Who Is A Droogie?

Be careful before you call yourself a Droogie, dear Droogies! Droogie is not exactly friend, as we know it. Droogie must remind you of Aristotle, who said “My dear friends, there are no friends!” It is beyond this dictum that the real Droogie lives.

Dave Mustaine came up with Droogie from A Clock Work Orange by Anthony Burges. It refers to friends who are entirely on their own; a friendship of those who will it freely. Droogism is a crime or any act for the sake of it, that is, not having an end apart from the very act. A bit like Art For The Sake Of Art.

The novel is about the Pavlovian conditioning of a young man of Droogism into someone incapable of violence, even suicide. He becomes incapable, while being cured of Droogism, to choose between good & evil. He lost his free will. In the popular reception of the novel (via the film) Droogies are aimless gangs committing random crimes. But in the novel the catharsis of the hero at the end affirms the truth of Droogism; one must be a friend in freedom. A friend is someone who joins you in his own terms. It is not easy to be a friend for that very reason. Every act must have no end apart from the act, especially acts of friendship.

Droogie, in this sense, is exactly what an admirer of Megadeth is. For it is not at all easy to love Megadeth. Thanks to Mustaine! I really mean Thank You Dave Mustaine! I hope it never becomes easy!!  

The opposite of Droogie is the Pavlovian Dog, the metallica fanboy. It is easier to love them, metalica; easy like joining a crowd which does not require you to find your own reasons, to make it authentically your own. The size of the crowd is its own reason. It is indeed a big crowd, as a metalica fan commented in Dom Lawson’s blog entry Megadeth Are Better Than Metallica –

“Total album sales Megadeth : >20 Mill worldwide
Total album sales MetallicA: >51 Mill US alone
Hall of Fame member : METALLICA
END OF ARGUMENT - Fuck off
PS nice job skippy”

Now, this is the typical metallica fan. He has numbers on his side. He is the mass, the crowd. If you recall Hetfield during the Hall Of Piss induction where he said “We are the BIGGEST metal band in the world”. No! Not the best. Nope, he prefers BIG to the best [Jimmy Hetfield should know that Britney has already sold 86 million worldwide].

Droogies on the other hand have reasons of their own, for numbers are not with them. In fact Droogies hate numbers. They invent their reasons. They come as they please, they go as they please. This coming and going itself of course is the mark of a Droogie. From their inception every Droogie makes his/her own Megadeth. They know that it is the most hated metal band around. Their friend/hero Mustaine is without arguments the most crucified man in metal. 

Nothing is working for them, the Droogies. Who cares? We are not looking for something else. Are we? We love Deth for the very pleasure of loving Deth! If it is hard we say “very good!” If the metallica Pavlovian Dogs make it the hardest we say “Yeah! Much better!” But our question to you is "Is that all you've got?" 

The point, Dear Droogies, is that we are as creative as our Megadeth. We invent our own Megadeths alongside Dave Mustaine. We thrill in the knowledge that we are not a crowd. We mock and laugh at the hate-filled Pavlovian pack of conditioned dogs which stand against us. We know that their tails between their legs get drenched in their own piss as we laugh our mad laughter for the joy of laughter. Our laughter as loud as the MegaRiffs!

Dave Mustaine’s Fingerprints Are Definitely All Over Thrash Metal

In recent times there has been a definitive turn around for Megadeth. Musically it is the most superior band around, across genres. Now it is being acknowledged openly. The taboo that existed about it - "Shush! Megadeth" - seems to be lifting off, slowly. This turn around is actually the return of what was once the status quo. There was a time when Rolling Stone, CNN and other mainstream media saw Megadeth, quite correctly, as The Nobility of Metal, the intelligent music. And of course the other band which Dave Mustaine helped found as the pale-Megadeth or Megadeth For Dummies. It is happening again! First it was The Greatest Guitarist In Metal position awarded to him by JOEL McIVER in his book. Then it was the first ever Golden God Award given to Mustaine by Revolver Magazine. Then the great Dom Lawson saying "Yes, Dave Mustaine invented Thrash Metal" in his article Megadeth Are Better Than Metallica. Now all those great reviews coming Megadeth's way for ENDGAME. Lets not forget they are all saying that ENDGAME is way better than Death Magnetic.

Anyways this is a good time recall an article/document titled The History Of American Thrash written by Dan Epstein.
http://www.revolvermag.com/content/history-american-thrash

Obama Nobel Mustaine

Now that Obama has been given the Nobel for Peace next year they should award him for Physics, then Chemistry and so on.

These are the stuff that Dave Mustaine had to say about Obama, so far:

When Obama became president, there were a lot of people that were really happy. I didn't vote for him. And I don't think he's going to be a great president. And right now we already see all of these things going wrong. 

He spends too much time on TV; it's all about his dates with his wife. Who cares?! Everybody goes and eats dinner with their family. And not enough stuff is getting done. But all of a sudden now, he's the president of the UN, too, so he's the most powerful man in the world. I mean, think about that.

