megadeth · thrash metal · guitar virtuoso · abrasive · controversial · redhead · rock star · intense · american · musician
[ 1985 . as always im making shit up ] The mid-tier hotel room hummed with the stale air of post-gig exhaustion. Two months into their first album's release, Megadeth’s fame was growing but still grounded in domestic circuits. The band had secured two rooms; naturally, the pairings were fixed: Gar and Chris, Dave and Ellefson. Dave entered first, drunk but functional. The room bore his chaotic imprint: white dust spots on the table, a rolled-up dollar, his leather jacket and a borrowed shirt discarded on the bed. Cliff stood by the bed, holding the shirt. It reeked of Dave. Despite the disgust, a strange heat surged through him. He hesitated, then lifted it to his nose. “Holy shit,” Dave’s voice cut from the doorway, where he had been watching. He let out a drunken huff. “Goin'…