This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays. It was founded in 1998 by media magnate Conrad Black.

History[link]

Origins[link]

Black established the Post to provide a voice for Canadian conservatives and to combat what he and many Canadian conservatives considered to be a liberal bias in Canadian newspapers^{[citation needed]}. Black built the new paper around the Financial Post, an established financial newspaper in Toronto which he purchased from Sun Media in 1997. Financial Post was retained as the name of the new paper's business section.

Outside Toronto, the Post was built on the printing and distribution infrastructure of Black's national newspaper chain, formerly called Southam Newspapers, that included papers such as the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, and Vancouver Sun. The Post became Black's national flagship title, and massive amounts of start-up spending were dedicated to the product in its first few years under editor Ken Whyte.

Beyond his political vision, Black was attempting to compete more directly with Kenneth Thomson's media empire led by Canada's The Globe and Mail, which Black perceived as an establishment newspaper.

When the Post launched, its editorial stance was conservative. It advocated a "unite-the-right" movement to create a viable alternative to the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien, and was a very large supporter of the Canadian Alliance. The Post's op-ed page has included dissenting columns by liberals such as Linda McQuaig, as well as conservatives including Mark Steyn and Diane Francis, and moderates such as David Frum.

The Post's unique magazine-style graphic and layout design won numerous awards. It was a retro look – with echoes of 1930s design – jazzed up with eye-catching touches, such as oversized headlines, layering of multi-coloured type, reverse type, and bold colours. The original design of the "Post" was created by Lucie Lacava, a design consultant based in Montreal.

Sale to CanWest Global[link]

The Post was unable to maintain momentum in the market without continuing to spend heavily and accumulate mounting financial losses. At the same time, Conrad Black was becoming preoccupied by impending troubles with his debt-heavy media empire, Hollinger International. Black finally decided to divest his Canadian media holdings, including the Post. Black sold the Post to CanWest Global Communications Corp, controlled by Israel Asper, in two stages – 50% in 2000, along with the entire Southam newspaper chain, and the remaining 50% in 2001. CanWest Global also owns the Global Television Network, and there has been heavy cross-promotion between the company's newspaper and television properties.

In September 2001 editor Ken Whyte dropped the arts and sports sections, and the 116-year-old Saturday Night which had been the Post's weekend supplement. The move triggered a plunge in circulation from which the Post never fully recovered, even when the dropped sections were restored^{[citation needed]}. Drastic budget cuts and staff layoffs triggered a number of staff defections as the newspaper's future seemed increasingly uncertain. Rumours about the Post's imminent closure were chronic.

In early 2003, Izzy Asper purged top management at the Post, including Whyte and deputy editor Martin Newland, while the paper continued to suffer heavy financial losses, which were estimated to have peaked at $60 million annually. Asper hired Matthew Fraser as editor-in-chief. He had been the paper's media columnist from its inception. Fraser's tenure at the helm of the Post was marked by further budget cuts, restructuring, and staff layoffs, while doubts continued about the long-term future of the money-losing paper in its commercial war with the Globe and Mail. Fraser also was forced to fire two Post writers, including columnist Elizabeth Nickson, for plagiarism. Another high-profile gossip columnist was fired for a salacious article about Canada's Governor General. Staff defections continued, notably among high-profile columnists such as Mark Steyn, who were loyal to the conservative Post under Conrad Black^{[citation needed]}.

Under Fraser's editorship, the Post gained notoriety in Canadian media circles for its regular feature called "CBC Watch" – inspired in part by The Daily Telegraph's "Beeb Watch" in Britain – which pointed out errors of fact and supposed evidence of left-wing and anti-Israeli bias at the public broadcaster. "CBC Watch" infuriated the CBC's supporters, and critics claimed the Post was attacking the CBC to defend the commercial interests of the private television network, Global TV, owned by the Asper family. Izzy Asper had long railed against the state-owned CBC, and once declared publicly that it should be "expunged"^{[citation needed]}.

Izzy Asper died suddenly in October 2003, leaving his media empire in the hands of his two sons, Leonard and David Asper, the latter serving as chairman of the Post. Fraser departed in 2005 after the arrival of a new publisher, Les Pyette – the paper's seventh publisher in seven years. Pyette, a former publisher of the Toronto Sun, aggressively took the Post downmarket with a tabloid-style tone and look. Fraser's deputy editor, Doug Kelly succeeded him as editor, though Pyette was regarded as firmly in control of the newsroom as a hands-on publisher. Pyette suddenly departed only seven months after his arrival, replaced by Gordon Fisher, a career Southam newspaperman who had briefly served as interim publisher a few years earlier.

The Post today[link]

The National Post building in Don Mills

Since Izzy Asper's acquisition of the National Post, the paper has become a strong voice in support of the state of Israel and its government. The Post was one of the few Canadian papers to offer unreserved support to Israel during its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon during 2006.^[3]

One of its columnists referred to Hezbollah as "cockroaches." Canadian pundits argue whether the Post's support of Israel is a legacy of its late founder's political ideology or a shrewd business manoeuvre.^[4]

The Post during Ken Whyte's editorship was strongly associated with the personality of proprietor Conrad Black, just as the paper during Matthew Fraser's editorship was associated with Izzy Asper. Today the Post has to some extent abandoned this ideology that gave the Post a distinct voice and loyal readership.^{[citation needed]} Many of its rival papers, meanwhile, have copied its unique design and layout features. In a national newspaper market considered too thin to sustain two products, the Post has struggled against the Globe and Mail, which has the advantages of a loyal readership and a history stretching back to the mid-19th century. The Post's entry into the Canadian newspaper market, while dazzling during its aggressively marketed start-up phase, was poorly timed because the entire newspaper sector was entering a period of structural decline, which continues today, as readers turn towards the Internet and other sources for information and distraction. The Post effectively abandoned its claim as a national newspaper in 2006 as print subscriptions were dropped in Atlantic Canada ^[5] and then print editions were removed from all Atlantic Canadian newsstands except in Halifax as of 2007.^[6] The newspaper continued its erosion in 2008 with the announcement that weekday editions and home delivery would no longer be available in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.^[7]

Politically, the Post has retained a conservative editorial stance under the Aspers' ownership, but has become markedly less strident. The Asper family has long been a strong supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, though they have always had libertarian leanings. Izzy Asper was once leader of the Liberal Party in his home province of Manitoba. The Aspers had controversially fired the publisher of the Ottawa Citizen, Russell Mills, for calling for the resignation of Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien.

However, the Post endorsed the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2004 election when Fraser was editor. The Conservatives narrowly lost that election to the Liberals. After the election, the Post surprised many of its conservative readers by shifting its support to the victorious Liberal government of prime minister Paul Martin, and was highly critical of the Conservatives and their leader, Stephen Harper.^{[citation needed]} The paper switched camps again in the runup to the 2006 election (in which the Conservatives won a minority government). During the election campaign, David Asper appeared publicly several times to endorse the Conservatives.

Like its competitor The Globe and Mail, the Post publishes a separate edition in Toronto, Canada's largest city and the fourth largest media centre in North America after New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. The Toronto edition includes additional local content not published in the edition distributed to the rest of Canada, and is printed at the Toronto Star presses in Vaughan.

On September 27, 2007, the Post unveiled a major redesign of its appearance. Guided by Gayle Grin, the Post's managing editor of design and graphics, the redesign features a standardization in the size of typeface and the number of typefaces used, cleaner font for charts and graphs, and — perhaps the most striking portion of the redesign — the move of the nameplate banner from the top to the left side of Page 1 as well as each section's front page.

In 2009, the paper announced that as a temporary cost-cutting measure, it will not print a Monday edition from July to September 2009.^[8] On October 29, 2009, Canwest Global announced that due to a lack of funding, The National Post might close down as of October 30, 2009, subject to moving the paper to a new holding company.^[9] Late on October 29, 2009 Ontario Superior Court Justice Sarah Pepall ruled in Canwest's favour and allowed the paper to move into a holding company. ^[10] Investment bankers hired by CanWest received no offers when they tried to sell the National Post earlier this year. Without a buyer closing the paper was studied, but the costs were greater than gains from liquidating assets. The lawyer for CanWest, in arguing to Justice Pepall, said the National Post added value to other papers in the CanWest chain.^[11]

On October 28, 2011, The Post announced its first ever yearly profit. ^[12]

2006 Iran Controversy[link]

On May 19, 2006, the newspaper ran two pieces alleging that the Iranian parliament had passed a law requiring religious minorities to wear special identifying badges. One piece was a front page news item titled "IRAN EYES BADGES FOR JEWS" accompanied by a 1935 picture of two Jews bearing Nazi-ordered yellow badges. Later on the same day, experts began coming forward to deny the accuracy of the Post story. The story proved to be false, but not before it had been picked up by a variety of other news media and generated comment from world leaders. Comments on the story by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper caused Iran to summon Canada's ambassador to Tehran, Gordon E. Venner, for an explanation.

