Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine knows he has a reputation for being difficult, and he's pretty sure he understands the main reason why.

Mustaine offered his thoughts on the matter during a recent interview with Westword, suggesting that it all goes back to his ouster from Metallica in 1983. "I think a lot of it goes back to the breakup. There are people who have picked up that feud – and they don’t even know why they’re choosing sides."

Although he conceded that he was "bitter" for a period of time after being fired, he insisted that any perceived feud with his former bandmates — and any need for fans to pick sides — is all an illusion.

"I have nothing against Metallica fans. I was in both bands. I like Lars and I like James. And contrary to what people say, I do think Kirk is a good guitar player," said Mustaine. "That’s just been perpetuated over and over again. It’s been put to bed. I’ve got no beef with those dudes. We’re two totally different bands."

Mustaine has endured a fair amount of turbulence within Megadeth as well. In 2014, he was forced to find a new drummer and guitarist after a pair of members quit within days of one another, and last year, he laughed off the list of "quitters" who've filtered in and out of the band's ranks along the way.

"I’m a perfectionist, and that’s a bummer in several different ways. I’m super-meticulous – I think that might drive a lot of people around me crazy," he suggested to Westword. "When everybody gets to lick their wounds, it always comes around to, ‘We did have good times – we did learn a lot.’"

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