FH: Looking back at the eighties, the bands were definitely a lot stronger, image-wise, not only when it came to how they dressed, but there was also a lot of theatrics and charisma. Bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were very strong, image-wise in that sense.

DAVE MUSTAINE: Yeah, and after that bands like Poison took it to the extent with the graceful hair and the graceful clothes. Metal is not supposed to be graceful, it's supposed to be "f**k you!" I've known all my life how I wanna do it: I wanna go out there, play my music and just do it. I like being famous, I like being a star - I like walking into a room and the air is just sucked up by my presence. People don't wanna watch me, but they feel as if they have to, 'cause they wanna know what it is about me that catches their attention.

FH: In the science fiction-show "Black Scorpion", you recently played an arsonist named Torchy Thompson - how did that come about?

DAVE MUSTAINE: Well, the guy directing it is a fan of ours and he wanted to get a chance to highlight our music and give me a break and feature some of my art. It was actually very difficult for me, 'cause I found the girl on the show stunning, and they wanted me to fight her. That just made me uncomfortable. On top of that, I was asked to do a bunch of advanced martial arts techniques, which is really difficult when you're wearing stiff, heavy pants and heavy boots. I told them that I had to slip into something more comfortable if that's what they wanted, but they insisted on me looking like an arsonist. I made the best out of it though, and showed them some flipping kicks and stuff that sensei Benny ["The Jet" Urquidez] taught me. The stuntmen on the set were actually very impressed by what we were doing and I got a lot of compliments for that. The difficult part was also the camera. Fighting in front of the camera and fighting in real life are two totally different things. You have to exaggerate all the techniques so they become as visible for the camera as possible - when you fight in the ring or in the street you try to hide your techniques as much as possible, otherwise they don't work!

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