the cause." This incident served as inspiration for the song "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".
| Wikisource has original text related to this article: David Ellefson v Megadeth |
In July 2004, former bassist Dave Ellefson sued Mustaine for $18.5 million in Manhattan Federal Court. Ellefson alleged that Mustaine short changed him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth over to him when they disbanded in 2002. Ellefson also accused Mustaine of locking him out of merchandise and publishing royalties. The suit was dismissed in 2005, and Mustaine filed a countersuit that was settled out of court.
In recent years, Dave Mustaine has become a born-again Christian. Minor controversy was sparked by Mustaine's announcement that Megadeth will not play certain songs live anymore due to his new identification as a Christian. In May 2005, Mustaine also allegedly threatened to cancel shows in Greece and Israel with extreme metal bands Rotting Christ and Dissection due to the bands' anti-Christian beliefs. This caused the two bands to cancel their appearances.
Read more about this topic: Megadeth
Famous quotes containing the word controversy:
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)