In a brand new interview with AlternativeNation.web, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was as soon as once more requested for his response to the band’s announcement that its upcoming LP would be the band’s final. The Dave Mustaine-led outfit will even embark on a farewell tour in 2026. Requested for his ideas on MEGADETH calling it quits, Ellefson mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Actually, I do not give it some thought that a lot. I feel most likely everyone else thinks about it extra for me than I do for me.
“It has been a rocky highway, for certain, clearly, and there have been moments elegant and there have been moments that I simply scratch my head over, however on the finish of the day… Look, Dave mentioned 4 and a half years in the past he does not wanna play music with me anymore, so I simply left it there and simply moved on. I am not sitting round ready for a name. I’ve already provided, if it ought to come my method, I would be glad to take part on some degree.
“What we noticed in Birmingham [at BLACK SABBATH‘s ‘Back To The Beginning’ event], for my part, was 100% on level the best method to say goodbye,” Ellefson continued. “You deliver again the O.G.s — Geezer [Butler], Tony [Iommi], Invoice [Ward] and Ozzy [Osbourne]; the 4 O.G.s — ‘trigger, clearly, they went by means of their… Look, they fired Invoice [at some point earlier in their career], they fired Ozzy, and sooner or later they’re again collectively. The 4 guys that began all of it get to say goodbye collectively, to one another, to the followers, the followers say goodbye to them. So, to me, that’s the mannequin of the way it’s completed. I imply, that may be a hundred % the best method to do it.”
Circling again to MEGADETH, Ellefson mentioned: “If it actually is a farewell, if it actually is, and it isn’t simply an try to spice up ticket gross sales, ‘trigger we have seen this film earlier than — enhance ticket gross sales, go away, then the larger provides come after everyone’s gone away for a pair years; I imply, we have seen how this works — however, look, if Dave must shut it down and name it quits as a result of he’s simply had sufficient and he is been by means of all of it, then hey, you recognize what? As a nonetheless pal to him, even we have not spoken nearly 5 years — you recognize what? God bless you, brother. Put it away with grace and go take pleasure in the remainder of your life. So if he actually is shutting it down and he is actually gonna put it away, then please accomplish that with dignity and beauty and do what you say and imply what you say. ‘Trigger I feel that farewell factor has been thrown round a lot by so many individuals that it does not have a lot weight to it. We have simply seen it over and over. So, for those who’ve actually gotta shut it down, shut it down and put it away and go take pleasure in the remainder of your life.”
Ellefson beforehand mentioned his response to MEGADETH‘s farewell tour final month throughout an look on the Rock ‘N’ Blues Expertise podcast with host Tim Caple. Requested if it was a shock to him to listen to that MEGADETH was ending, Ellefson mentioned: “I knew about it. Clearly, I am within the enterprise, so I knew about it, which — it was somewhat surprising. I’ve recognized Dave as a workhorse. All issues good, unhealthy or detached about Dave, he is a fairly fucking powerful mule, man. I imply, he is gotten on the market and sang and performed regardless of all the chances. And I’ll give him that. He undoubtedly by no means backed right down to a problem.”
Ellefson continued: “I keep in mind there was a remark some years in the past — we have been enjoying a pageant in Mexico, and his spouse, Pam, had appeared over at me, and with him sitting proper subsequent to me, [she] goes, ‘The outdated horse is slowing down.’ [Laughs] And that was an enormous gig. It was [with] JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS… And I keep in mind when she mentioned it, it was sort of, like, we are getting up there somewhat bit, however then I take a look at the SCORPIONS, and fucking Rudolf Schenker, that man comes up and hugs you want a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robotic. You are, like, ‘What the fuck did they put within the water in his home?’ This man’s effectively into his 70s, and it is, like, ‘Aargh.’ Like, Jesus, man. The SCORPIONS are impenetrable; they’re sturdy, like Iron Man.”
David added: “I have not talked to Dave now in 4 years, so I do not know the rationale or something about it apart from they made their announcement.”
Requested what he thinks would occur if he simply picked up the cellphone and known as Mustaine, Ellefson mentioned: “Properly, even when I had his quantity — I do not know; he may need modified his quantity since I [last] talked [to him]. No, however I do know what you imply.
“Look, he eliminated me from the group, so it isn’t my place to name him to return,” David continued. “I put it on the market — I did one thing on my podcast, I floated it on the market and mentioned, hey, look, if it have been to be, I would be up for it. I feel it would be cool. Having simply watched what occurred in Birmingham [at the ‘Back To The Beginning’ event] the place everyone acquired collectively —not solely did we get to say goodbye to [BLACK SABBATH], they acquired to say goodbye to us. And I feel that is simply as essential.
