Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently took part in a segment called Tales from the Metalverse, which is part of Pandora’s METALVERSE station. This segment essentially involves an artist speaking to different tales throughout their career.
At one point while Mustaine is talking, he brings up an incident where Kiss bassist Gene Simmons made a very inappropriate comment that bothered him. Prior to this incident taking place, Cliff Burton had passed away; while Mustaine was having a playful conversation with the Kiss bassist, Simmons ended up making a crude comment about Metallica. Considering that Cliff had passed away, Mustaine was upset with Gene. This is what Dave had to say about this particular interaction with Simmons:
“I’m up on the stage with one of my guys and then Paul [Stanley, Kiss singer] and Gene were up on the stage. And, somebody says, ‘So hey Gene, how about a Kiss reunion?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, Gene, how about a Kiss reunion?’ And he goes, ‘How about a Metallica reunion?’ And I went [makes an unhappy, disappointed face] cause Cliff had died, you know, and I thought it was just not good for him.
“And I don’t know if it bothered me that much at the time, it doesn’t bother me anymore, but at the time it was really, really, again, really foreign to know that somebody that you’ve looked up to your whole life to as a musician, knows who you are. It’s a really, really weird feeling.”
Honestly, we don’t think anyone would blame Dave for being upset by such a comment – especially considering Cliff Burton’s death. Do you think Mustaine was right to be upset with Gene Simmons? You can listen to Dave share this story himself via the video below. We have also included links to other Dave Mustaine related stories.
Dave Mustaine Claims That David Ellefson ‘Poached’ One Of His Songs
‘He’s A Demon Dude’: Late-Megadeth Drummer Shares A Chilling Supernatural Story About Dave Mustaine
Mustaine Thinks Marty Friedman Quit Megadeth Because He Re-Recorded a Solo Behind His Back