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Dec 12, 2011

Ramakrishnan rated it:

There was a time when Megadeth was my favorite-est band; Dave Mustaine (founder, leader, composer, singer, everything), personally, was GOD to me. I loved their aggressive music, I was inspired by their lyrics, and I could never stop talking about Megadeth with friends, family, whoever was tolerant to hear me out. Their music went through tumultuous ups and downs, and my personal tastes moved to more aggressive genres and artists. But, I always remained doggedly dedicated to the old era of Megad More...

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Jan 04, 2012

Patrick rated it:

I will admit it first thing: I'm a Dave Mustaine devotee. I know that he's an egomaniac...control freak...hard to work with...etc, etc. But, as a musician and the founder of my own band, I've always respected the way he runs Megadeth. Despite his many (many!) battles with drug addiction, alcoholism, lineup changes, etc, he has always run his band with a very level business head. This book is a very clear representation of Mustaine's point of view of the way things have gone down over the past 30 More...

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Oct 11, 2011

Jason (FNORDinc) rated it:

Published in the US as ‘Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir’, I apparently bought a UK import version with an alternate title/cover.

The only way to properly talk about this memoir is to begin by paraphrasing Mustaine’s book regarding the stuff that everyone expects:

“I was in Metallica until they kicked me out. I am so sad and bitter. I started a new band, Megadeth, which is pretty kick ass and is a metal force to be recognized. Twelve stepping is good so long as you are not to dru More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Lars-christian rated it:

This is a very candid auto biography by one of metal's most famous voices, Dave Mustaine. You'll get the story from childhood all the way through Endgame, the latest album so far. There's plenty of sex, drugs (lots of drugs) and rock n' roll here. Disputes within the band and Dave's family is in focus, and of course the whole Megadeth (or Dave Mustaine) vs. Metallica issue is addressed.

You'll meet a very honest Dave throughout book. I personally felt the religious part got a bit heavy in the en More...

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Mar 24, 2011

Randolph rated it:

I've been a fan of Megadeth since Peace Sells. My love for David Mustaine's sound (he is the lead guitarist, singer, and writer for the band - also the only original member), redoubled when the album "Rust In Peace" came out. I idolized the drummer of that period, Nick Menza, and when the lineup changed again, leaving him out of the band with other members, I found myself asking a lot of questions. Those questions were left mostly unanswered until I read this book.

It's caref More...

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Dec 21, 2010

Charles rated it:

My impression of Dave Mustaine before this book was based almost exclusively on two things: his appearance in the rock star deconstruction piece Some Kind of Monster and his appearance on VH1's Rock N Roll Jeopardy. I'll get to the book in a minute, but those are really worth watching:

Some Kind of Monster clip
Rock N Roll Jeopardy clip

Pretty smart guy, eh? Granted, there are first semester ESL students that would have bested Frank Zappa's kid, and George Clinton' More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 29, 2010

Steve.lovell rated it:

With musical tastes ranging from the mainstream through to country, I have little knowledge of metal and had no idea who the 'dude' was whose photo graced the cover of this autobiography. So then why read a book about one of the founding members of Metallica and 'owner' of the Megadeth franchise? With a son-in-law who is heavily in to metal and who has managed to convince my daughter to veer into that territory too, when a respected colleague waved Mustaine under my nose and suggested I might li More...

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Sep 16, 2010

Rod rated it:

I've cheered him on for over 20 years...great musician - but what a retard. And this book is proof.
I'm glad the book ended the way it did: Dave is still alive, still making music, still married, still learning about Christianity. Go Dave!

I read this biography in 3 days. A fun fast romp through the dark side of the music industry. (is there even a light side?) I've read numerous music biographies: and they're pretty much all the same. Maybe someday Bruce Hornsby will write one; tha More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2010

Nathan rated it:

I read the book in one day, so it can't be too horrible, right?

The main problem I had with it is the same one I had with both Slash's and Anthony Keidis' memoirs: WE GET IT, YOU WENT TO REHAB A LOT. Instead of taking one chapter and devoting it to the numerous times in and out of sobriety, it's done in "real time." So every time he goes into rehab, he writes about it and everything slows to a grinding halt. The other problem I had is the inability of people who replace th More...

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Dec 16, 2010

Teddy rated it:

Dave Mustaine is proclaimed as the godfather of Thrash Metal. If you are a fan of Megadeth and the first Metallica album, Kill Em’ All, then this autobiography, Mustaine, is a must read. Dave goes through his life from point A through z listing his incredible journey from being a poor drug dealer to making his name known in the metal scene. Dave grew up in La Mesa, California, with three sisters and an alcoholic, abusive father. As a kid, he moved a lot because his mother was constantly running More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Kahn added it

Dave took a lot of drugs. Dave was key to the start of Metallica. Dave took a lot of drugs. Dave's been in a lot of rehabs. Dave's taken a lot of drugs.

