...

‘They Had No Idea This Would Be The Last Time They’d See Each Other’

‘They Had No Idea This Would Be The Last Time They’d See Each Other’


Menza Nation has unveiled rare archived footage of the late, legendary drummer, Nick Menza, during rehearsals for failed MEGADETH‘s Rust in Peace reunion.

Caption from the video notes: “Here’s a short clip of Dave Mustaine, Nick Menza and David Ellefson‘s final moments and rehearsal. Watch the trio wailing away on the MEGADETH classic’s “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” and “Rust in Peace… Polaris” two years before Nick‘s tragic death. They had no idea this would be the last time they’d see each other.

“The rehearsal took place at Dave Mustaine‘s house, studio in Fallbrook San Diego during December of 2014 as part of what turned out to be a second failed attempt to reunite the classic Rust In Peace lineup.

In his autobiography, guitarist Marty Friedman acknowledged that monetary factors influenced his decision to contemplate a reunion of MEGADETH‘s iconic Rust In Peace era lineup eleven years ago. This opportunity arose in 2014 following the departures of guitarists Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover.

Friedman commented on the financial offer presented by MEGADETH‘s then-manager, Ron Lafitte, writing: “Let’s just say he wasn’t even in the ballpark. Hell, he wasn’t even in the parking lot for the ballpark. The amount they offered was right around the first salary I got when I joined MEGADETH in 1990. If I’d had any idea they would lowball me like this, I never would have met with them in Anaheim. Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan. I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it. I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan.’

Referring to Lafitte‘s suggestion of a joint tour with IRON MAIDEN as the initial step following a Rust In Peace lineup reunion, Friedman continued: “I was willing to take the financial hit because a reunion tour with MEGADETH opening for IRON MAIDEN could open doors for me again in America. And what followed could be a bigger tour than anything we had previously done. Even if they met my rate, the tour would have been a huge windfall for them. They easily could have agreed to that, and the reunion would have been on, but they said I wanted too much money.”

“I was happy with my career in Japan, doing what I loved, making real money without the kind of drama that comes with MEGADETH,” he added. “They didn’t even acknowledge they had just lost their guitarist and drummer and needed me more than I needed them. When I got over my initial anger, I was puzzled and sad.”

In Dave Mustaine‘s latest book, Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth MasterpieceFriedman candidly revealed why he declined the offer of a MEGADETH reunion.

“My main thing was I’d be happy to do it, but I’m not going to take less money than I’m already making to do it,” Marty said in part.

“I’d been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

“Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go,” he said.

“”But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn’t seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn’t heard anything that they’ve done in a long time.

“I didn’t know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn’t like MEGADETH was on the tip of people’s tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan.”



Source: metaladdicts.com

0
Show Comments (0) Hide Comments (0)
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *