We’re about to jet downtown for an all-important meeting regarding the Now the Hell Will Start screenplay, so we’ll call it a day with this super-classic clip from Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. Though we’re no great fans of the band, we swoon over the doc—a probing portrait of creative minds in crisis, brought on by age, ego clashes, and way too much money. The scene above is perhaps our favorite in the whole film—ex-Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine lets loose his innermost feelings about being a heavy metal also-ran. Must be hard selling a measly 15 million albums—not to mention keeping those flowing locks so healthy.
scottstev // Jul 22, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Awesome movie. And certainly the wierdest, creepy “counselor” that I’ve ever seen. It’s like your shrink asking you what time she should come over for dinner. And please, let your wife know, I’m allergic to fish.
Lennox // Jul 22, 2009 at 11:20 pm
ok another drunken comment disclaimer so if what I’m about to write sucks then it’s the vino’s fault…
But Dave Mustaine comes off like a biatch here if you ask me. I get that it would get annoying for people to make catcalls yelling ‘Metallica’ and all that. But you got rich playing music, you ungrateful pansy. How about you rewind and live your life doing the kind of unrewarding torture that most people spend their working hours as the reciepients of (is that a dangling participle? … never did fully understand that concept)
Come on man, you’re the one that didn’t sell out and so fucking what if you weren’t in “Metallica”… Metallica wouldn’t even exist without your creative inspiration and you went on to found a band that certainly has much more longevity amongst diehard metalheads.
But wah motherfucking wah… Poor Dave, I guess…
Brendan I. Koerner // Jul 23, 2009 at 8:24 am
@Lennox: Agreed, Mustaine doesn’t come off well at all in this movie. If memory serves, he griped about this scene being taken out of context, or something to that effect. Frankly, I’m a little surprised he’d let the session be filmed in the first place.
I thought it was interesting that Mustaine seems to view metal as a race, and considers Megadeath number two behind Metallica. I’m sure Slayer would protest that formulation.
Lennox // Jul 23, 2009 at 12:27 pm
@Brendan: I think most metalheads (a group to which I certainly can’t claim membership – metal is ok, but probably not in my top 10 favorite styles) would also protest that formulation on alot of levels. I’ve had several roommates, coworkers, and other assorted aquaintences that were way into all things metal, and without fail the attitude seems to be ‘Everything Metallica did from the Black Album on sucks big walrus testes, and Dave Mustaine is better off because Megadeth totally owns’
I’m paraphrasing, of course, but you get the drift. The odd thing to me – and I know this was in 2001 so maybe he’s grown up some – is how DM seems to be moving backwards in his growth as an artist in a way. I think younger artists are more likely to crave the affirmation of the spotlight as a way to validate the worth of their art, but it seems that maturity brings with it a certain self-sufficiency in that regard, as long as there is at least some type of group of people that genuinely appreciates the artist’s work (and it helps if the artist can comfortably provide for themselves). DM seems as though he hasn’t moved past that one event that shafted him out of all that sweet groupie sex (and the subsequent clinic visits, to be sure), and still doesn’t appreciate how fortunate he is and how from the standpoint of an artist (IMHO, anyway) he got the better deal, by far.
I would very much be interested in seeing how DM feels about the situation now in 2009, especially after that schock-fest that was VH1’s St. Anger Reality TV wannabeDocumentary. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but let’s just say the guys in Metallica don’t come off too well.
Of course, you’d never be able to recreate that candidness again, as DM would certainly be much more guarded and more likely to say whatever, after the experience with the 2001 film.
Brendan I. Koerner // Jul 24, 2009 at 3:55 pm
@Lennox: I think I agree with your metalhead pals’ first sentiment, but not their second. Never a big Megadeath fan–maybe I owe them another listen. Perhaps I’ve just been biased against DM b/c of the Metallica drama.
The first couple Metallica albums (including the DM-heavy “Kill ‘Em All”) are great. The downhill starts with Cliff Burton’s death, followed by the weak production on “And Justice…” The heavy amounts of Jack Daniels and blow probably didn’t help long-term, either.