The way that the world is right now, it's not even about living peacefully with each other; it's about who's got the biggest bombs. And that's really sad. Especially right now, what's happening in my country, being an American. 

&&&&&

I don’t see Obama standing for change at all. Change of skin color, sure.

Dave Mustaine On Being The Greatest Guitarist In Metal

It was especially sweet when I found out that Joel has written books on Metallica. I looked at my copy of the book — I wasn't on the cover or the back. I figured I'd be somewhere like No. 69. So I thumbed through it; it's a really comprehensive, good book. I got to No. 50 and I thought, "Am I in here?" I'd been told that I was, but not which position. So I got No. 16 and I saw Hetfield. I thought, "Wow," because I respect James. 
.........................................................
So I got to the Top 10… I still wasn't in there. Every page I turned, I became more excited. I get to No. 5 and it's Kirk [Hammett], and I thought, "Thank you, God." At that point it didn't matter [which position I was]. To be better than both of them [Hetfield and Hammett] meant so much — it's been one of the pet peeves of my career and I've never known how to deal with it. I didn't realize that it has had so much bearing upon my life. Then I got to No. 2 and it was John Petrucci [of Dream Theater] and I froze. I was No. 1. What made it better still is that the guy wrote: "This isn't about Dave as a person because he's been a cock" — [interjects with a bray of laughter] — "These four pages are about his guitar playing, which is the best. There are people who are better at one thing that Mustaine does, and others that are better than another, but no-one who's as good at everything." All I thought was… I win!

Read more, Here

DAVE MUSTAINE is No. 1 in JOEL McIVER 'S recent book, The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/joel_mciver_no-one_made_a_list_of_accomplished_guitarists_in_heavy_metal.html

Interview with Joel McIver: 'No-One Made A List Of Accomplished Guitarists In Heavy Metal'
artist: joel mciver date: 01/13/2009

In early October 2008, it was revealed that Joel McIver's twelfth book, namely "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists", would be published globally during January 2009 via Jawbone Press. The idea was spawned by a popular American guitar magazine, which listed musicians such as Kurt Cobain and Neil Young as being amongst the greatest metal guitarists of all time, who are frankly bizarre additions by anyone's account. Deicide vocalist Glen Benton supplied a foreword to the book, which journeys through the hundred greatest metal guitarists from number one hundred all the way to number one. Spanning eighty thousand words, selection was based on the technical ability, and historical significance, of each player. The guitarists are a range of ages, the oldest being sixty-one, and the youngest a mere twenty-six. Those who dwell in the hard rock sphere have been omitted, thus meaning that the likes of Randy Rhoads, Angus Young, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Ritchie Blackmore fail to feature.


A contributor to such magazines as Total Guitar, Metal Hammer and Classic Rock, Joel McIver has published a dozen books to date. 2004 book "Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica" has been translated into nine languages, with future revised editions in the future much assured. 2008's "The Bloody Reign Of Slayer" marked another foray into the world of thrash metal, garnering further acclaim. 2009 will witness additional books from the man's pen, particularly the autobiography of erstwhile Deep Purple and Trapeze musician Glenn Hughes. Plugging "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists", McIver was interviewed via email.


UG: Could you provide an introduction to your twelfth book 'The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists', and how the project ultimately came to fruition?

Joel McIver: I’m a geek who makes lists, and while I was driving around one day it occurred to me that no-one had really made a definitive list of the most accomplished guitarists in heavy metal. It’s been done in a kind of half-assed way by a few magazines, but the compilers usually confuse rock with metal and fail to take into account the techniques that the musicians require to do the job. It felt like a fun book to write, but one which would serve a serious purpose - and that proved to be the case on both counts.

Jawbone Press will publish the book during January 2009. How did you come to work with Jawbone, and why did you feel they were a suitable publisher for the book?

Jawbone are not only suitable for a book like this, but are the world leaders in this field. I’ve known the people there for several years, since I was a magazine editor and used to commission reviews of their books. I’m very fortunate to be working with them. The book looks killer - they’ve done a great job.

In your fellow books, you pull no punches. Do you feel some of your opinions in this book might polarise fans?

Yes, and probably annoy them. That’s not what I set out to do, but it’s an inevitable consequence of making a list such as this. I enjoy all reader feedback, though, positive and otherwise - I’ve had hundreds of emails over the years calling me every name under the sun for things that I’ve said in print. Luckily, I’ve had a greater number of comments from people who like what I’ve written. Bring it on, I say. It’s only rock 'n' roll.


"It felt like a fun book to write, but one which would serve a serious purpose."
Deicide frontman Glen Benton kindly agreed to write a foreword for the book. How did he come to be involved, and why do you feel he was an appropriate individual to write a foreword for a book of this nature?

I got to know Glen a couple of years ago after I approached him and Steve Asheim to see if they’d be interested in co-writing a Deicide autobiography, which may happen some time. I asked him to do the foreword for this book because he’s worked with some fantastic guitarists in his time, and because he has a no-bullshit approach that suits this kind of book perfectly. I wanted 'The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists' to be straight, honest and non-political, and happily that’s how it’s turned out.

