Metal Rock Star, Dave Mustain, found the "one thing" missing from his life. And the journey almost killed him. That's the gist of his new book "Mustain." The reader travels down two paths. One path leads to the story of a multi platinum band; Megadeth, rocking the world on the biggest stages-in the glamorous and seedy world of rock and roll hedonism.
The second path leads to a small Texas town in the middle of nowhere on a freezing January night where Dave makes a decision that will change his eternal destination. The first path almost killed him and the second path brought him life.
As I was reading, It was like looking in the mirror of my own life. I felt a kindred spirit. We both grew up in Southern California during the promiscuous 70's and 80's. We surfed in the same waters off Huntington Beach. We both partied in the same haunts. We both were rock enthusiast of Heavy Metal and we both used music as a way of escape and meaning.
But this is where the analogy ends. Dave was a founding member of the band Metallica and then went on to form Megadeth-both were monster bands of metal rock. Right before Metallica was to launch into the legendary band they are now, Dave was unceremoniously booted out-an injustice that set him on a course of vengeance and self destruction.
His journey began from the chaos of a dysfunctional family-an abusive, alcoholic father who the family was constantly running from and a depressed mother who cleaned toilets to provide for her children.
In his quest to eclipse Metallica, he formed the band Megadeth and hit the big time. He traveled the world-had all the drugs, sex and anything that he wanted, all at his fingertips. One thing he could not find, was a way to heal the bitterness from his past rejections-first from his father and then from his close friends in Metallica.
He hated God because of an "authoritarian legalism" he experienced with his Mom and family who were Jehovah Witness'. He dabbled in witchcraft and even tried Buddhism and along with his abusive drug use, which included heroin-nothing filled the hole.
Then he met Pam. The relationship and subsequent marriage with Pam put Dave on the second path-the path that led to life-a path that included 17 times in re-hab. He and Pam had two kids. Pam went to church-Dave went to re-hab. Pam wanted a stable family life-Dave wanted drugs. Pam was counseled to leave the marriage-Dave wanted to die. Pam saw an attorney. Dave sought treatment for the 17th time.
This leads us to, Hunt Texas, on a freezing January night-in a field, with a man named Le Roy. Right there, at a small wooden shack that acted as the chapel-without the spotlights, without the crowds-Dave Mustain said a simple prayer. He called Pam who also was praying and she knew in her heart Dave was a changed man.
His conversion snuck up on me-I didn't see it coming. Yet throughout the book I sensed a man searching, longing to fill the hole in his soul. And there it was in Hunt Texas. I thought wow; this is how God comes to us-this is how he came to us 2,000 years ago in a small town of Bethlehem in a dilapidated wooden manger. Salvation is not exploited by the worlds definition of success.
Dave Mustain has a long way to go and is not perfect-he struggles as all believers do. His path takes him through healing power of forgiveness for those who have hurt him deeply. He has a loving wife and two children who remind him where his priorities are.
And now his music-his passion-is no longer clouded by the drugs and darkness of a sinful life. He expresses his music on the biggest stage-the stage of eternal life. It's a great read.
