Dave Mustaine Explains Why He Punched Metallica's Hetfield

In the middle of this exchange, Ron walked out of the bathroom and into the living room. He and James went way back, and despite the fact that James often treated him like sh*t, Ron instinctively defended his friend. "You hit him, you'll have to hit me first."

"Shut up and sit the f*ck down," I said. And then James jumped to Ron's defense. "You touch him, you're going to have to hit me first."

Jesus, I thought, what is this, some kind of f***ing game show? I realized I would have to make a decision. "Okay, you win," I said, and with that I threw a right cross that landed flush against James's face, turning his mouth into a pile of bloody Chiclets.