Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Covers Jimi Hendrix Version of National Anthem for ‘America’ Film
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine knows his way around the guitar and isn't averse to taking on interesting projects outside of his band, so his inclusion in the new Dinesh D'Souza film 'America' is a perfect fit. As part of the film's soundtrack, Mustaine attempts to recreate Jimi Hendrix's classic rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'
The biggest difference is that Mustaine's version is clearly more of a studio tracked offering, while Hendrix offered his rendition live while performing at Woodstock in the summer of 1969. You can check out Mustaine's version as it plays out over a trailer for the 'America' film in the player above, while Hendrix's classic Woodstock version can be found at the bottom of this post. The Mustaine version was recorded not only for the film, but to mark the 45th anniversary of Hendrix's performance.
Mustaine told The Hollywood Reporter, "Jimi recorded his version at a different time in the history of our nation. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King had been assassinated, the nation was mired in war and chaos and that is reflected in his guitar."
And while Mustaine is taking on Hendrix, he's not attempting to break new ground. "First off, no version of our national anthem is or will ever be better than the original," said Mustaine. "My inspiration and take on the song for the film was our Founding Fathers and wondering what they would think of us today if they saw what we had become. My hope for America is that we'll become a nation they'd be proud of again and I tried to capture that with my guitar."
'America' is the follow-up to D'Souza's past film, '2016: Obama's America.' In 'America,' D'Souza attempts to pick apart what he considers the anti-American sentiments offered by the political left. Slavery, wars, capitalism, Christopher Columbus and the treatment of Native Americans are just a few of the topics addressed. The movie will be released via Lionsgate on July 2.
Watch Jimi Hendrix's Original Version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' At Woodstock