Thrash guitarists be warned, playing metal live could give you whiplash, according to Megadeth head, Dave Mustaine.
In a recent interview with Decibel Magazine (via RockNewsDesk) Mustaine said:
"I knew I was hurt, but I didn’t know how bad. Nobody knew the writing was on the wall.
"I pretty much thought, ‘Well, I’m hurt, but I’ll just take it easy, have a couple of glasses of wine. I’ll get through it, get a couple of trigger point injections, get an epidural.’
"There were a couple of times they gave me a shot in my neck that numbed me up. I saw chiropractors and masseuses all the time.
"It inevitably gets to the point where you’re starting to take medication, and that’s never good because if you’re taking something you never feel the pain."
Mustaine, who recently underwent neck & spine surgery for a condition known as stenosis, believes many thrash artists could also fall victim to serious neck injuries if they persist on 'headbanging' during live shows.
"I’m an athlete, as a guitar player and an onstage persona," he says. "I don’t think most musicians, when they start playing music, think that they’re going to be playing this demanding-type music that those of us who are part of the Big 4, and all the bands we influenced, created.
"That whole headbanging thing that came around – it’s hurt a lot of us. What is headbanging anyway? It’s kind of like chronic whiplash syndrome, isn’t it?"
Despite his recent health issues, Mustaine says everything is good with him and his band.
"Megadeth has given me so much joy and taken care of my family, and given us a really comfortable and really truly magnificent life," he reflects. "I totally got the feeling right now that this is my season.
"Now it’s like, I can’t wait to take the stage. I feel like a caged lion right now."
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