“Dave‘s closing up store on MEGADETH, and he is doing it for him, clearly, for his causes. I feel in an ideal world there can be at the least a second the place perhaps a few of, if not all of, the remainder of us acquired an opportunity to say goodbye as effectively,” Ellefson added. “I feel that is a takeaway from Birmingham, is that there is a second for everyone to simply put all the pieces apart and go, ‘You realize what? That was a fucking good run, man.’ And take the ultimate bow collectively on some degree.”
Ellefson‘s ELLEFSON-SOTO bandmate Jeff Scott Soto, who was additionally a part of the interview, chimed in: “I am sorry, I’ve to interject right here. I completely agree with you, David, that it might be a beautiful method for it to finish or exit is to have the surviving members of this legendary band all collectively, at the least for yet another hurrah. However so far as I am involved, MEGADETH, you guys [Ellefson and Mustaine] are the Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of this band. And to finish this complete legacy with out one or the opposite, to me, is improper. And I am going to put it proper right here. You’ll be able to clickbait and Blabbermouth all of it you need, Dave Mustaine, you should name David Ellefson and you should put him as a part of the tip — if that is really the tip and also you’re calling it a wrap, you should embody David sooner or later, even when it is one present, one tune, one thing like that. To me, that is the true closure. That is the true method to truly shut the guide on MEGADETH. They need to at the least embody David, to incorporate Chris Poland and all of the others, Jeff Younger, all of the others which were concerned. That, to me, can be the final word farewell, sayonara, all the above. That should occur, so far as I am involved. It is advisable to get the Lennon and McCartney, the Joe Perry and the Steven Tyler of this band collectively for one ultimate hurrah. That is how I see it.”
Ellefson additionally mentioned his response to MEGADETH‘s farewell tour in August in a particular episode of his video podcast “The David Ellefson Present”. Requested for his “ideas” on MEGADETH “calling it quits”, Ellefson mentioned: “There’s lots, ‘trigger, in fact, it brings up years and years of ideas, emotions, feelings, some nice, some not so nice. I all the time say these gold data on the wall — which, the one cause I’ve ’em up is ‘trigger we’ve a podcast [laughs]; it simply makes for a very good backdrop — however I take a look at ’em, ‘Countdown [To Extinction]’, ‘Peace Sells’, ‘Beavis And Butt-Head’, ‘Rust In Peace’, all of them have a narrative in ’em. And a number of the stuff within the ’90s have been higher tales — the band was cohesive, the administration was constant, the music, I feel, was collaborative. We went to new heights, we explored new territory that you can solely dream of doing, Grammy nominations, festivals, the world for touring was actually opening up in all places. So, actually nice stuff. In the course of it, in fact, and round it was addictions, rehabs, canceled excursions, misplaced funds within the thousands and thousands. And so for issues to type of flush out the way in which that they did with now me not being a part of the ultimate farewell of one thing I began, as one can think about, [it’s] most likely not one thing I am tremendous glad about. And saying that whereas nonetheless being grateful for all that it was, as a result of I feel sooner or later you need to discover a path by means of it as a result of that is actuality.”
Referencing Mustaine‘s debilitating harm in 2002 that induced extreme nerve harm to his left arm and hand, and rendered him unable to play the guitar for some time, Ellefson continued: “Look, I really feel like Dave Mustaine ended our friendship in 2001, and that was it. And he ended it very loudly, very publicly. He personally signed his identify to it. He mentioned we might by no means play music collectively once more. And that is it. That’s it. So from there on, I, I moved on. And I discovered from 2002, with the career-ending nerve harm to his arm, after which two years later there is a new album with a brand new band and new monetary phrases and I am not a part of it and lawsuits to settle enterprise issues, and simply all of the issues go, there’s a complete story there of numerous these things. I used to be out, then abruptly I used to be again, and it was nice. And he and I attempted to fix fences, as I feel we did. He was beneficiant to me. Issues have been good.