On May 24, 2006, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Doug Kelly, published an apology for the story on Page 2, admitting that it was false and the National Post had not exercised enough caution or checked enough sources.^[13]

Since 1998, the Canadian Islamic Congress has been actively monitoring media coverage for anti-Muslim or anti-Islam sentiment and has issued reports highlighting its findings. It has opposed the use of phrases such as "Islamic guerrillas," "Islamic insurgency" and "Muslim militants" saying that terms like "militant" or "terrorist" should be used without a religious association "since no religion teaches or endorses terrorism, militancy or extremism."^[14] The Congress has singled out the National Post, saying the paper "consistently is No. 1" as an anti-Islam media outlet.^[15]

Editors in chief[link]

• Kenneth Whyte, 1998–2003
• Matthew Fraser, 2003–2005
• Doug Kelly, 2005–2010
• Stephen Meurice 2010–

Current editorial positions[link]

• Doug Kelly, Publisher
• Stephen Meurice, Editor-in-Chief
• Kevin Libin, Managing Editor, News
• Jonathan Kay, Managing Editor, Comment
• Benjamin Errett, Managing Editor, Features
• Grant Ellis, Managing Editor, Financial Post
• Gayle Grin, Managing Editor, Design and Graphics
• Terence Corcoran, FP Editor
• Diane Francis, FP Editor-at-large
• Rob Roberts, National Editor
• Ron Wadden, Toronto Editor
• Michael Higgins, Foreign Editor
• Adam McDowell, News Features Editor
• Jo-Anne MacDonald, Night Editor
• Jim Bray, Sports Editor
• Jeff Wasserman, Photography and Multimedia Editor
• Maryam Siddiqi, Deputy Managing Editor, Features
• Barry Hertz, Arts & Life Editor
• Mark Medley, Books Editor
• Jessica Johnston, Travel Editor

Columnists[link]

The following are a list of past and present columnists in the National Post.^[16]

See also[link]

• Media in Canada
• List of Canadian newspapers
• List of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Guide to the Post's September 2007 redesign
• Video from Global Ontario on the Post's September 2007 redesign

v t e   Editors-in-Chief of the ten largest Canadian newspapers Toronto Star Joseph E. Atkinson (1899-1948), Harry Comfort Hindmarsh (1948-1955), Beland Honderich (1955-1966), Peter Newman (1969–1971), Robert Nielsen (acting 1970s), Fred Kuntz (2006-2008), Giles Gherson (2004-2006), Michael Cooke (2009-present) The Globe and Mail George McCullagh (1936-1952), Oakley Dalgleish (1952-1963), R. Howard Webster 1963-1965, James L. Cooper (1965-1974), Richard S. Malone (1974-1978) Richard Doyle (1978-1983), Norman Webster (1983-1989), William Thorsell (1989-1999), Richard Addis (1999-2002), Edward Greenspon (2002-2009), John Stackhouse (2009-present) Le Journal de Montréal André Lecompte (1964-?), Paule Beaugrand-Champagne, Lyne Robitaille La Presse William-Edmond Blumhart, Guy Crevier (2001), Philippe Cantin, André Pratte (2001-present) Toronto Sun Peter Worthington (1971-1982), Barbara Amiel (1983-1985), John Downing (1985-1997), Lorrie Goldstein (1997-2005), Linda Williamson, Mike Strobel (1999-2001), Jim Jennings (2004-2006), Glenn Garnett (2007), Lou Clancy (2007-2009), James Wallace (acting 2009-present) National Post Kenneth Whyte (1998-2003), Matthew Fraser (2003-2005), Doug Kelly (2005-2010), Stephen Meurice (2010-present) The Vancouver Sun Neil Reynolds (2000-2003), Patricia Graham (2003-present) Montreal Gazette Norman Webster, Joan Fraser (1993-1996), Alan Allnutt (1996-2000), Andrew Phillips Ottawa Citizen Charles Herbert Mackintosh (1874-1892), Hugh Clark 1897-1898, Edward Whipple Bancroft Morrison (1898-1913), Keith Spicer (1985-1989), Gordon Fisher (1989-1991), James Travers (1991-1996), Neil Reynolds (1996-2000), Scott Keir Anderson (2000-2007), Gerry Nott (2009-present) Winnipeg Free Press William Fisher Luxton (1872-1893), Frederick Molyneux St. John (1893-1895), Arnott James Magurn (1898-1901), John Wesley Dafoe (1901-1944), George Victor Ferguson (1944-1946), Grant Dexter (1946-1954), Thomas Worrall Kent (1954-1959), Shane MacKay (1959-1967), Richard S. Malone (1967-1974), Peter McLintock (1974-1979), John Dafoe (1979-1993), Duncan McMonagle (1993-1996), Nicholas Hirst (1996-2005), Bob Cox (2005-2007), Margo Goodhand (2007-present)

William Shatner
William Shatner in 2005
Born	William Alan Shatner (1931-03-22) March 22, 1931 (age 81) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Residence	Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California
Nationality	Canadian
Other names	Bill Shatner
Education	Baron Byng High School Westhill High School
Alma mater	McGill University
Occupation	Actor, musician, novelist, spokesman, film director
Years active	1950–present
Known for	James T. Kirk, Sergeant T. J. Hooker, Denny Crane, Priceline Negotiator
Home town	Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Television	Star Trek, T. J. Hooker, Boston Legal
Religion	Judaism
Spouse	Gloria Rand (1956–1969) Marcy Lafferty Shatner (1973–1994) Nerine Kidd-Shatner (1997–1999; her death) Elizabeth Martin (2001–present)
Children	3 (with Rand)
Awards	People's Choice Award, Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Award
Website
williamshatner.com

William Alan Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, author and film director. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T. Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise, in the science fiction television series Star Trek from 1966 to 1969, Star Trek: The Animated Series from 1973 to 1974, and in seven of the subsequent Star Trek feature films from 1979 to 1994. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek, and has co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe. He has also authored a series of science fiction novels called TekWar that were adapted for television.

Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986. Afterwards, he hosted the reality-based television series, Rescue 911 from 1989 to 1996, which won a People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Dramatic Series. He has since worked as a musician, author, producer, director and celebrity pitchman. From 2004 to 2008 he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the television dramas The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal for which he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Early life, and education[link]

Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in the Côte Saint-Luc neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, the son of Anne (née Garmaise) and Joseph Shatner, a clothing manufacturer.^[1][2] He has two sisters, Joy and Farla.^[3] His paternal grandfather, Wolf Schattner, anglicized the family name to "Shatner".^[4] All of Shatner's grandparents were Jewish immigrants (from Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine),^[5][6] and Shatner was raised in Conservative Judaism.^[7] He attended Willingdon Elementary School,^[8] in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG-Montreal) and Baron Byng High School, in Montreal, as well as West Hill High School in NDG. He is an alumnus of the Montreal Children's Theatre.^[9] He also attended McGill University in Montreal, where he studied economics and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.^[10] In June 2011, McGill awarded him with an honorary doctorate of letters.^[11] The Students' Society of McGill University building on McTavish Street is popularly (though not officially) named "Shatner".

Shatner has said that he faced anti-semitism while growing up in Montreal.^[12]

Acting career[link]

Early stage, film, and television work[link]

After graduating from McGill University in 1952 Shatner became business manager for the Mountain Playhouse in Montréal before joining the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa. Trained as a classical Shakespearean actor, Shatner began performing at the Shakespearean Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford, Ontario beginning in 1954. He played a range of roles at the Stratford Festival in productions that included a minor role in the opening scene of a renowned and nationally televised production of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex directed by Tyrone Guthrie, Shakespeare's Henry V, and Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great. Shatner made his Broadway debut in the latter, in 1956.^[13] In 1954, he was cast as Ranger Bob on The Canadian Howdy Doody Show.^[14] Shatner was understudy to Christopher Plummer; the two would later star as adversaries in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Though his official movie debut was in the 1951 Canadian film The Butler's Night Off, Shatner's first feature role came in the 1958 MGM film The Brothers Karamazov with Yul Brynner, in which he starred as the youngest of the Karamazov brothers, Alexei. In December of the same year, he appeared opposite Ralph Bellamy playing Roman tax collectors in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus' birth in a vignette of a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production entitled The Christmas Tree directed by Kirk Browning, which featured in other vignettes such stars as Jessica Tandy, Margaret Hamilton, Bernadette Peters, Richard Thomas, Cyril Ritchard and Carol Channing. Shatner had a leading role in an Alfred Hitchcock Presents third-season (1957–1958) episode titled "The Glass Eye", one of his first appearances on American television.

In 1959, he received decent reviews when he took on the role of Lomax in the Broadway production of The World of Suzie Wong. In March 1959, while performing on stage in Suzie Wong, Shatner was also playing detective Archie Goodwin in what would have been television's first Nero Wolfe series had it not been aborted by CBS after shooting a pilot and a few episodes.^[15]

In 1960, he appeared twice as Wayne Gorham in NBC's The Outlaws Western series with Barton MacLane, and then in another Alfred Hitchcock Presents fifth-season episode titled "Mother, may I go out to swim?". In 1961, he starred in the Broadway play A Shot in the Dark with Julie Harris and directed by Harold Clurman. Walter Matthau (who won a Tony Award for his performance) and Gene Saks were also featured in this play. Shatner also starred in two episodes of the NBC television series Thriller, "Grim Reaper" and "The Hungry Glass".

Guthrie had called the young Shatner the Stratford Festival's most promising actor, and he was seen as a peer to contemporaries like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford. Shatner was not as successful as the others, however, and during the 1960s he "became a working actor who showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone." His motto was "Work equals work", but Shatner's willingness to take any role, no matter how "forgettable", likely hurt his career.^[13] In 1962, he starred in Roger Corman's movie The Intruder. He also appeared in the Stanley Kramer film Judgment at Nuremberg and two episodes, "Nick of Time" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", of the science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone. In the 1963–1964 season, he appeared in episodes of two ABC series, Channing and The Outer Limits ("Cold Hands, Warm Heart"). In 1963, he starred in the Family Theater production called "The Soldier" and received credits in other programs of The Psalms series. That same year he guest starred in Route 66, in the episode, "Build Your Houses with Their Backs to the Sea". In 1964, he guest starred in the episode "He Stuck in His Thumb" of the CBS drama The Reporter.Also in 1964 he co-starred with Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Paul Newman and Edward G Robinson in the western "The Outrage"

In 1965, Shatner guest-starred as Major Curt Brown in second season episode 9, "I Am The Enemy" of 12 O-Clock High. He guest-starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in an episode that also featured Leonard Nimoy,^[16] with whom Shatner would soon be paired in Star Trek. He also starred in the critically acclaimed drama For the People in 1965, as an assistant district attorney, costarring with Jessica Walter. The program lasted for only thirteen episodes. Shatner starred in the 1966 gothic horror film Incubus, the second feature-length movie ever made with all dialogue spoken in Esperanto. He also starred in an episode of Gunsmoke in 1966 as the character Fred Bateman. In 1967 he starred in the little known film White Comanche starring as two characters: Johnny Moon and his twin brother Notah.