Somewhere amongst all of that, he started Megadeth and recorded some albums - but that's not really important here. What's key here is the drugs, Metallica, and at the end of it all, God.

Having said all that, it's still a good read. A Life In Metal rips along at a fair old pace, and his place in Metallica is covered in detail. More detail, it co More...

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Nov 10, 2010

dtjunkie rated it:

The first two words of this book are "James Hetfield". You really have to feel for Dave. He has had tons of success with Megadeth, and yet, because he was kicked out of Metallica, he missed a chance at super stardom. Though Mustaine probably has more money and is more famous than 99% of the people of the world he still tends to dwell on that extra 1% he could have had with Metallica. And you know what? I can't blame him. I'd probably spend tons of time imagining what could have b More...

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Jan 12, 2011

Mark R. rated it:

Excellent autobiography of one of heavy metal's most controversial front men. The book is co-written by a guy named Joe Layden, unfamiliar to me, but I get the impression that Mustaine put most of it together himself. He's a good writer. Megadeth fans already know that, due to his thoughtful, inspired lyrics from the past twenty-five years, but writing song lyrics isn't the same as writing a book--and here Mustaine proves that he's damn good at that too.

The guy's got a reputation, a More...

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Aug 25, 2010

Cyrus rated it:

megadeth was my favorite band throughout high school, so i had to pick this up out of sheer loyalty to myself. in the spirit of the ozzy book, which i also recently reviewed, there are some absolutely unbelievable stories in here - occurring between the seventeen times mustaine ended up in rehab for drinking, coke, heroin, painkillers, et cetera. in general, mustaine has such a hilarious way of storytelling (or speaking in general - check out some of his stage banter on youtube). his life is suc More...

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Dec 12, 2011

Dirk rated it:

I think there are a lot of positive things that can come from a book like this. There are lessons here, and warnings, more than a few. It takes something to be this candid and open about the mistakes you’ve made, perhaps even more so if you’re Dave Mustaine. If you’ve ever read up about him, or if you’ve followed his career, you’ll know. He owns up to a lot here, generally clearing the water. Let’s face it, there’s only so much you can learn about someone like this on Wikipedia.

This More...

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Jan 22, 2012

Glen rated it:

You have to feel for Dave Mustaine. Along with all the glory we see of rock-stars they are often flawed and disturbed individuals who have numerous everyday problems' if not extra ordinary problems.
His rejection from Metallica has left him a scarred genius who simply could never come to terms with his individual success and enjoy it.
I recall being in high-school and was always admiring how articulate Dave's interviews were. He may seem like another long haired stereotypical metal head More...

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Aug 15, 2011

Georgette rated it:

I was never a huge fan of Megadeth, but I always admired Dave Mustaine for being upfront about everything, and not backing down on what he believed in, whether it was music, religion, or the right to not back one particular political party over another. After reading his memoir, I feel even more so. He's got such a dry sense of humor throughout, and the captions on the photographs, well, let's just say they're almost as funny as parts of the book. I don't think I realized what a struggle it was More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Todd rated it:

As with far too many autobiographies, I felt the book started strong, but sputtered out in later chapters. Mustaine is quite candid and brutally honest in discussing the distant past; avoiding excuses and revealing his shortcomings in bulk. However, as his story moves closer to the present, he begins glossing over issues, relying on scapegoats, and generally turns the memoir in to a redemption fluff piece. I don't want to say he cops out, as it is admirable that he apparently found peace in his More...

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Oct 05, 2010

Kitt-e-kat rated it:

A book I stayed interested in reading and read in 3 days. I have new respect for this man who was a druggie alchoholic metal maniac singer/guitarist who got kicked out of pre-Metallica before they hit it big and still triumped himself in having his own biggest metal band in the world 'Megadeth' doing it on his own. He lived the rock star life going to rehab 17 times and found Christ when he was at his lowest point of his addiction. He explains everything you heard about his struggle with Metalli More...

