Former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland recently sat down with DEATH ANGEL’s Ted Aguilar as part of the “Alive & Streaming” YouTube series and discussed whether he missed playing along with Dave Mustaine’s group.
Poland responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I really loved playing in MEGADETH. It was just there was so much drama all the time that I couldn’t deal with it. Then, when they asked me to join the band [again in 1990 prior to the release of ‘Rust In Peace’], I just couldn’t, ’cause at the time, they were still using. All I had to do is be around people using that drug, and it wouldn’t take but a month, two months, and I would know I would have done it again.
“It’s Dave’s thing, and I got put in a box and told what to do. It wasn’t open enough for me. And it didn’t get open until later when all these big bands started seeing therapists. If any band needed therapists, we did during the ‘Peace Sells’ era.
“I don’t regret [playing in MEGADETH]. I don’t really miss it. I could have made a lot of money, but I probably wouldn’t have lived. So, I was lucky.”
Poland played with MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, playing on the band’s classic albums “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!” and “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” He also makes an appearance on the 2004 album, “The System Has Failed”.
Poland’s main musical focus since has been the fusion band OHM, who have released numerous full-length studio albums.