William Shatner as Kirk in a promotional photograph

[edit] Star Trek

Shatner was first cast as Captain James T. Kirk for the second pilot of Star Trek, titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before". He was then contracted to play Kirk for the Star Trek series and held the role from 1966 to 1969. In 1973, he returned to the role of Captain Kirk, albeit only in voice, in the animated Star Trek series.

In his role as Kirk, Shatner famously kissed African American actress Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura) in the November 22, 1968, Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren". The episode is popularly cited as the first example of an interracial kiss on scripted television in the United States.^[17][18][19]

1970s[link]

Shatner's wife Gloria Rand divorced him in March 1969.^[20] After Star Trek was cancelled that year, Shatner experienced difficulty in finding work in the early 1970s. With very little money and few acting prospects, he lived in a truck bed camper in the San Fernando Valley^[21] until small roles turned into higher-paying jobs. Shatner refers to this part of his life as "that period", a humbling one during which he would take any odd job, including small party appearances, to support his family.

Shatner again appeared in "schlock" films, such as the horror film The Devil's Rain, Corman's Big Bad Mama,^[13] and the TV movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet, which many fans believe is his worst work.^[21] Shatner received good reviews as the lead prosecutor in a 1971 PBS adaptation of Saul Levitt's play The Andersonville Trial. Other television appearances included a starring role in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast during 1975 and 1976, and guest roles on many 1970s series such as The Six Million Dollar Man, Columbo, The Rookies, Kung Fu, and Mission: Impossible.

Shatner was an occasional celebrity guest on The $10,000 Pyramid and The $20,000 Pyramid in the 1970s, once appearing opposite Nimoy in a week-long matchup billed as "Kirk vs. Spock". His appearances became far less frequent after a 1977 appearance in which, after giving an illegal clue ("the blessed" for Things That Are Blessed) at the top of the pyramid ($200) which deprived the contestant of a big money win, he threw his chair out of the Winner's Circle.^[22] Other shows included The Hollywood Squares, Celebrity Bowling,^[13] Beat the Clock and Match Game.

Shatner did a number of television commercials for Ontario-based Loblaws and British Columbia-based SuperValu supermarket chains in the 1970s,^[23] and finished the Loblaws ad spots by saying, "At Loblaws, more than the price is right. But, by Gosh, the price is right."^[24] He also did a number of television commercials for General Motors, endorsing the Oldsmobile brand, and Promise margarine.

A return to Kirk, and to work[link]

After its cancellation, Star Trek unexpectedly gained a cult following during the 1970s from syndicated reruns, and Captain Kirk became a cultural icon.^[13] Shatner began appearing at Star Trek conventions organized by Trekkies.^[25] In the mid-1970s Paramount began pre-production for a revised Star Trek television series, tentatively titled Star Trek: Phase II. However, the phenomenal success of Star Wars led the studio to instead consider developing a Star Trek motion picture. Shatner and the other original Star Trek cast members returned to their roles when Paramount produced Star Trek: The Motion Picture, released in 1979. It re-established Shatner as an actor, and he played Kirk in the next six Star Trek films, ending with the character's death in 1994's Star Trek Generations. His final appearances in the role are in the movie sequences of the video game Starfleet Academy (1997), and briefly for a DirecTV advertisement using footage from Star Trek VI running from late summer 2006.

Although Trekkies had resurrected Star Trek after cancellation, in a 1986 Saturday Night Live skit about a Star Trek convention Shatner advised a room full of fans to "Get a life".^[26][13] The "much-discussed sketch" accurately portrayed his feelings about Trekkies, which the actor had previously discussed in interviews.^[26] Shatner had been the unwilling subject of adoration by them for decades; as early as April 1968, a group attempted to rip his clothes off as the actor left 30 Rockefeller Plaza,^[27] and he stopped attending conventions for more than a decade during the 1970s and 1980s.^[28] Shatner also appeared in the film Free Enterprise in 1998, in which he played himself and tried to dispel the Kirk image of himself from the view of the film's two lead characters. He also has found an outlet in spoofing the cavalier, almost superhuman, character persona of Captain Kirk in films such as Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon (1993).

Tim Allen's role in Galaxy Quest as Captain Peter Quincy Taggart / Jason Nesmith is an analogue of James T. Kirk / William Shatner as seen by the public at large. Taggart has a reputation for taking off his shirt at the flimsiest excuse, rolling on the ground during combat, and making pithy speeches, while Nesmith is an egomaniac who regards himself as the core of Galaxy Quest and tells fans to "get a life". Poking fun at himself, Shatner professed to have no idea whom Allen was parodying.^[29]

Besides the Star Trek films, Shatner gained a new starring role on television as a police officer in T. J. Hooker, which ran from 1982 to 1986. He then hosted the popular dramatic reenactment series Rescue 911 from 1989 to 1996. During the 1980s Shatner also began directing film and television, directing numerous episodes of T. J. Hooker and the feature film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

Subsequent acting career[link]

Shatner has appeared in advertisements for many companies and products, and for most of the 14 years ending in 2012, he has done a series of commercials for the travel web site Priceline, in which Shatner plays a pompous, fictionalized version of himself.^[13][30] Although he received stock options for the commercials, Shatner insists that reports that they are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars are exaggerated.^[31][32] Shatner was also the CEO of the Toronto, Ontario-based C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, a special effects studio that operated from 1994 to 2010.^[33]

Shatner has enjoyed success with a series of science fiction novels published under his name, though most are widely believed to have been written by uncredited co-writers such as William T. Quick and Ron Goulart.^[34] The first, published in 1990, was TekWar. This popular series of books led to a Marvel Comics series, to a number of television movies, in which Shatner played a role, and to a short-lived television series in which Shatner made several appearances; he also directed some episodes. In 1995, a first-person shooter game named William Shatner's TekWar was released, and was the first game to use the Build engine. He also played as a narrator in 1995 American documentary film Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie directed by Peter Kuran.

In the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun, Shatner appeared in several episodes as the "Big Giant Head", a womanizing party-animal and high-ranking officer from the same alien planet as the Solomon family. The role earned Shatner a nomination for an Emmy.^[35]

In 2001, Shatner starred in the animated film Osmosis Jones as the character Mayor Phlegmming, the self-centered head of the "City of Frank", a community comprising all the cells and microorganisms of a man's body. In the movie, the pompous Phlegmming is constantly preoccupied with his reelection and his own convenience, even to the detriment of his "city" and constituents.

In 2003, Shatner appeared in Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" and "Online" music videos along with Little Jimmy Dickens, Jason Alexander, and Trista Rehn.

Star Trek: Enterprise producer Manny Coto stated in Star Trek Communicator's October 2004 issue that he was preparing a three-episode story arc for Shatner. Shortly thereafter, Enterprise was cancelled.

After David E. Kelley saw Shatner's commercials,^[13] he joined the final season of the legal drama The Practice. His Emmy-award winning role, the eccentric but highly capable attorney Denny Crane, was essentially "William Shatner the man . . . playing William Shatner the character playing the character Denny Crane, who was playing the character William Shatner."^[13] Shatner took the Crane role to Boston Legal, and won a Golden Globe, an Emmy in 2005, and was nominated again in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 for his work. With the 2005 Emmy win, Shatner became one of the few actors (along with co-star James Spader as Alan Shore) to win an Emmy award while playing the same character in two different series. Even rarer, Shatner and Spader each won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two different series. Shatner remained with the series until its end in 2008.

Shatner made several guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, including cameos reciting Sarah Palin's resignation speech, Twitter posts, and autobiography. He has also recited Twitter posts by Levi Johnston, father of Palin's grandson. He also appears in the opening graphics of the occasional feature "In the Year 3000", with his disembodied head floating through space, announcing, "And so we take a cosmic ride into that new millennium; that far off reality that is the year 3000," followed by the tag line, "It's the future, man."

Shatner also played the voice of Ozzie the opossum in DreamWorks' 2006 feature Over the Hedge.

Shatner's star on the Canadian Walk of Fame

In January 2007, Shatner launched a series of daily vlogs on his life called ShatnerVision^[36] on the LiveUniverse.com website. In 2008, he launched his video blogs on YouTube in a project renamed "The Shatner Project".^[37] Shatner also starred as the voice of Don Salmonella Gavone on the 2009 YouTube animated series The Gavones.^[38]

Shatner was not "offered or suggested" a role in the 2009 film Star Trek.^[39][40] Director J.J. Abrams said in July 2007, that the production was "desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in" but that to "shove him in . . . would be a disaster."^[41] an opinion echoed by Shatner in several interviews. At a convention held in 2010, Shatner commented on the film by saying "I've seen that wonderful film." Shatner had invented his own idea about the beginning of Star Trek with his latest novel, Star Trek: Academy — Collision Course.^[42]

Shatner's autobiography Up Till Now was released in 2008. He was assisted in writing it by David Fisher. Shatner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for Television work) at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard. He also has a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame. Shatner was the first Canadian actor to star in three successful television series on three different major networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC).

Shatner starred in the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says, which is based on the Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says created by Justin Halpern. The series premiered in late 2010 and was canceled May 2011.^[43] Shatner is also the host of the interview show Shatner's Raw Nerve on The Biography Channel, and the Discovery Channel television series Weird or What?^[44] Also in 2011, Shatner appeared in the episode of Psych titled, "In For a Penny" on the USA Network as the estranged father of Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson). He has signed on to continue the role into the 2012 season.

In 2011, Shatner starred in The Captains, a feature length documentary which he also wrote and directed. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains within the Star Trek franchise. Shatner's interviewees included Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine. In the film, Shatner also interviews Christopher Plummer, who is an old friend and colleague from Shatner's days with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario.^[45]

In February 2012, Shatner performed in a new one-man show on Broadway, called Shatner's World: We Just Live in It. After a 3-week run at the Music Box Theater,^[46] the show is currently touring throughout the United States.

In May 2012 Shatner was the guest presenter on the British satirical television quiz show Have I Got News For You.^[47][48]

Music and spoken-word work[link]

Shatner began his musical career with the spoken-word 1968 album The Transformed Man, delivering exaggerated, interpretive recitations of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". He performed a reading of the Elton John song "Rocket Man" during the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards that has been widely parodied. Ben Folds, who has worked with him several times, produced and co-wrote Shatner's well-received second studio album, Has Been, in 2004. His third studio album, Seeking Major Tom, was released October 11, 2011.

