7.21.2008 - What is a Droogie?

Dear Scorpion,

I was wondering where the term "Droogies" came from? I know it refers to Megadeth fans but would just like to know its origins.

Regards
Ryan Hicks
Glasgow, Scotland

As you know Ryan, Dave Mustaine uses the term "Droogies" when he is referring to Megafans. When asked why he uses this term and where it originated from, Dave stated "It is from A Clockwork Orange, and the reference is about how they were their own little gang." Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is a film from 1971. According to Kubrick, "The central idea of the film has to do with the question of free will. Do we lose our humanity if we are deprived of the choice between good and evil? Do we become, as the title suggests, A Clockwork Orange?".

The movie was based on the novel, A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess in 1962. The Russian author wrote the novel in what he called the "nadsat" (teenage) vocabulary of the future, hence the language of this novel being Russian in origin and often very difficult to decifer. In the novel the author uses the term droog to refer to a friend (ie: my droogies) so when Dave addresses you as a Droogie, he is referring to you as a friend.

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