What's your opinion on the usual glut of 'greatest metal guitarists' that tend to surface? Some bizarre names seem to surface, like Kurt Cobain - although he was part of one of the best selling acts of the 1990s, I've never thought he had particularly distinguished playing abilities.

You’re referring to a list of supposed "best metal guitarists" that appeared in an American guitar magazine a few years ago, which made me cringe when I read it. Kurt would have been gutted if he knew that he’d been posthumously labelled a heavy metal guitarist. Technical ability is almost irrelevant in his case - he’s known for more important things, like the small matter of wiping out half of the world’s metal bands when grunge wiped the slate clean in 1991.

Guitarists such as Angus Young and Randy Rhoads don't feature, but the likes of Tony Iommi do. How did you ultimately decide as to whether a specific guitarist qualifies or not? Were there any you debated in your mind, but eventually didn't feature in the book?

There’s hard rock and there’s heavy metal, and it’s reasonably easy to differentiate the two. I’m absolutely not a categories nerd and would be the first to admit that the best bands have a bit of everything in them, but in this case I wanted to celebrate the achievements of the metal musicians and no-one else. There were loads of amazing axemen who didn’t make it into the Top 100, even though they’re world-class musicians: assembling the final list was agony!

Do you have intentions to write a book regarding 'The 100 Greatest Hard Rock Guitarists'?

Yes, if I’m asked. That would be a lot of fun. Yngwie, Randy, Satriani or Eddie Van Halen for number one?

In arriving at your decision as to whom ranks higher, which of the following did you rate higher, and why: technical ability, or a guitarist's ability to create emotionally affecting moods within their playing?

Not really the moods, although those are important too. I used two rigorous criteria:

1) The guy’s mastery of techniques such as sweep picking, tapping, alternate and legato picking and (crucially) whether he applies them tastefully or gratuitously.

2) How influential the guy is as a pioneer. So for example, Tony Iommi is without a doubt the most influential metal guitarist of all time because he was the first out of the blocks, but because he can’t do sweeps (as he cheerfully admits) he can’t be number one. However, he’s in the top ten, of course.

In the book, does a specific guitarist feature whom you feel is woefully underrated by the media and public?

God yes. Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel, Chuck Schuldiner of Death, Ron Jarzombek of Watchtower and Blotted Science, Jeff Waters of Annihilator, Ihsahn and Samoth of Emperor and Mikael Ã…kerfeldt of Opeth, plus quite a few others rarely get the credit they’re due as guitarists. I wanted this book to right that wrong. They’re underrated because their music is, by and large, too extreme or not exposed enough.


"I enjoy all reader feedback, though, positive and otherwise."
In committing your opinions to paper, did any change when you thought about the topic more intensely?

Not really. I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do from the beginning. That’s happened with other books, though - for example I’ve just completed a biography of Tool and was utterly blown away by their music by the end, more than I thought I would be when I started it.

Why do you feel that guitarists become more iconic than say bassists, or drummers? Why do you feel that metal fans are particularly drawn to guitarists?

It’s the solos, and the prominent frequencies which they occupy in the mix. I love bass and drums too though - I’d like to do similar books on those instruments, that is if I don’t die of exhaustion first.

Game franchises such as 'Rock Band' and 'Guitar Hero' are now popular. Do you feel that such franchises may spawn the great guitarists of tomorrow?

Not at all. Those games are fun but they’re not for guitarists. Also, people who are really interested in learning the guitar will go straight to the real thing. I think the real strength of those games is that they will encourage the player to go out and buy a metal or rock album, which can only be a good thing.

At the moment, are there any plans to revise some of your older books to reflect current events, such as your acclaimed tome on Metallica ('Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica')?

Yes, the Metallica book is going into its third edition shortly, to reflect the 'Death Magnetic' album and tour. That book is up to about 35,000 copies in nine languages now, so I’m very pleased with it.

There's reports of you becoming a TV presenter. Thus far, what can you reveal?

Nothing right now, but if all goes to plan I’ll be presenting a metal show on one of the main satellite channels in the new year. You poor people.

Works for 2009 include Glenn Hughes autobiography, which you're helping him to co-write. What other book projects are currently slated, and how far in the development stage are all these respective works?

Glenn’s book will come out in 2009 and will be amazing, I kid you not. The Tool book comes out in April on Omnibus Press and then a biography of a major metal icon is coming out in June. No, not Dimebag. There will be press releases nearer the time. I also have a sci-fi novel brewing that I want to get out before too long, but finding the time to do all this stuff in between family, gigs, sleep and a reasonably debauched social life is tricky.

If somebody wishes to purchases an autographed copy of your new book, how may they do so?

Buy one, send it to me at my office address (see www.joelmciver.co.uk) with an SAE, and I’ll sign and return it. Or come up to me at a gig and buy me beer - that always helps.

Interview by Robert Gray
Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2009