“Clearly MEGADETH is a Mustaine family-run enterprise,” Ellefson added. “And it began that method, I feel, most likely a short while after I got here again to the band [in 2010]. ‘Trigger once I got here again to the band, it was not — it was Dave. And I sort of grew to become the nice pal to Dave. I knew him and he knew me in a method that nobody else may. Dave had his associates earlier than me rising up in California, however I’ve definitely recognized him one of many longest of most anyone on the planet, at the least from inside workings of a band sort of factor. So, as bands go although, there could be tensions, there are all these issues. Actually what was made clear to me in 2004 is, ‘Hey, it is a new day. It is a new method. Dave‘s in cost. It is not gonna be what it was. It is not gonna be collaborative.’ [Former MEGADETH drummer] Shawn Drover all the time used to remind me of that. He goes, ‘Dude, these days when of us all getting in a room and writing a document, dude, these days are lengthy gone.’ Actually, I keep in mind once I got here again and we have been doing the ‘Th1rt3en’ album after a few yr on the highway, Dave requested me, he mentioned, ‘Oh, I would prefer to have you ever write.’ I mentioned, ‘You realize what? No. Why do not you write the songs? I am going to play bass for you. Let’s simply preserve it clear. Hold it easy. Let’s not even blur the traces.’ And that is why I did different musical issues. I did the ELLEFSON solo data and varied different issues to simply have somewhat… I [thought], ‘Let me take my inventive stuff over there.’ I knew under no circumstances was that ever gonna type of trump the model, if you’ll, be greater than the MEGADETH model, but it was a method to have somewhat inventive outlet on the facet, sort of get my yayas with out interfering with MEGADETH. ‘Trigger I knew — look, we acquired it again collectively. Let’s preserve it clear, let’s preserve it easy. Let’s simply do this. And I feel each time we tried to jot down, it was all the time a sore spot. It was problematic. And I used to be, like, ‘Oh, I want we weren’t even happening this highway.’ Now, in fact, everyone needs their identify on the document, everyone needs to really feel a number of the monetary windfall. And the way issues are break up financially does not all the time need to how they’re break up with the credit and stuff like that.
“There is a bizarre factor in bands that how issues are financially break up… For those who’re a founding member of a band, to a point you need to be entitled to a chunk of each all the pieces and all of it, mainly, ‘trigger it would not exist for those who weren’t there,” David famous. “And that deal acquired modified in 2004. That instantly modified the panorama. It modified my emotions about it. It drew us right into a authorized dispute — rightfully so. And nobody wins in lawsuits, to a point, but typically they need to occur as a result of issues have to be completed the way in which they have to be completed. And I suppose the excellent news for me is financially it landed definitely a lot better for me, and getting paid immediately for my sources quite than… ‘Trigger typically that is what occurs, is cash goes by means of the channels of the group and typically folks do not receives a commission. In order that wanted to occur, and I am glad I went by means of the method. It is not a enjoyable course of — I did not sleep for 9 months due to it — however that is once I had my little band F5 and I used to be attempting to at the least sort of preserve my nostril creatively concerned in some stuff.
“So, there’s numerous historical past right here with this band. This band began with a resentment. It began with a ‘fuck you’, Dave‘s type of revenge in opposition to [his former band] METALLICA. And it wasn’t solely that. I imply, that will get somewhat blown out of proportion. To a point, Dave was his personal artist away from METALLICA. He had ‘Mechanix’ and a few songs earlier than METALLICA, and he definitely wrote songs after. So I feel that that is somewhat unfair to color that solely on Dave that MEGADETH was simply this revenge towards METALLICA. It might have been typically fueled by it, however how may it not be? He was not a founding member of METALLICA. He was there for, as I all the time name it, a yr and a half within the lifetime of METALLICA. And [he] definitely modified the course of what they did. However they went on and had their very own successes.
“However, look, for Dave to name it quits or to retire, I ought to say… Farewell… I do not even know if he is retiring. He is simply mainly saying MEGADETH‘s over… Would I prefer to be part of it? Yeah, in fact. Who would not?” he admitted. “I am a founding member of it. I am a 30-plus-year member of it. Is that gonna occur? Who is aware of? It is too early to inform. I do not know what they’ve deliberate. I do not know what it’s. They simply made an announcement about it. Do I feel there must be some type of farewell that everyone will get to take part in? I imply, look, [the] ‘Again To The Starting’ [concert in Birmingham] with BLACK SABBATH. Look, they made good. They introduced all 4 of BLACK SABBATH[‘s original members]. They introduced everyone again. You had [former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist] Jake [E. Lee]. Now, was everyone there? No. There have been some key folks — Bob Daisley — some people who weren’t there. However for probably the most half, they introduced numerous the folks again. And simply talking of BLACK SABBATH, they introduced the unique, the core 4 again, and so they mentioned goodbye. Not solely did they are saying goodbye, everyone acquired to say goodbye to them. And I feel whenever you’re doing a farewell, that is essential, that you just get to say goodbye and everyone will get to say goodbye to you. I feel that that is an essential a part of it. However that is me. I am not within the band anymore. I’ve no say in it. In order that’s simply me. That is only one man with an opinion, fairly actually.”
