Dave Mustaine Says It Was ‘Dumb’ Of Him To Punch James Hetfield Back In The Day

S. Bollmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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During a video feature with Revolver, Dave Mustaine brings up how it was “dumb” of him to punch James Hetfield back in the day. As many metalheads know, the two guitarists used to be bandmates (back when Mustaine was in Metallica). But then shit went down and Dave was kicked out of the band.

This Revolver video feature involved the Megadeth frontman answering various fan questions; among those questions was: “If there was a thrash ‘riff-off’ between the Big Four guitarists to see who is the fastest down-picker, who would come out on top?”

In answering this, Mustaine says probably either Slayer’s Kerry King or James Hetfield. He speaks to how talented both guitarists are, but then at one point, ends up going into a little rant about Hetfield. He speaks to how he really respects James and how it was “dumb” of him to punch Hetfield back in the day.

“I saw the thing with James on stage where he was saying that he was going through a rough patch. I was sad to see that because it’s been one of those really weird love-hate relationships. And the whole reason that I ever even pursued any of this was I really liked those guys. If I didn’t like ’em, I would just say, ‘Fucking flush the toilet and be done with it.’ He’s always been somebody that I really liked playing with. I wished things wouldn’t have ended the way that they did. But que sera, sera [what will be, will be].

“It was a dumb thing that I did by taking my dog up to practice, and it was even dumber to punch him [James]. I really respect him and I respect his playing. And I hope he knows that there are a lot of people out there, like me, that like him as a person and don’t give two fucks about him being in Metallica.”

While things seem to have been rough between James and Dave back in the day, we hope all is good between them now. Below you can find the full Revolver video feature with Dave Mustaine. Also, Megadeth is currently on the road supporting that of Five Finger Death Punch. If you are interested seeing the band live, you can find the upcoming dates and locations associated with the FFDP tour.

  • 9/21 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake**
    9/23 – Scranton, PA – Pavilion at Montage Mountain
    9/24 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
    9/27 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater**
    9/28 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
    9/30 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
    10/1 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
    10/4 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
    10/5 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
    10/7 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Summerfest Grounds
    10/8 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
    10/10 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
    10/12 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
    10/14 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
    10/15 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre

** Five Finger Death PunchThe Hu  and Fire From The Gods only