[edit] Space Shuttle Discovery

Shatner recorded a wake-up call that was played for the crew of STS-133 in the Space Shuttle Discovery on March 7, 2011, its final day docked to the International Space Station. Backed by the musical theme from Star Trek, it featured a voice-over based on his spoken introduction from the series' opening credits: "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before."^[49]

Personal life[link]

Shatner with Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton in July 2010

Shatner dislikes watching himself perform, and claims that he has "never watched Star Trek . . . not even any of the Star Trek movies"—except the dailies from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which he directed—or Boston Legal.^[50]

Family[link]

Shatner has been married four times. His first marriage was to Gloria Rand, from 1956 to 1969. His second marriage lasted 21 years and was to Marcy Lafferty; the couple were married in 1973 and divorced in 1994.

His third marriage was to Nerine Kidd-Shatner, from 1997 until her death in 1999. On August 9, 1999, Shatner returned home around 10 pm to discover Nerine's body at the bottom of their back yard swimming pool. She was 40 years old. An autopsy detected alcohol and Valium in her blood, but the coroner ruled the cause of her death as an accidental drowning. The LAPD ruled out foul play and the case was closed. Speaking to the press shortly after his wife's death, a clearly shaken and emotional Shatner said that she "meant everything" to him and called her his "beautiful soulmate."^[51] Shatner urged the public to support Friendly House, a non-profit organization that helps women re-establish themselves in the community after suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.^[52] He later told Larry King in an interview that ". . . my wife, whom I loved dearly and who loved me, was suffering with a disease that we don't like to talk about, alcoholism. And she met a tragic ending because of it."^[51] In his 2008 book Up Till Now: The Autobiography, Shatner discusses how Leonard Nimoy helped take Nerine for treatment of her alcoholism. Shatner writes in an excerpt from his book:

Leonard Nimoy's personal experience of alcoholism now came to play a central role in my life and it helped us bond together in a way I never could have imagined in the early days of Star Trek. After Nerine [Kidd] and I had been to dinner with Leonard and Susan Nimoy one evening, Leonard called and said: "Bill, you know she's an alcoholic?" I said I did. I married Nerine in 1997, against the advice of many and my own good sense. But I thought she would give up alcohol for me. We had a celebration in Pasadena, and Leonard was my best man. I woke up about eight o'clock the next morning and Nerine was drunk. She was in rehab for 30 days three different times. Twice she almost drank herself to death. Leonard took Nerine to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, but she did not want to quit.^[53]

In 2000, a Reuters story reported that Shatner was planning to write and direct The Shiva Club, a dark comedy about the grieving process inspired by his wife's death.^[54] Shatner's 2004 album Has Been included a spoken word piece titled "What Have You Done" that describes his anguish upon discovering his wife's body in the pool. "What Have You Done" was also sampled in the Concord Dawn and Chris Su Drum and Bass track "Scream to the Stars".

Since 2001, Shatner has been married to Elizabeth Martin. In 2004, she co-wrote the song "Together" on Shatner's album Has Been.^[55]

Relationships with other actors[link]

Star Trek co-star Grace Lee Whitney wears a pair of platform boots with Shatner's face on them to a science fiction convention in the 1970s

Shatner first appeared on screen with Leonard Nimoy in 1964, when both actors guest-starred in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., entitled: "The Project Strigas Affair". However, Shatner states in his autobiography that he does not recall meeting Nimoy at that time. As co-stars on Star Trek, they interacted socially both on and off the set. After Star Trek's cancellation in 1969, Shatner and Nimoy reunited in the production of Star Trek: The Animated Series, as well as The $20,000 Pyramid, where "Kirk vs. Spock" appeared on two different tables. Nimoy also guest-starred on T. J. Hooker for a few episodes. Shatner starred in the title role of the show.

The 1999 death of Shatner's third wife, Nerine, served to strengthen the friendship of Shatner and Nimoy, as Nimoy had mourned over the loss of his best friend's wife. Nimoy also appeared alongside Shatner at the TV Land Awards (hosted by John Ritter) and was one of the many people to serve as a celebrity "roaster" of Shatner. Nimoy summarized his four decade friendship with Shatner by remarking, "Bill's energy was good for my performance, 'cause Spock could be the cool individual, our chemistry was successful, right from the start." Nimoy has spoken about their mutual rivalry during the Star Trek years: "Very competitive, sibling rivalry up to here. After the show had been on the air a few weeks and they started getting so much mail for Spock, then the dictum came down from NBC: 'Give us more of that guy, they love that guy, you know?' Well, that can be . . . that can be a problem for the leading man who was hired as the star of the show; and suddenly, here's this guy with ears – 'What's this, you know?'" said Nimoy. Shatner has similarly described their Star Trek relationship, stating that they only became close friends while attending fan conventions together.^[21] On an episode of the A&E Network series Biography, Nimoy remarked, "Bill Shatner hogging the stage? No. Not the Bill Shatner I know."

Shatner has been a friend of actress Heather Locklear since 1982, when Locklear began co-starring with him on T. J. Hooker as Officer Stacy Sheridan. Locklear was asked by Entertainment Tonight whether it was hard to work on two weekly TV shows at the same time. (During the four years Locklear was in Hooker, she was also appearing in a semi-regular role in a fellow Aaron Spelling production, Dynasty). She replied ". . . I'd get really nervous and want to be prepared . . ." for Shatner and for the experienced cast of Dynasty. After Hooker ended Shatner helped Locklear get other roles. Locklear supported a grieving Shatner in 1999 when he was mourning the death of his wife, Nerine. In 2005, Locklear appeared in two episodes of Shatner's Boston Legal as Kelly Nolan, an attractive, youthful woman being tried for killing her much older, wealthy husband. Shatner plays Denny Crane, a founding partner of a large law firm, and a legendary litigator. Crane is attracted to Nolan and tries to insert himself into her defense. He is about the same age as Nolan's deceased husband, so Crane courts death by pursuing her. Locklear was asked how she came to appear on Boston Legal. She explained "I love the show, it's my favorite show; and I sorta kind of said, 'Shouldn't I be William Shatner's illegitimate daughter, or his love interest?'"

For years, Shatner was accused of being difficult to work with by some of his Star Trek co-stars, most notably James Doohan and George Takei. In the 2004 Star Trek DVD sets, Shatner seemed to have made up with Takei, but their differences continue to resurface. In the 1990s, Shatner made numerous attempts to patch things up with Doohan, but was unsuccessful for some time; however, an Associated Press article published at the time of Doohan's final convention appearance in late August 2004 stated that Doohan had forgiven his fellow Canadian Shatner and they had mended their relationship.

Takei continues to speak negatively about Shatner. In a 2008 television interview, he stated "he has a big, shiny, demanding ego."^[56] Shatner, in turn, recorded videos for YouTube, saying that Takei had some sort of "psychosis".^[57]

Takei has repeatedly asserted (most recently on the December 26, 2009, episode of the NPR radio program Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me) that he invited Shatner (along with other Star Trek cast members) to his 2008 wedding to Brad Altman, but Shatner never responded to the invitation. Shatner has repeatedly counter-asserted (most recently in the January 2010 issue of GQ) that he never received an invitation.^[58][59]

In 1995, when Shatner interviewed his Star Trek costars for his memoir Star Trek Movie Memories, Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura on the show) told him, "Now let me tell you why I hate you,"^[60] explaining that, despite the few lines she had in the show, he would sometimes argue with the director that an Uhura dialog line was unnecessary.^[61] She then "gave Shatner an earful about how she and the rest of the other four felt, which prompted Shatner to wake up and set about making things right with his former costars." He and Nichols patched up their differences sufficiently that she appeared on his August 20, 2006 Friars Club roast, telling the Comedy Central audience, "Bill Shatner would crap on the last piece of pizza just so no one else could enjoy it."^[62]

Health problems[link]

Shatner suffers from tinnitus as a result of an accident on the set while shooting the Star Trek episode "Arena" and is involved in the American Tinnitus Association. His treatment for this condition involved wearing a small electronic device that generated a low-level, broadband sound (white noise) that "helped his brain put the tinnitus in the background".^[63]

Charity work[link]

In 2006, Shatner sold his kidney stone for US$25,000 to GoldenPalace.com.^[64] In an appearance on The View on May 16, 2006, Shatner said the $25,000 and an additional $20,000 raised from the cast and crew of Boston Legal paid for the building of a house by Habitat for Humanity.

In his spare time, Shatner enjoys breeding and showing American Saddlebreds^[13] and Quarter Horses. Shatner has a 150 hectare (360 acre) farm near Versailles, Kentucky, named Belle Reve (from the French beau rève, "Beautiful Dream," -- Belle Reve was the name of Blanche Dubois and her sister Stella's family home in A Streetcar Named Desire), where he raises American Saddlebreds. His champion American Saddlebreds include Call Me Ringo, Revival, and Sultan's Great Day. The farm's activities help benefit the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope "Horses For Heroes" program.

Shatner also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home Games, where celebrities play for their favorite charities. Since 1990, he has been a leading force behind the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which raises money for children's charities.

Nominations and awards[link]

In 2004, Shatner won his first Emmy Award for his role as "Denny Crane" on The Practice. In 2005, he won his first Golden Globe award and a second Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Boston Legal. In 2009, Shatner won a Streamy Award in the category of Best Reality Web Series.

