With the presidential election in the United States slowly creeping into the news cycle more and more, you could expect a lot of metal musicians to write about who they are endorsing. One very outspoken political junkie in the past has been Dave Mustaine.
During the last election cycle, Mustaine half-endorsed Rick Santorum and then eventually backed off after being shamed by metal musicians. He said he doesn't believe Obama was born in America, even though he doesn't consider himself a birther. He insinuated that Obama was responsible for movie theater shootings in 2012 and during the election, he said if Obama were to win, he was going to leave the country. Although, he did not make good on the promise. He made it clear though, he is not a Republican.
So with that in mind, during a recent Q & A, a fan asked Mustaine "who would you like to see as our next president?" and I got all excited until I saw Mustaine's non-answer:
someone who gave a shit, who wasn't planted or paid off, who wasn't a puppet, and who understood the word "servant." https://t.co/6DrjRFDr18
— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) August 13, 2015
Honestly, I was surprised he didn't take the opportunity to bash Hillary Clinton or something similar. You know, I consider this progress. In the past, we've called Mustaine an unpleasant person, but perhaps he's changed his ways? Or perhaps he's gotten enough backlash for his opinions that he knows when to pick his battles. Or perhaps he's been media trained by his new management company?
Either way, it's refreshing to see this new version of Dave Mustaine. We'll see how long it lasts.
