GLEN DROVER Says He Wasn't Just A 'Hired Gun' In MEGADETH

Rodney Holder of Australia’s Music Business Facts recently conducted an interview with Canadian guitarist Glen Drover (MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND). You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what it was like working with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine:

Glen: “You know, I had a great time with Dave. To be honest with you, I have a lot of good memories. He’s got some really great qualities, and he gave me a chance to expand my career, so I’ll always have respect for him. But I have a lot of great memories with him, the four of us. And I have nothing bad to say at all. It’s all good stuff, you know, as far as Dave. He took care of me a lot of times. When I was having problems with being away from my son, he was very supportive. And, like I said, we had a lot of fun together, and we toured the world multiple times, and did a lot of really good damage out there and really kicked ass. As a unit, that combination really was very powerful. ‘Cause initially, when I joined the band, it was supposed to be a farewell tour, and it turned into… he decided, ‘No, it’s not gonna be a farewell tour. We’re gonna continue this band.’ ‘Cause we were just kicking ass everywhere we went. And I’m very proud to have been a part of that too.”

On whether he indulged in the “sex and drugs” lifestyle during his time with MEGADETH and how he was employed by MEGADETH — whether he was on contract or if he was a member of the band:

Glen: “I was a member of the band, man. I never joined any band where I was a hired gun and I was there for a couple of weeks. All the bands I played with, except for TESTAMENT, where I [was] filling in for Alex [Skolnick], I was a part of the band; I was now a member of the band. As far as the girls and the drugs, that wasn’t part of my game, because I’m married and I’m not a drug guy. So I didn’t get involved in anything stupid. I was there to play music, and the high for me was playing the music and trying to play the stuff as good as I could. You know, I grew up a fan of MEGADETH, and to be there and to play those songs on stage, that was a high enough, man.”

On whether it’s possible to be a good father to his son while also spending so much time touring the world:

Glen: “That’s a great question, because it all depends on what you consider to be a good father. For me, being away all the time, that was eating at me. To the next guy, making a lot of money and having that support is good enough. And that’s cool. It’s whatever you’re comfortable with, I suppose. It’s whatever your idea of a good father is when you’re in that kind of position. For me, I didn’t wanna be away from my son all the time, and it got to the point where I was never home. It’s very personal, but it’s very true; I don’t mind sharing that. That was part of the issue. I mean, there was a few things, but that was probably the biggest thing for me. I joined the band when my son was two, and after four years of never being home, it kind of stings after a while.”

On whether being on the road all the time took its toll on his relationship with his wife:

Glen: “It all depends on the wife you have. It all depends on the dynamic. It all depends on your situation. For me, it was okay. I never had anybody saying, ‘Oh, you’d better…’ blah blah blah. It was never like that. It came down to how I felt and the troubles that I was having mentally towards the end dealing with the fact that I was never around while my kid was growing up. That was eating me away. I never had any bad influence of any sort. But, again, it all comes down to the individual and what they wanna accomplish. So I went by how I felt in my heart, not how I felt that, ‘Oh, I should…’, you know, the mechanical… whatever. I was in the band for four years. I’d seen the world multiple times. I had a lot of fun. We did a lot of damage. It was time to go. Had my brother [former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover] been in the same situation, he might have done the same thing, but it wasn’t like that. His kids were all grown up. He had a different agenda. There you go. It’s not an easy thing, but it just all comes down to what you want. Some people can adapt to it, and some people, like myself, couldn’t after a while. For the first few years, it was great. And then after a while, I was, like, ‘Man, I’m never home. I’m missing my son grow up.’ And I didn’t wanna do that for ten years. But it’s different now; things are different. My son’s fourteen. But at the time, that’s what it was.”

On whether he made good money while he was a member of MEGADETH and whether he’s driving around in a Porsche and living in a mansion as a result of having spent time in the band:

Glen: “[Laughs] That’s funny. I don’t have a Porsche. Yes, the whole deal has opened some good doors for me. I live comfortably. I live in a great environment. I have a nice home. Yeah, I’m comfortable. I’m good. But I’m not a showy person. I suppose if I wanted to go out and buy all those things, I could if I wanted to. But I don’t. I guess I think about tomorrow. Some people think about today, which is cool. I’m kind of one of those guys that thinks about tomorrow.”

On musicians who were once in successful bands but have nothing to show for it:

Glen: “It depends on what you do. I mean, you’re a product of your environment. To be honest with you, again, [it’s] personal, but I don’t mind sharing it. My wife is immaculate when it comes to money. So we did some good moves with real estate. We plan ahead, and that’s important, I think. And having that opportunity, where there was good money made and yada-yada, we [said], ‘Okay, let’s do something with this. Let’s do something that will hopefully take care of us down the road.’ And I think that’s the best way to do it. Because you never know what the hell’s gonna happen tomorrow, man. Nobody’s safe anywhere. I don’t care where you work or what you do. Nobody’s safe. So it’s always good to think about tomorrow. Doing the whole ‘living by the moment [thing], and, ‘Yeah, I went to dinner last night with Paul Stanley and I spent five thousand dollars on the tip.’ God love you if you wanna do that, man, but you know what? It’s better if you don’t. I’m exaggerating, of course. That was a very exaggerated example.”

Interview (audio):