In May 2011, he was honoured with the Governor General of Canada's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, recording a humorous short film William Shatner Sings O Canada for the occasion.^[65][66] On June 2, 2011, Shatner received an honorary Doctor of Letters from McGill University, his alma mater.^[67]

See also[link]

• Works by William Shatner

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Shatner

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: William Shatner

• Official website
• Works by William Shatner on Open Library at the Internet Archive
• William Shatner at the Internet Movie Database
• William Shatner at TV Tropes
• William Shatner's verified Twitter account
• Works by or about William Shatner in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• William Shatner collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• William Shatner talks about 'Star Trek: The Tour' in Long Beach
• William Shatner at the LA Art Show
• William Shatner has made around 40 short interview films on Videojug "Ask the Expert – William Shatner"
• Shatner at Amazon Reviews
• William Shatner Interview at Slashdot
• Shatner at Fame Tracker
• The Times (London), January 26, 2008. "Man of Enterprise. As a new series of Boston Legal begins, our critic salutes the many facets of its veteran star William Shatner" by Sophie Davies
• Shatner turns down real offer to go into space "I do want to go up but I need guarantees I'll definitely come back.", accessed 2010-07-21
• William Shatner Issues Urgent Plea in Animals' Behalf
• William Shatner for animal rights
• William Shatner interview at Archive of American Television January 22, 2009 and September 15, 1999
• William Shatner In Conversation (video) with The Big Bang Theory creator and show runner Bill Prady at 2010 Banff World TV Festival
• William Shatner at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2012)

An editor has expressed a concern that this article lends undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, controversies or matters relative to the article subject as a whole. Please help to create a more balanced presentation. Discuss and resolve this issue before removing this message. (March 2012)

Dave Mustaine
Mustaine performing with Megadeth in 2010
Background information
Birth name	David Scott Mustaine
Born	(1961-09-13) September 13, 1961 (age 50) La Mesa, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, speed metal, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, actor, author, manager
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Loud, Combat, Capitol, Sanctuary, Roadrunner
Associated acts	Megadeth, Metallica, MD.45
Website	www.megadeth.com
Notable instruments
Jackson King V Signature model ESP DV8 Signature model Various Dean VMNT Signature model

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is the founder, main songwriter, lead guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he was ranked No. 1 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.^[1] Mustaine was ranked 89th by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.^[2] He is also the manager for the Canadian band, Baptized in Blood.

History[link]

Dave Mustaine was born in La Mesa, California, to Emily and John Mustaine. His mother was Jewish but Dave was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness. By the age of 17, Mustaine had rented his own apartment and was surviving financially by dealing drugs.^[3] One of his clients, Willow^{[citation needed]}, was often short of cash, but worked in a record store, so in return for drugs, she offered albums by artists such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Motörhead and Judas Priest in trade,^[3] which helped form his taste in heavy metal. In the late 1970s, Mustaine began playing electric guitar, most notably a B.C. Rich and joined a band known as Panic for a short time.

The 1980s[link]

Panic[link]

Panic was Mustaine’s first real band. The lineup was Mike Leftwych on drums, Bob Evans on bass, Tom Queck on guitar, Pat Voeks as the vocalist and Dave Mustaine was the lead guitarist. Both Mike Leftwych and the sound man were killed in a car crash after Panic's first show. ^[4]

Metallica (1981-1983)[link]

In 1981, Mustaine left Panic to join Metallica as the lead guitarist. Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich had posted an ad in a local newspaper, The Recycler, looking for a lead guitarist. In his own words, Mustaine remembers his first meeting with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich: "I was in the room warming up and I walked out and asked, 'Well, am I gonna audition or what?', and they said, 'no, you've got the job.' I couldn't believe how easy it had been and suggested that we get some beer to celebrate."^[5]

Mustaine's membership in Metallica lasted less than two years. Brian Slagel, owner of Metal Blade Records, recalls in an interview: "Dave was an incredibly talented guy but he also had an incredibly large problem with alcohol and drugs. He'd get wasted and become a real crazy person, a raging megalomaniac, and the other guys just couldn't deal with that after a while. I mean, they all drank of course, but Dave drank more...much more. I could see they were beginning to get fed up of seeing Dave drunk out of his mind all the time."^[6]

On one occasion, Mustaine brought his dog to rehearsal; the dog jumped onto the car of Metallica bassist Ron McGovney and scratched the paint. Hetfield allegedly yelled at Mustaine's dog and kicked it in anger, to which Mustaine responded by physically attacking Hetfield and McGovney and verbally abusing Ulrich. Mustaine was fired following the altercation, but the next day, Mustaine asked to be allowed back in the band and was granted his request. Another incident occurred when Mustaine, who had been drinking, poured a full can of beer down the neck and into the pick-ups of Ron McGovney's bass. When McGovney tried playing it, he received an electrical shock which he claims 'blew him across the room and shocked the hell out of him'. McGovney then told Mustaine and Hetfield to leave his house and left the band shortly after.^[7]

On April 11, 1983, after Metallica had driven to New York to record their debut album, Mustaine was officially fired from the band because of his alcoholism, drug abuse, overly aggressive behavior, and personality clashes with founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, an incident Mustaine refers to as "no warning, no second chance". The band packed up Dave's gear, drove him to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and put him on a Greyhound bus bound for Los Angeles.^[5] It was on this bus ride that Mustaine scribbled some lyrical ideas on the back of a hand bill, which would later become the song "Set The World Afire" from the 1988 Megadeth album So Far, So Good... So What!

During his time in Metallica, Dave Mustaine toured with the band, co-wrote four songs which appeared on Kill Em All, and co-wrote two songs which would eventually appear on Ride the Lightning. Mustaine has also made unverified claims to have written parts of "Leper Messiah" from Master of Puppets.^[5] He also recorded several songs with the band including the No Life 'Til Leather demo tape. A few of the songs he wrote with Hetfield and Ulrich went on to be re-recorded by Metallica. The most well-known of these is "The Four Horsemen" from Kill 'Em All, which Mustaine wrote as "The Mechanix" and later released on Megadeth's debut album with the original lyrics as "Mechanix".^{[citation needed]}

Fallen Angels (1983)[link]

Fallen Angels was the name, although shortlived, of the band that Mustaine founded after his ejection from Metallica. In April 1983, after being fired from Metallica, Mustaine returned to California to live with his mother. He then landed what he calls 'my last real job' with the aid of Robbie McKinney. McKinney and his friend, Matt Kisselstien, worked with Mustaine as telemarketers. Mustaine quit his job after earning enough money to move to an apartment in Hollywood, and recruited McKinney, who played guitar, and Kisselstien, who played bass, for his band Fallen Angels. In his biography, Mustaine describes that 'We lacked the chemistry, the energy, the spark--or whatever you want to call it--that gives a band life in its infancy.' The partnership did not last.

This paved the way for his partnership for Dave Ellefson and Greg Handevidt. Ellefson was playing the opening bass line of Van Halen's 'Running with the Devil' in the apartment below Mustaine's. After stomping on the floor and shouting for them to stop, Mustaine, being hung over at the time, took a potted plant and threw it out of his window and hit the air conditioner of the apartment below. This resulted in the 2 coming up to Mustaine's apartment to ask for cigarettes. Mustaine replied 'The store is down the street' and slammed the door in their faces. A few minutes later, they knocked on the door, this time asking if he could buy them beer. Mustaine's reply: 'Ok, now you are talking'. They spent the night talking about music, and soon after, Mustaine, Ellefson and Handevidt were then bandmates.

With little confidence in his own vocal capabilities, Mustaine added Lawrence 'Lor' Kane to the Fallen Angels roster. Kane did not stay long, although is credited for the suggestion that they should change the name to Megadeth, knowing that Mustaine had written a song of the same name. After Kane left, the first of many drummers, Dijon Carruthers, joined the band. The lineup of Mustaine, Ellefson, Handevidt and Carruthers would be the first incarnation of Megadeth.^[8]

Megadeth (1983-present)[link]

After a series of unsuccessful vocalist auditions, Mustaine elected to take on vocal duties himself in addition to playing lead guitar. In 1984, Megadeth cut a three-song demo with drummer Lee Raush, who replaced Carruthers after Mustaine and Ellefson learned of his mixed heritage, despite claiming he was Spanish.^[8] Kerry King joined the band for a few shows; however, he opted to leave Megadeth after less than a week so he could continue working on his own band, Slayer. Jazz-influenced drummer Gar Samuelson replaced Raush, who left after Mustaine convinced him to play with a broken foot.^[8] Megadeth recorded a demo as a three-piece band which captured the attention of guitarist Chris Poland, also a jazz player and a friend of Samuelson, who subsequently joined the band.^[9] In November, the band signed a deal with Combat Records and began touring.

In May 1985, Megadeth released their first album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, on Combat Records. That summer, the band toured the U.S. and Canada with Exciter. Guitarist Mike Albert replaced Chris Poland for a while because Poland was charged for possession of heroin. After Poland was released, he rejoined the band in October and the band then began recording their second studio album for Combat. On New Year's Eve of that year, Megadeth played in San Francisco with Exodus and Metal Church. Metallica was the headliner. This was the only time Megadeth and Metallica were on the same card, until 1991.

In 1986, after recording Killing Is My Business..., Mustaine approached Jackson Guitars for a custom-built guitar. Jackson modified their existing Jackson King V model for Mustaine by adding 2 more frets to the standard 22 fret King V. In the 1990s the company began mass-producing a Dave Mustaine signature series Jackson King V which continued into the early 2000s. This model uses Seymour Duncan SH-4 pickups, also known as TB-4 pickups.

The following year, major label Capitol Records signed Megadeth and obtained the rights to their second album, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, from Combat. Megadeth opened a U.S. tour with King Diamond and Motörhead. This album, released in November, is regarded as a landmark metal album. It produced the notable title track (the opening bass lick of which was used by "MTV News" segments) as well as the thrash anthem "Wake Up Dead." The videos for both songs became staples on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.

In February 1987, Megadeth opened for Alice Cooper on his Constrictor tour. The band also toured with King Diamond whose previous band, Mercyful Fate, were a huge influence on Megadeth. In March, Megadeth's first world tour began in the U.K. Mustaine and Ellefson guested on the band Malice's License To Kill album. Megadeth re-recorded "These Boots" for a movie soundtrack, and that summer went on tour with Overkill and Necros. Amid drug problems and suspicions of stealing the band's equipment and pawning it for drug money, Mustaine fired Poland and Samuelson after their last show in Hawaii.

