By Josh 
When Slayer guitarist Kerry King commented on Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine’s tendency to say things that might raise eyebrows, one can’t help but marvel at the irony. Is King wrong about Mustaine’s reputation for controversial commentary? Absolutely not—Mustaine’s history of political rants and fiery remarks about Metallica alone is enough evidence. But when it comes to sticking one’s foot in their mouth, King himself isn’t exactly spotless.
Speaking on the Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast (via Blabbermouth), King reminisced about seeing Metallica for the first time in 1982, when Mustaine was still shredding with the band.
“I was just blown away watching Mustaine just ripping on guitar and not even looking at his fingers. I’m like, ‘I can’t do that.’ To this day, he’s a badass guitar player,” King admitted. “He wrote tons of the riffs in the early days. So, when he branched off into Megadeth, a lot of the riffs went with him.”
King’s admiration for Mustaine as a guitarist is clear, but he quickly pivoted to Mustaine’s personality quirks.
“Mustaine’s cool, but he’s one of those guys that can’t help but stick his foot in his mouth,” King said. “I’ll take my 20 minutes and bolt just before anything gets uncomfortable.”
While King’s assessment isn’t unfair, it’s amusing coming from someone who’s had his own fair share of headline-worthy comments. Let’s not forget King’s infamous proclamation that Slayer would never reunite (oops). Or his suggestion that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson should portray him in a biopic due to their “similar physiques” (uh, what?). Not to mention his comment that Dave Lombardo was “dead” to him, or that he hadn’t spoken to Slayer frontman Tom Araya since 2019—both made just before the Slayer reunion announcement.
Ultimately, it’s hard not to appreciate the begrudging respect between two metal titans who’ve shared decades in the same chaotic orbit. Maybe King’s 20-minute rule works: just enough time to jam, reminisce, and keep the peace.