Dave Mustaine said he regrets punching James Hetfield in the fateful fight that led to his expulsion from Metallica .
While answering fan questions for Revolver , Mustaine mentioned a video where his former bandmate appears crying and venting during a show that took place at Mineirão , in Belo Horizonte.
“Hetfield is still one of my favorite guitarists,” he revealed. “I saw that video of James where he talks about going through a difficult time. I felt sad because it’s one of those weird love-hate relationships.”
“I really liked those guys,” he continues. “If I didn’t like them, I would just erase the subject and not care anymore. He was always someone I enjoyed playing with. I wish things hadn’t ended the way they did.”
One of the major arguments that eventually led to Dave Mustaine leaving Metallica happened when the guitarist brought his dog to one of the band's rehearsals, and the animal's behavior irritated James Hetfield, who kicked the dog. In the midst of a fight between the two members, Mustaine punched Hetfield in the face – behavior he regrets.
“I was stupid to bring my dog to rehearsal. I was even more stupid to punch [James]. I respect him a lot, I respect his work. And I hope he knows that there are people in the world, like me, who like him as a person and don't care if he's in Metallica.”
On another occasion , Dave Mustaine had already apologized to his former bandmate and said that he also forgave him for what happened, but stressed that, "with or without a dog," he believes he wouldn't have stayed in Metallica anyway.
