Kirkus
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A rocker faces mortality after getting a serious diagnosis. “[C]ancer is one ruthless and egalitarian motherfucker,” thrash metal legend Mustaine writes in this memoir. “It does not care in the least whether you are young or old, rich or poor.” That’s a lesson the Megadeth singer and guitarist learned the hard way. In 2019, he started experiencing a pain in the back of his mouth; after consulting with an oral surgeon, he learned he might have cancer. Ever the rock star, he went on tour with his band anyway; after, a series of tests revealed that he had squamous cell carcinoma: “I didn’t even know what the words meant, but I knew they were bad, and I was prepared to hear them.” The treatment (radiation and chemotherapy) “fucked with me in a major way,” but Mustaine soldiered on, recording the Megadeth albumThe Sick, the Dying…and The Dead! despite the intense pain. His recollection of his illness and recovery is interspersed with passages written by people close to him, including his wife, Pam; his children, Justis and Electra; and Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren. The rocker also delves into his past, recalling his childhood as the son of an absent alcoholic father and a devout Jehovah’s Witness mother, his struggles with substance abuse, and his now-settled rivalry with his former band, Metallica. Mustaine is a direct and thoughtful writer who is comfortable with introspection: “The hunger, physical and metaphorical, motivates me to live a better life, to make the most of my time on the planet,” he writes. “I’ve always felt that way, but cancer has a way of turning up the volume on the ticking clock.” Metalheads of a certain age will walk away with a new appreciation of Mustaine, and even non-headbangers will find wit and wisdom in these pages. An affecting account of illness from heavy-metal royalty. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.