Chuck Behler, who had been Samuelson's drum tech, became Megadeth's new drummer with a guitarist named Jeff Young replacing Poland. Megadeth released their third album, So Far, So Good... So What!, in January 1988. The album contains the song "In My Darkest Hour", which, according to the liner notes of So Far, So Good... So What!, was composed after the death of Metallica's bass player Cliff Burton, despite the lyrics having nothing to do with Burton. "Hook in Mouth" attacked the Parents Music Resource Center with gusto, although their cover of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK", despite a guest appearance from ex-Pistol Steve Jones, was ill-advised in the eyes of Allmusic's critic.

Later that year, Megadeth opened for Dio and then Iron Maiden on tour before playing the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in the U.K. with Kiss, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, David Lee Roth, and Helloween. Shortly after, Mustaine fired Behler and Young, accusing Young of having thoughts of a relationship with Mustaine's then-girlfriend. Around this period, Mustaine produced the debut album from Seattle thrash band Sanctuary, called Refuge Denied.

Nick Menza, who was Chuck Behler's drum tech, joined Megadeth in 1989, and the band recorded their only track ever as a three-piece: a cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for the Wes Craven-directed horror flick, Shocker. Video director Penelope Spheeris would later recount in the Megadeth episode of Behind The Music that Mustaine showed up to the video shoot so fried on heroin and other drugs that he could not sing and play guitar at the same time; therefore, the singing and playing had to be recorded separately. Mustaine was arrested for "impaired driving" that March with seven or more drugs in his system and was forced by authorities to enter a rehabilitation program (the first of his 17 visits to rehabilitation centers).

The 1990s[link]

In February 1990, guitarist Marty Friedman (formerly of Cacophony) was auditioned to fill in the vacant lead-guitar position. In September of that year, the band joined the "Clash of the Titans" tour overseas with Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies and Testament. The tour began one month before Megadeth released Rust in Peace (1990), which continued their commercial success. They then went back on the road to promote the new album, this time as support for Judas Priest.

Megadeth started off 1991 by performing for 145,000 people at a festival in Brazil before starting their own world tour with Alice in Chains as their special guest. Mustaine got married in April, the same month the Rusted Pieces home video was released. That summer, the Clash of the Titans tour hit the U.S., featuring Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, with Alice in Chains taking the opening slot. Later that year, the Megadeth song "Go to Hell" was featured on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

Also in 1991, Mustaine collaborated with Sean Harris from Diamond Head on the track "Crown of Worms." (Mustaine would later appear on Diamond Head's reformation album Death and Progress.) Mustaine's wife, Pamela, gave birth to their son Justis on February 11, 1992. The band was featured on another soundtrack, this time for Super Mario Bros. with the song "Breakpoint." July saw the release of Megadeth's most commercially successful record: Countdown to Extinction. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and boasted some the band's most commercially successful songs, including "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin o' My Teeth". The original version of the "Symphony of Destruction" video was edited due to its depiction of a political leader being assassinated; "Skin o' My Teeth" was aired on MTV with a disclaimer from Mustaine insisting that the song did not endorse suicide. Ellefson contributed lyrics to the family-farm ballad "Foreclosure of a Dream", and Menza wrote the lyrics about canned hunting for the title track. This album began a new, more "collaborative" Megadeth.

Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies opened for Megadeth on the Countdown to Extinction tour. MTV News invited Mustaine to cover the Democratic National Convention for them that summer. In November, the "Exposure of a Dream" home video was released. In 1993, Mustaine guested on a new album by one of the bands who had influenced his own sound: Diamond Head. Megadeth began a U.S. tour with Stone Temple Pilots as their opening act. This tour, including a planned appearance at Budokan, was ultimately canceled due to Mustaine's continuing struggles with addiction. In June, Megadeth played Milton Keynes Bowl with Diamond Head and Metallica and later opened for Metallica on a handful of European Stadium dates. Megadeth was kicked off Aerosmith's U.S. tour after just seven dates due to the comment made by Mustaine that "We don't have much time to play because Aerosmith don't have much time left to live." was deemed offensive to Aerosmith. "Angry Again" was featured on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, while "99 Ways To Die" was featured on The Beavis and Butt-head Experience compilation album.

Megadeth spent the bulk of 1994 making Youthanasia, a much more commercial album undoubtedly inspired in part by the success of Countdown to Extinction. The band covered Black Sabbath's song "Paranoid" for Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath and performed on MTV's "Night of the Living Megadeth" in celebration of the Halloween release of their new album. They began a tour the next month in South America. Youthanasia became the quickest album to go gold (500,000 units) in Canadian history and sold well throughout the world. It was an album that showed a more melodic side to the band with tracks such as "À Tout le Monde." The album also included "Train of Consequences," the music video for which became one of the band's most well-known.

Another soundtrack appearance, "Diadems" on Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, kicked off 1995. Megadeth spent the first two months of the year on the "Youthanasia" tour with Corrosion of Conformity in tow. In March, the Hidden Treasures compilation hit European stores. The "Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia" home video followed in May, and Hidden Treasures made it to the U.S. and Japan in July, just in time for the start of the "Reckoning Day" tour with special guests Flotsam and Jetsam, Korn and Fear Factory. In September the band performed at the "Monsters of Rock" festival in South America.

A Grammy nomination for "Paranoid" began 1996 for Megadeth. Enlisting Fear singer Lee Ving, Mustaine released an album under the moniker "MD.45" with Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jimmy DeGrasso. In September, Megadeth returned to the studio, this time in Nashville, TN, to record Cryptic Writings.

Cryptic Writings (1997) included thrashing songs like "Vortex" and "FFF" - reminiscent of Megadeth's older material - alongside radio-friendly fare like "Trust," the song which put Megadeth on the #1 spot in the U.S. Billboard, earning them many spins at rock radio. Megadeth.com launched that year, and in June, the reformed Misfits opened for the band on tour. Chaos Comics released "The Cryptic Writings of Megadeth" comic books, and a remix of "Almost Honest" showed up on the "Mortal Kombat Annihilation" soundtrack. The first ever all-acoustic Megadeth performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina closed out the year in December.

Mustaine's daughter, Electra Mustaine, was born on December 28, 1998, the same month that "Trust" was nominated for a Grammy. Megadeth played on the Howard Stern Show and that summer took part in Ozzfest^{[citation needed]}. As Nick Menza sat in the hospital side-lined by a knee injury, he received a call from Mustaine informing him that his services would no longer be needed. Jimmy DeGrasso, who Mustaine had enjoyed playing with in MD.45, joined Megadeth in his place. On New Year's Eve, Megadeth opened for Black Sabbath alongside Soulfly, Slayer, and Pantera.

While touring after Cryptic Writings, Mustaine told interviewers that songs like "She-Wolf" and "Vortex" had reinvigorated his love for classical music by bands like Iron Maiden and Motörhead, and that he intended to write an album that was "1/2 Peace Sells, 1/2 Cryptic Writings"; however, after hearing about a comment that Lars Ulrich had made in the press in which he said he wished Mustaine would take more "risks," intentions changed. Managers and producers had more input. The song "Crush 'Em" was written with the express purpose of being played in wrestling arenas. In later years, Mustaine would blame much of this period on Friedman's desire to go in a more "pop" direction. Recorded with producer Dann Huff, again in Nashville, Risk was released on August 31, 1999. "Crush 'Em" made it onto the Universal Soldier: The Return soundtrack and into WCW wrestling events (notably played live on Monday Nitro). In July, the band covered "Never Say Die" for a second Black Sabbath tribute. They closed the Woodstock '99 music festival and again opened for Iron Maiden in Europe. There were few other highlights in the Megadeth world in 1999, a year that ended with Marty Friedman announcing his departure from the band.

The 2000s[link]

As the tour behind Risk soldiered on, Al Pitrelli replaced Friedman on the road. In April, the new lineup entered the studio to begin work on a new album a couple of months before they officially parted ways with Capitol Records. The summer was spent on the road with Anthrax and Mötley Crüe. Capitol released a "best of" collection in the fall, Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years, featuring two brand new (and more metal-leaning) songs, "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" was one of the brand new songs and appeared on the next studio album the following year. With a new deal in place with Sanctuary Records, Megadeth returned to the studio toward the end of the year to finish their album and on New Year's Eve, played a show in Anchorage, Alaska.

An acoustic tour sponsored by radio stations, a press tour, and a video shoot for the song "Moto Psycho" all preceded the May, 2001 release of The World Needs A Hero. The summer was filled with festival appearances supporting AC/DC. In September, Megadeth set out across North America with Endo and Iced Earth. VH1's "Behind The Music" special on Megadeth aired that year and was later released on DVD. At the end of the year, the band filmed two shows in Arizona, which were released as the 2CD and DVD Rude Awakening. The early part of 2002 saw the release of a remixed and re-mastered Killing Is My Business... with bonus tracks and expanded packaging, followed by Rude Awakening.

In January 2002, Mustaine was admitted to the hospital to get a kidney stone removed. While undergoing treatment, he was administered pain medication that triggered a relapse. Following his hospital stay, he immediately checked himself into a treatment center in Texas.^[10] While at the treatment center, Mustaine suffered a freak injury causing severe nerve damage to his left arm. The injury, induced by falling asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, caused compression of the radial nerve. He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy, also known as Saturday Night Palsy, which left him unable to grasp or even make a fist with his left hand.^[11]

On April 3, 2002, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth, officially due to his arm injury.^[11] For the next four months, Mustaine underwent intense physical therapy five days a week.^[10] Slowly, Mustaine began to play again, but was forced to "re-teach" his left hand.

Mustaine himself gave what he called "the Reader's Digest version" of the whole matter during an interview for SuicideGirls: "I went into retirement because my arm got hurt really bad. I broke up the band which at the time was Al Pitrelli, Dave Ellefson, Jimmy DeGrasso, and myself. I was having problems with Al because he liked to drink, and we didn’t want to show up at places with him drunk. Al also got married to a nice woman, but he wanted to spend time with her. After a few years, most married men are willing to die, so I figured if we got a couple years into the marriage that might have changed. But the fact was, Al wasn’t fitting. DeGrasso was really hard to be around because he was so negative all the time with his complaining about money and wanting things. Ellefson was all about 'play my songs, play my songs.' I hated being around these guys so when the arm injury happened, it was a welcome relief and an indication that I had to stop."^[12]

Mustaine went through physical therapy for his arm injury. During his recovery, he explored other areas of the music industry, including production. Contrary to what doctors had predicted, within a short time he fully recovered. However, all was mostly quiet on the Megadeth front for the better part of 2003. Mustaine left Jackson guitars, did a solo acoustic performance at a benefit show, unveiled his new ESP model at the NAMM convention, and oversaw the release of Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying? as an audio DVD presented in Dolby 5.1 surround.

