When it comes to consuming literature, I tend to go either e-book or paper. This time I went the audiobook route for Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece. Why? Because the story unfolds by the people involved in the story of Megadeth’s mega album, Rust in Peace. Your ears are testimony to Dave Mustaine’s classic line-up that created a record that would define the group to the next level. There were hiccups with management, production and egos that tend to ruin groups that claim credit for music by de facto of just being in the room.
I tend to not listen to audiobooks due to the fact they take long to listen to. Dave and the boys kept me alert and I devoured each word that came out of their mouths. It was fresh to hear Dave’s wife Pamela take on the events of the time. The only takeaway from the book was the frequent drug use rants. I understand that the drugs and the failures to withdraw play a significant role in creating a mean and lean outcome. This was the easiest listen to audiobook experience I ever had. You do not have to be a metal-head to enjoy this book. Dave himself is a drug that you can get hooked on.
Released in 1990, at an incredible time of flux and creativity in the rock world, Rust in Peace still stands as one the greatest metal albums ever made. In his new book, Mustaine reveals the process of establishing Megadeth’s lineup and hiring the band and supporting cast. He details the pains of trying to handle the ensuing success, and ultimately the pressure of fame and fortune that caused the band to finally break-up. He also takes a hard look at the music landscape of the late eighties-early nineties.
Little did Mustaine know that the birth pangs of the record were nothing compared to the oncoming pain and torment that would surround it. Alcohol, drugs, sex, money, power, property, prestige, the lies the band was told by the industry – and the lies they told each other – were just beginning, and much like rust in real life, these factors would ultimately eat away at the band’s bond until only the music survived.
Rust in Peace is a true story of groundbreaking anti-pop that was moving toward the mainstream (or the mainstream that was moving toward the band), at a time of great cultural change, power, ego, drugs, and other vices that went hand-in-hand with Rock N’ Roll. It is about perseverance, scraping off the rust that builds overtime on everything: ourselves, our relationships, pop culture, art, and music.
Please support sandboxworld by buying Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece.
Dave Mustaine originally named Megadeth after a term he saw in an anti-nuclear war pamphlet by Senator Alan Cranston. His inspiration for this album title came from a bumper sticker he spied in California: “Nuclear Weapons – May They Rust in Peace.”