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Sep 13, 2011

Glamzilla1976 rated it:

A 'B' grade rock book from the frontman of a 'B' grade band, the subtitle of this should have been 'Waaaaaa, I got kicked out of Metallica in my 20s and I never got over it.' The sad thing, which become apparently fairly early on is all of the things that Megadeth could have been (not to discount what it presently is) if only Mustane spent a little less worrying about which trick Metallica was going to pull next and concentrated on what tricks Megadeth could could have accomplished. Even though More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Levi rated it:

This was a very well written autobiogaraphy of a rock star. Having grown up with Megadeth's music it was more interesting to me than some might find it. However, christians may like the last 2 chapters if you happen to see it at a library or book store. After many trips to rehab he finally gives his life to God and his struggles with addiction have been amazingly easier since then. He challenges himself and the reader in the last few sentances of the book in a very moving way. I apreciate that h More...

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Dec 17, 2010

Julie rated it:

When I first started reading this book I thought this guy just seemed arrogant and obnoxious. He seemed like the unlikeable sort of guy who needed to be punched in the face. So, I put the book down. But then I found myself needing something to read and picked it up again. Many of the stories were pretty repetitive; how many times can you read the same story about finding a new band member because the drummer wouldn't stop pawning equipment for drugs or about experiences with drugs? Strangely, Da More...

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Nov 06, 2011

Stephen rated it:

I never really listened to Megadeth, but of course grew up with a heavy metal mindset. I thought the book was really well written and a fascinating look int the world of a Thrash metal guitarist/artist. After reading the book I sought out some of his albums and really realized just how great of a musician he was. Funny how that is. I had no idea what a great guitarist he was, something he doesn't rally talk about a whole lot in the book. Anyway, the guy is smart, had a tough and interesting lif More...

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Dec 21, 2010

Chris rated it:

Just started this today - so far, so good... so what! It's an interesting read about one of the founders of Metallica who was forced out, then went on to create one of the best thrash bands in the history of heavy metal. Megadeth singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine lays it on the line and clears up a few things that metal fans have used as fodder for their Metallica VS Megadeth debates. I think Megadeth is far superior to Metallica and I hope that as I read on, Dave forgets about Selloutica and becom More...

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Oct 29, 2010

S rated it:

Okay, so I kind of feel bad for giving this only three stars. I know, I know Dave Mustaine isn't a writer, he had help-- and my issue is not with the writing or the book, as it's pretty standard for random celebrity biography. It's just that Dave Mustaine comes off as overly fucking unmetal, in a bad way. I don't want anyone to think I want my rockstars filling typical male roles... but they don't have to spend over 100 pages convincing me (but not very convincingly) that they aren't egonmaniaca More...

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Jan 09, 2011

Cindy rated it:

I really liked the book. I felt it was written from the heart. I am sure that more graphic details of living a heavy metal life style existed but enough detail was given. It's very intetesting to read how Megadeth came to be. My interest in the book and why I read it in the first place was I have a 13 yr old son who loves Heavy Metal Music and is a Megadeth fan. I wanted to be sure the book was more or less age appropriate. To my suprise, after reading the book and actually going to a Mega More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Dave rated it:

This was a very repetitive account of Dave Mustaine's music career. Dave getting high, Dave screwing up, Dave going to re-hab. Megadeth band members getting high, Megadeth band members screwing up, Megadeth band members getting fired by Dave. Oh yeah, Dave never being able to let go of the fact that Mettalica fired him. I would have been pissed too, but too much wahh, wahh, wahh. They should have at least given him money for the bus ride back to LA.

I can't say that I didn't f More...

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Dec 26, 2010

brian rated it:

good book. not great. definitely not as good as slash. but, for true metal heads, its a must read since dave mustaine is essentially one of the most important figures in thrash metal. and these are his words. no suprise he comes off as bitter and righteous which is getting kind of old by now. all the stuff behind his turn to christianity is kind of interesting, also lots of cool facts regarding all the megadeth albums and line ups, i would have wanted to get a little more detail on some of th More...

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Nov 26, 2011

Dutch rated it:

You don't have to know a lot about Megadeth or even like Megadeth to read this book and find that there are lessons from Dave Mustaine that we can all benefit from.

First of all, the book is courageously and intelligently written that does much justice for heavy metal fans. Every page was entertaining, if nothing else, thought-provoking. For the heavy metal fan, you will learn a lot some big names in the business. As a junkie, maybe it might give someone inspiration to clean up the More...

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Mar 05, 2011

Patrick rated it:

This was a very informative and well-written biography. Dave is a suprisingly good writer and uses a lot of vocabulary words that I had to look up, such as visceral, nihilism, perturbed, detritus, depravity and so on.

He details his life on alcohol and drug addiction and how it affected him over the years. Of course, it also detailed his time with Metallica and how he got kicked out. He also mentions his meetings and/or relationships with Scott Ian, Paul Baloff, Doro Pesch and Kerry More...

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