At the same time, Mustaine's personal life once again underwent change. It was during this period that Mustaine became a Christian. He expressed his intent to withdraw from a show in Greece that had Rotting Christ and Dissection opening for Megadeth.^[13][14] Mustaine told The Daily Times during a recent interview, his own world was already shattered, and becoming a Christian was the one way he's found to put the pieces back together. “I went back to being a Jehovah’s Witness, but I wasn’t happy with that.” He later said in an interview, “Looking up at the cross, I said six simple words, ‘What have I got to lose?’ Afterwards my whole life has changed. It’s been hard, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Rather go my whole life believing that there is a God and find out there isn't than live my whole life thinking there isn't a God and then find out, when I die, that there is."^[15] Mustaine also considers his talent a gift from God. "To be the No. 1 rated guitar player in the world is a gift from God and I'm stoked about it, but I think Christ is better than I am, anyway," he said. "Either way, I don't put too much earthly merit on it."^[15]

In 2004 Mustaine oversaw the remixing and re-mastering of Megadeth's entire Capitol Records catalog. All albums were re-released with bonus tracks and full liner notes. With one album remaining in his contract to Sanctuary Records, Mustaine began recording what he intended to be the first Dave Mustaine solo album with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Jimmy Sloas. Complete with guest solos from old friend Chris Poland, this project became a new Megadeth album, The System Has Failed, released September 14, 2004. One month before, Mustaine announced a new touring lineup for Megadeth: Glen Drover (King Diamond/Eidolon) and James MacDonough (Iced Earth). Nick Menza had briefly been a part of the new band before differences once again caused his departure. One week before a new US tour with Exodus supporting, new drummer (and Glen's brother) Shawn Drover (Eidolon) joined Megadeth.

Dave Mustaine at a Gigantour show in Orlando, FL.

The "Blackmail The Universe" tour started in February 2005 with Diamond Head and Dungeon supporting. Capitol released a new greatest hits, Back To The Start, in June, a month before Mustaine created "Gigantour" with Dream Theater, Anthrax, Fear Factory, Symphony X, Dillinger Escape Plan, Life of Agony, and more. During 2005 Gigantour Mustaine brought a "spiritual counselor" to help him avoid the problems that almost cost him his life due to his prior drug addictions. The Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato stated: "He had a pastor walking around with him on tour and riding on his bus, I think to help keep him on the straight and narrow path."^[16]

Arsenal of Megadeth, a two-disc anthology DVD, was released in March 2006. Bass player James LoMenzo (Black Label Society, White Lion) replaced James MacDonough in February shortly before the band headed to the Dubai Desert Rock Festival in the United Arab Emirates. On April 19, the band began recording a new album, United Abominations, at SARM studios in the UK (David Gilmour's house), they announced a worldwide deal with Roadrunner Records in May 2006. United Abominations was released worldwide on May 15, 2007. However, the album had already been leaked before its release. On January 13, 2008, Dave Mustaine confirmed that guitarist Glen Drover had quit Megadeth to focus on his family and that he had been replaced by Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer. The new lineup made its live debut in Finland on February 4 and returned to the US for Gigantour 2008 in the spring.^[17] A 12th studio album titled Endgame was released on September 15, 2009.

Mustaine planned to open Megadeth's California recording studio to under-privileged children to teach them about rock 'n' roll. The band owns a building in San Diego, California, which has housed their recording equipment over the years. In an interview with Kerrang, Mustaine wanted to make better use of the studio by turning the space into a learning center for children who come from under-privileged backgrounds. He also said he vowed to teach them how to play instruments.^[18]

The 2010s[link]

Long time bassist, David Ellefson has recently re-joined Megadeth after 8 years since the disbanding of Megadeth in 2002. Ellefson and Mustaine have agreed to keep any unresolved issues in the past and are working on building and maintaining their friendship again.

Megadeth embarked on a Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary tour, playing the album in its entirety, along with fan favorites such as "Wake Up Dead", "In My Darkest Hour" and "Skin O' My Teeth."

On August 3, 2010, Mustaine released his autobiography in the US, titled "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir". The book covers Mustaine's life from childhood till shortly before the release of the 2009 Megadeth album "Endgame". The book was released in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand titled "Mustaine: A Life in Metal"

On November 16, 2010, Mustaine revealed that he and Megadeth were working on material for a new album. At the time of the statement, they had "five songs almost finished".

On August 10, 2011, Mustaine revealed he approached Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich to form a heavy metal supergroup. Dave Ellefson is said to be the bassist of the band. Mustaine said it was "on my bucket list." James has declined at this point.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 December 2011, Mustaine reunited on stage with Metallica to play five songs as part of band's 30 year anniversary celebration at the Fillmore Theater.

[edit] Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Dave Mustaine composed the song "Sudden Death" for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock under the name of his band. The game also features two Megadeth titles: "Holy Wars: the Punishment Due" and "This Day We Fight". Megadeth downloadable contents are also available as tracks including "Hangar 18", "Symphony of Destruction" and "Peace Sells".

Gigantour[link]

In the summer of 2005, Mustaine launched a travelling North American metal festival. He named it Gigantour after a favorite childhood cartoon of his, Gigantor. It spanned six weeks and was co-headlined by Megadeth and Dream Theater, with a variety of other supporting metal acts such as Fear Factory and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Mustaine has been quoted as saying that his main intention when conceiving the tour was to bring the American metal audiences an eclectic and affordable alternative to Ozzfest.

The second annual Gigantour began in September 2006 and was composed of Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, and Arch Enemy. The second stage bands were Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, and The Smash Up.

The 2007 Gigantour featured Bring Me the Horizon, Static-X, DevilDriver, and Lacuna Coil along with Megadeth. Megadeth appeared on their first tour to India, Bangalore in March 2008.

The 2008 installment of the tour featured Megadeth, Children of Bodom, In Flames, High on Fire, and Job for a Cowboy (and Evile for the UK and Scandinavia tour).^[19]

Megadeth Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego (from the Gigantour 2008) premiered on HDNet Sunday November 2 at 8PMET in high definition and 5.1 audio (Repeats check www.hd.net)

In November 2011, it was announced the Gigantour would start up again. The lineup consists of Megadeth, Motorhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil. The tour kicks off at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on Jan 26, 2012.

Equipment[link]

A KV1, same model played by Mustaine before the Y2KV was created.

Mustaine used B.C. Rich guitars early in his career (and for his entire duration with Metallica), most notably a B.C. Rich Bich 10 string with just the regular six strings. First the guitar started in a natural finish, but Dave painted it black around the time 'Peace Sells' was released. In 1987 he switched to Jackson guitars.

In March 2009, while he was guest hosting Bruce Dickinson's Friday night radio show, Mustaine attributed his choice of the Flying V guitar to being a fan of UFO's Michael Schenker when he was growing up.

After switching to Jackson Guitars he helped to re-design the guitar maker's version of the King V model (at the time, it was a "double Rhoads size" meaning it had two of the longer fins from the RR). The reshaped Mustaine KV1 model had slightly shorter fins, Kahler bridge and Seymour Duncan JB (SH-4b) and Jazz (SH-2n) pickups. He also specified 24 frets rather than the original King V's 22, a tradition which Jackson still keeps on its King V models today, and the KV1, as have all of Mustaine's signature models, also featured a smaller, medium fretwire compared to the extra jumbos featured on most Jacksons.

Mustaine later switched to ESP Guitars. The company released the DV8 signature model in the 2004 NAMM convention also at which time Mustaine announced his ESP endorsement deal. In 2005, Mustaine and ESP teamed up to release the ESP Axxion, (pronounced Action), in order to celebrate Megadeth's 20th anniversary.(the XX in Axxion and the fretboard inlays being the number 20 in Roman numerals) The ESP Axxion and ESP DV8 were both successful and cheaper models such as the LTD-DV8 R, LTD DV200 and the LTD Axxion were released to target a bigger market.

Dave Mustaine with his Dean VMNT USA Gears of War guitar on tour supporting United Abominations

However, on December 6, 2006, Dave Mustaine announced that he was leaving ESP guitars and shifting his endorsement to Dean Guitars. His new signature guitar was revealed during NAMM Show on January 19, 2007. The signature guitar is called the Dean VMNT. The V-shaped guitar is very similar to his earlier Jackson and ESP Signature models. The release campaign of the VMNT had a limited copy of only 150 in the world and are signed by Dave Mustaine. This was posted on the website.

"After two successful years, I have decided to leave ESP guitars. This was a business decision and had nothing to do with the guitars or the manufacturing of the guitars, and I wish the staff of ESP, both in the USA and in Japan and Korea the very best of health and prosperity. Meanwhile, I am taking my Classic Metal V known formerly as a Jackson King V1 or an ESP DV8, and my new guitar design presently known as an Axxion, which was the recipient of the Gold Award from Guitar World Magazine for 2005 for new guitar designs with me. I will also be re-introducing through my new endorsement many special models, including re-issues of my old models from over the span of my career, as well as some retro V shapes, similar to the formerly known Jackson Y2KV or a Gibson Flying V. I will make my announcement and be attending the 2007 NAMM show to meet Megadeth fans and all metal fans, musicians of all styles-especially guitarists."

Dave Mustaine performing with Megadeth in Hartford, CT, with his Dean Zero.

Today he uses his signature models by Dean Guitars, the Dean VMNT and Zero. The USA models were available briefly in limited run after release, although the Korean and Chinese models are in continuous production. Mustaine uses the USA and Korean models on stage.

Dave Mustaine has also recently collaborated with Marshall in order to produce the 1960DM Dave Mustaine Signature Cabinets. He is now using his signature Marshall cabinets on tour.

