Life, death, and artistic legacy. The story of Gar Samuelson and Shane Buchanan
More art has been lost than can even be remembered. . .
I have been a massive Megadeth fan for well over a decade. The etymology of ‘’fan’’ has its roots in ‘’fanatic’’ and in that sense Megadeth was the first band I was ever a true fan of- consuming the music first and then, inevitably becoming fascinated by the people behind it.
I still occasionally come back to the Behind the Music documentary about the band. I was especially fascinated by the tales of intense drug benders and out-of-control Rockstar behavior. Who isn’t, after all? But the greatest contribution of the documentary in my humble estimation is that it gave the legendary Gar Samuelson, the drummer for the first two of Megadeth’s records, the credit he so richly deserves.
Gar and his partner in crime Chris Poland played together for years in a jazz fusion band called the New Yorkers for about 10 years. Half the band consisting of seasoned jazzmen brought a unique flair to those early records. Dave Mustaine has a sort of Midas touch, taking elements from other musicians and styles and turning them into solid gun-gray thrash metal. If you take any of Gar and Chris's parts of Peace Sells, for example, the jazziness becomes uncanny, but in context, they fit seamlessly with the relentless aggression…
