MEGADETH's MUSTAINE Says He Would Rather Retire Than Extend Deal With ROADRUNNER

David Farrier of New Zealand's 3 News conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine prior to the band's December 10, 2010 performance in Auckland. Dave talks about the beauty of New Zealand, how much has happened with MEGADETH and himself in this past year, he hints at possible upcoming "Big Four" shows, a new MEGADETH album on the horizon, and much more. You can now watch the 23-minute chat at this location.

On the alleged feud between him and his former bandmates in METALLICA:

Mustaine: "We've been friends for a long time. It's just that, unfortunately, some of your brethren in the press, they've kept this [feud idea going]. It's just so gay that they keep doing this. It's like, we don't have this problem. There's kind of like the two things — there's the relationship you guys think we have and there's the relationship that we have. When we played in San Francisco recently, Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] and his wife joined my wife and I for dinner after our concert. It's like, 'OK, you can keep believing that we don't like each other, or you can believe the truth.' I mean, you can go on to the bitter end and there'll be some dumb shit that thinks that [he knows] better and that there's a problem. Or you can wake up and smell the coffee and know that we talk together all the time. Funny thing, I was telling someone the other day, I got this message from James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman], he had changed his cell phone number and he sent me a message saying 'I changed my number.' Before he used to change it because of me. [Laughs]"

On his collaboration with former ANTHRAX guitarist Dan Spitz:

Mustaine: "Right now, actually, believe it or not, I am in the studio with an old blast from the past. Remember Dan Spitz from ANTHRAX? He was working on a little side project, and I'd heard it a while ago and it kind of went by in passing 'cause he was just starting it. And I heard it about three weeks ago; he was almost done. And I said, 'Man, I love this record.' I said, 'And do you think it's done?' And he goes, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'Why? What do you think?' And I said, 'Well, I would kind of do this and that.' And he goes, 'Really? Go ahead.' And I went, 'Really?' So I rolled up my sleeves and I completely dedicated myself to Danny's record for the last three weeks, working tirelessly in my studio on this record with him. And it's that good. I heard it and I just went, 'Oh my God!' It's like a cross between, say, DISTURBED, SOUNDGARDEN and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE kind of thing. Little bit of some smatterings of ANTHRAX because of the speed stuff, but it's much more modern and much more heavy sounding. It's just great, 'cause he's had such a bad run with his heart problems and his twin boys have autism severely. So we're just working together as friends. And he's helped me a lot with my life, too, my spiritual walk, because, as everybody knows, I became a Christian."

On MEGADETH's current record-company situation:

Mustaine: "We're getting ready to start the next MEGADETH record in January and the funny thing is my manager is telling me now how Roadrunner [which released 2007's 'United Abominations' and 2009's 'Endgame'] is going out of their way now to try and give me this new huge deal, and I just don't want it. I don't want it. The treatment's been terrible over the years, and I just don't want it. I would rather retire than continue to play like that. Either we're gonna release [future recordings] digitally [on our own] or [see] what happens next. We've got this last record [that we owe to] Roadrunner [as part of our current contract]; it's gonna be a great record 'cause the songs are really, really good. 'Cause I don't want my side of the bargain to be tainted — I wanna be a gentleman and be respectful and deliver my side of the deal, whether or not the other party has or not."