Dave Mustaine endorses Seymour Duncan and has his own Signature Live Wire pickups and uses Signature GHS Progressives Strings (10-52).

The Dean Zero debuted in 2010 with Dean guitars was a unique new shape for Dave, resembling the Gibson Explorer with sharper points. Dave has made a few appearances so far; with this guitar on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and on shows during the Australian tour with Slayer. He has also used the guitar in the later dates of the 2009 Endgame tour and continues to use it to this day. He says he primarily still uses his VMNT's so he can grab on to the lower horn with his legs for certain songs.^[20]

Dave has also used Ovation acoustic guitars for most of his career. However, he stopped endorsing the company after receiving a signature acoustic from Dean, dubbed the Mako.^[20][21] Dave also has his own signature Zoom pedal, called the Zoom G2.1DM.

Gear[link]

Guitars

• Dean Dave Mustaine Signature VMNT Models
• Dean Dave Mustaine Signature Zero Models
• Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine Live Wire Pick Ups
• Dunlop .73mm Picks
• GHS Dave Mustaine Progressive Strings 10-52

Amps

• Marshall JVM410 100W Amp Head
• Fractal Axe FX Ultra Preamp
• DigiTech GSP1101 Preamp
• Marshall EL34 100/100 Dual Monobloc Power Amp
• Marshall Dave Mustaine Signature 1960DM Cabinets With Celestion Speakers

Other Effects/Rack Equipment

• Rocktron All Access Controller
• Furman PL Plus Power Conditioner
• Mogami Cables
• Whirlwind MultiSelector
• Shure UHF-R Wireless Guitar System
• Ebtech Hum Eliminator

Guitar playing[link]

In 2004, Guitar World magazine ranked Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman together at #19 on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.

In 2009, Mustaine was named the #1 player in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. As he told Classic Rock magazine in September 2009: "It was especially sweet when I found out that Joel has written books on Metallica. Every page I turned, I became more excited. I get to Number 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 [James 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. All I thought was – I win!"^[22]

Personal life[link]

Mustaine was married to Pamela Anne Casselberry in 1991.^[23] They have a son named Justis David Mustaine and a daughter Electra Nicole Mustaine.^[23] Mustaine recently confirmed to Eddie Trunk that after two trial separations, he and Pam had reconciled.^[23]

Coffee line[link]

Mustaine helped promote his wife Pam's coffee business, Net Worth Coffee Brokers, by creating a Dave Mustaine line of coffee and associated items, with part of the proceeds going to Door of Faith charity. The bags featured his silhouette with a guitar and his signature. Among the items in the line were Dave Mustaine's Peruvian Blend coffee, Black Gold Blend coffee, Decaff coffee, Dave Mustaine's Perfect Tea Maker, a Barrel Mug, Travel Tumbler, and a Christmas T-shirt. Mustaine announced the line would be discontinued in August 2009, though his wife's business would continue.^{[24][25][26][27]}

Christianity[link]

Mustaine was raised as a Jehovah Witness^[28] and is now a born again Christian.^[29] In 1988, in response to the British government's criticism of homosexuality, Mustaine said: "More power to them. It says in the Bible that men should not lay with men like they lay with women. I mean I don't wanna fuck up and not go to heaven."^[30] In an answer to a question about Judas Priest having an overt homosexual image, "I don't wanna talk about this. The last thing I need is a bunch of homos picketing us."^[30] In 2012, on KIRO-FM he was asked if he supports gay marriage and replied: "Well, since I’m not gay, the answer to that would be no."^[31][32] He was then asked if he would support legislation to make gay marriage legal and said, “I’m Christian. The answer to that would be no.”^[31]

Mustaine began to focus on his Christian faith more directly while attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.^[29] Finding that the meetings were actually impeding his progress in sobriety and spirituality, Mustaine left to focus on Christianity on his own.^[29] Through this process he became a committed Christian.^[29] It has become his policy not to appear with any band that is seen as black metal or satanic, such as declining to appear in a music festival in Greece with the band Rotting Christ as well as in Israel with the band Dissection.^[33] In these instances, Mustaine requested that the bands not be kicked off the bill, but that Megadeth would step down and perform some other night.^[29][33] However, the promoters actually removed the smaller bands from the billing rather than deal with rescheduling the headliner.^[29]

Politics[link]

Over his career, Mustaine has made comments about politics in the US and internationally. In a confrontational 1988 interview with Sounds journalist Roy Wilkinson, Mustaine said, "If I were President of the United States, I'd build a great wall along the Mexican border and not let anybody in. ... The beauty is gone when you see Americans sleeping on sidewalks and it makes me sick to to think we have assholes in this country letting fucking Mexicans in. Who needs this shit?"^[30]

In 1988, Mustaine caused a riot when Megadeth played a concert in Northern Ireland after he "unwittingly" expressed support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) regarding the problems between Northern Ireland's Catholic and Protestant communities.^[34][35] This incident occurred amid a period of turmoil in the province known as the Troubles.

In 1992 Mustaine covered the Democratic National Convention for MTV.^[36] He went on to vote for President Bill Clinton.^[37]

In 2004, Mustaine said he would vote for President George W. Bush because John Kerry would "ruin our country."^[38] In 2011, he called President Barack Obama "the most divisive president we've ever had. I've never, in my 50 years of being alive, listened to an American president try and turn one class of people against another class of people."^[39] In a March 2012 interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Mustaine said, "I know he was born somewhere else than America."^[40]

In 2009, Mustaine discussed the influence Alex Jones' films and ideas have had him and his music.^[41] Specifically, Mustaine said that he wrote the album Endgame based on Jones' film Endgame in order "to educate his fans and the general public about the conspiracy behind the march towards global government."^[42]

2012 U.S. Presidential election[link]

In a February 2012 interview, Mustaine gave a statement supportive of the presidential campaign of former conservative Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum: "You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities and I'm hoping that if it does come down to it, we'll see a Republican in the White House...and that it's Rick Santorum." Mustaine pointed to Santorum's temporary suspension of his campaign to be with his sick daughter as the act that gained his attention and respect. He expressed his hope that Santorum would win the nomination but stated that regardless of the results he would be voting against a second term for President Barack Obama, "I can't bear to watch what's happened to our great country. Everybody's got their head in the sand. Everybody in the industry is like, 'Oh, Obama's doing such a great job...' I dont think so. Not from what I see." Mustaine also criticized other Republican presidential candidates. Mustaine was critical of a $100 million trust fund that Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney set up for his sons. He criticized Texas Congressman Ron Paul for his unorthodox political views saying Paul "make[s] total sense for a while, and then he'll say something so way out that it negates everything else." Mustaine admitted that he formerly supported former Georgia Congressman and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but stated that he no longer thought he could vote for Gingrich.^{[43] [44]}

In a March 2012 interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Mustaine restated his support for Santorum, saying, "He just looked like he could be a really cool president, kind of like a JFK kind of guy."^[40]

Mustaine's more recent political positions are seen by many^[who?] as a switch from his politics during the George H.W. Bush administration when Mustaine acted as a reporter for MTV News during the Democratic National Convention in 1992, and was seen as leaning to the political left due to the lyrics of "Foreclosure of a Dream."^[45] Mustaine later claimed that his statement was not intended to be an endorsement for Santorum. ^[46]

Martial arts[link]

Dave Mustaine holds black belts in taekwondo and karate. In 2007, he was made a Goodwill Ambassador of the World by the World Taekwondo Federation.^[47]

Cameo appearances[link]

Dave Mustaine has appeared on various television shows:

• In 1992 Mustaine covered the Democratic National Convention for MTV. He also hosted the MTV2 Television Network's series Headbanger's Ball on two occasions: once on a tribute to Dimebag Darrell in December 2004 and the second time as a special guest on an episode which aired August 27, 2005. He also played the song "Gears of War" with Megadeth on an episode about the video game release under the same name.
• Dave Mustaine makes an appearance on the 1998 The Drew Carey Show episode entitled "In Ramada Da Vida". When Drew and the gang decide to start a band, they audition guitarists, including Mustaine. After playing a lightning fast guitar solo, Lewis Kiniski tells Mustaine "Don't be nervous son, just slow down," to which Mustaine replies, "It's supposed to sound that way." Drew replies by saying, "Yeah, sure it is..... next."^[48]
• In the 1996 Black Scorpion sci-fi series episode "Love Burns" Mustaine plays Torchy Thompson, a vengeful arsonist.
• Dave Mustaine and Megadeth appear in the Duck Dodgers 2006 episode "In Space, Nobody can Hear you Rock/Ridealong Calamity", the second-to-last episode of the series.^[48] In the show, Mustaine plays a cryogenically frozen version of himself. He is unfrozen because the main cast requires an incredibly loud noise to overload a Martian sonic weapon, and "nobody rocks harder, faster, or louder than Dave Mustaine." He is referred to by a documentry as being "genetically engineered to rock and raised by wolverines", though Mustaine denied these theories. During this episode he played the song "Back in the Day" from the album The System Has Failed. Mustaine appeared again in the show in the final episode, Bonafide Hero: Captain Duck Dodgers.
• Mustaine appeared on the second episode of season 8 on the television show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
• Mustaine and Megadeth appeared in promotional videos for the NHL team Philadelphia Flyers in response to an inflammatory comment by Mike Wise in the Washington Post which suggested that some of the Flyers' fans could work security for Megadeth.^[49] Mustaine invited them to do so. Megadeth all wore Flyers' jerseys. Mustaine sported the one of team captain Jason Smith, while other members wore the jerseys of Danny Brière, Martin Biron and Mike Richards.
• Mustaine appeared in an episode of Rock & Roll Jeopardy! along with George Clinton and Moon Zappa. He won the game in a landslide victory.

See also[link]

• Megadeth discography
• MD.45
• Gigantour

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dave Mustaine

• Official Megadeth website
• Dave Mustaine at the Internet Movie Database
• Dave Mustaine on Myspace
• Dave Mustaine on Twitter
• Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, review at UnRated Magazine
• A Heavy Metal Memoir, review at Guitar Noize