Dave Mustaine Gives First Interview Since Cancer Diagnosis

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine has granted his first interview since revealing that he has been diagnosed with throat cancer back in June. He completed treatment last month, and now tells Rolling Stone that he “feels really strong”:

“After the radiation, the guy said all of my test results looked amazing. ‘You look like you’re in a stage 1 and you’re supposed to be in stage 3 right now.’ And then the oncologist said the same thing: ‘You look really strong.’ So we kept moving through the process.”

Elsewhere in the same chat, he reveals some of the notable members of the metal community who reached to show support following his diagnosis:

“A lot came from people that I knew but I didn’t know cared. Most notably, I got a text message back from my old brother, James Hetfield, and I was so, so happy to hear from him. Contrary to what anybody says and contrary to any of the act that we put on, I love James and I know that James loves me and cares about me. You can see that when the moment of truth is here and I’m telling the world that I’ve got a life-threatening disease. Who comes to stand next to me? James.

“And I got a text message from Ozzy, and one from Paul Stanley. It was great to get one from Ozzy; I didn’t expect it from Paul Stanley. That was super bitchin’ because in the beginning, when Kiss first came out, I was just a kid and I loved them.”

You can read the entire interview here. Other topics of discussion include Mötley Crüe reneging on their retirement (“I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I fuckin’ knew it.”), the dude who recently bought a fuckton of Dave’s old guitars (“I’m willing, if I ever meet him, to sign them for him.”), the new book on which he’s working, how a trip to the dentist accidentally led to the discovery of his cancer, and more.

Megadeth return to the road next year for a European tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Bad Wolves. Get dates and tickets here.

[via The PRP]