Nick Menza was a Good Dude
Question from the Internet: What singer/musician is a kind, well-mannered person?
I was fortunate enough to have been friends for a while with Nick Menza, shortly after he stopped playing drums for Megadeth. At that point, he had been around the world seven times with the band, and had a platinum record hanging on the wall of the guest bathroom at his home in Studio City.
I marveled at what he must have seen and experienced during his life so far, as a rock star worshipped by millions. His Dad, Don Menza, was a famous Jazz musician, so Nick had been exposed to the music scene and had met many very famous and accomplished musicians, even before he himself achieved super-stardom.
Despite this, Nick was one of the most polite and humble people I have ever met. He was always very generous, respectful, and supportive, even though we were both dealing with some personal issues at the time.
I played guitar a little bit at the time, and had managed to learn one lead, all the way through… “Prodigal Son,” by Iron Maiden.
One time, in his home studio, I picked up a guitar and started playing the lead, and he stopped what he was doing and came over and sat down and listened to me play the whole thing, with a look of amazement on his face.
