David Alan "Riki" Rachtman can be blamed for helping to revitalize the Heavy Music scene in the 90s. Every Saturday night in the early 1990's, there was a wonderful show called Headbangers Ball, hosted by Rachtman, that highlighted the heaviest, most intense and popular Heavy Music bands in the music scene. Not only did Rachtman host MTV's Headbangers Ball during its prime era, but he has also been an ambassador to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal ever since. At present time, Rachtman hosts a NASCAR-themed radio show called Racing Rocks (heard on over 120 stations across America) and Nascar 24/7 Live. While Rachtman is not actively working in the Heavy Music scene today, he is still a huge fan of our music. Recently, Rachtman called out Mustaine for treating him differently depending on the situation. When Mustaine and Rachtman would hang out, Mustaine acted like a friend. But when Mustaine was alone, he would talk smack about Rachtman in public. Since we all love to hear about Mustaine's controversial ways, we decided to get Rachtman on the phone and let him explain exactly what happened. During a very honest interview, all of a sudden we started discussing the untimely death of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (whose 8th death anniversary is today) and the connection of such a horrible incident with the current legal battle that LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe is currently facing. Without further due, here is our exclusive interview with Riki Rachtman.

• published: 16 Sep 2013