After podcast co-host Joshua Toomey opined that “everybody that was ever in MEGADETH also needs to be capable to say their farewell too” and be a part of the celebrations ultimately, Ellefson mentioned: “Properly, I strongly stand in opposition to the notion that MEGADETH was solely Dave Mustaine, ‘trigger it wasn’t. And everyone is aware of that. So, if Dave must retire, needs to retire, I get it. I perceive. He is given lots. It is taken lots out of him. It is taken definitely a toll on him, as anybody can think about. So, look, God bless you, brother. For those who’re completed, that is it, you wanna go do one thing else along with your life, spend time with your loved ones, simply not play guitar, I get it. I imply, dude, imagine me, I am 60. There’s some days I simply sort of go, ‘God, actually? Ought to I write one other album, one other tune? Do I actually wanna go on stage?’ And the reply all the time comes again to sure, I do. So I do. So I can not converse for him, and I am not gonna converse for him. However, look, once more, I have not talked to the man now in 4 and a half years, so I do not know what his reasoning is, what the pondering is behind it.
“Somebody made a degree, they mentioned we’re all followers of MEGADETH music, even when we’re not perhaps followers of a selected lineup of the band, or we’re not followers of sure members of the band, we nonetheless all love MEGADETH music,” he continued. “And I believed, okay, I am down with that. I can get behind that.”
Referencing Mustaine‘s determination to fireplace Ellefson in Could 2021 after sexually tinged messages and specific video footage involving the bassist have been posted on Twitter, David mentioned: “It is unlucky that issues landed between me and Dave the place they did, as a result of as I mentioned proper from the start, they did not need to. And I made it very clear on the cellphone name after they have been firing me that they did not have to try this. It was pointless. No matter these circumstances are have been nothing to be feared. We will transfer on. However no matter. They made their determination, so let the chips fall the place they might. I do not actually even like going again to that time period, as a result of I felt like there was lots main as much as that stuff behind the scenes, conversations that Dave and I have been having about issues that perhaps we simply weren’t agreeing on. And that is okay. You’ll be able to comply with disagree. You do not have to agree on all the pieces.
“[OVERKILL singer] Bobby Blitz mentioned one thing actually good to me once I was touring with OVERKILL,” Ellefson added. “‘Trigger he mentioned he and D.D. [Verni, OVERKILL bassist], they’re the boss. They run OVERKILL, they run the band. And he mentioned, ‘Regardless of how we go into the room with separate concepts, we come out as one voice.’ And I believed, ‘Man, that is an effective way to place it.’ And I all the time felt like Dave and I did that. It doesn’t matter what we felt like after we acquired within the room, we depart this room as one voice. And Dave being the chief, Dave being the self-appointed voice of the group, let him have that voice. So I all the time felt like I stood behind that. I used to be unified with him. Whether or not I agreed with it or not, you get on board with it and that is what it’s, and also you go together with that. And look, for probably the most half, Dave‘s method labored fairly good. I wasn’t there to defy that.”
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up as a result of Mustaine suffered extreme nerve harm that left him unable to play. After Mustaine reformed MEGADETH with an all-new lineup in 2004, Ellefson sued his former bandmate for $18.5 million, alleging that Mustaine nonetheless owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court docket, and 5 years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.
Again in October 2022, Mustaine as soon as once more mentioned that he was the only founding member of MEGADETH. The guitarist/vocalist made the remark in an interview with LifeMinute to advertise “The Sick, The Dying… And The Useless!”. Whereas discussing the MEGADETH “sound”, the now 63-year-old musician mentioned: “There is a misnomer that there have been two people who based MEGADETH. I was the founder; I used to be the one one at first. There was a bass participant earlier than who simply was… who simply left. So it has been my imaginative and prescient. After I acquired kicked out of METALLICA, I acquired kicked out of METALLICA; nobody else was with me on the bus coming residence.”
Mustaine‘s feedback got here almost seven years after he implied in an interview with the Cape Girardeau, Missouri radio station Actual Rock 99.3 that Ellefson was not a founding member of the band as a result of, he mentioned, “MEGADETH was already in its formative part lengthy earlier than I even knew David Ellefson.” Ellefson later mentioned that he was “technically” a founding member of MEGADETH as a result of he was “within the room” the day MEGADETH determined to vary its identify from the earlier working moniker of FALLEN ANGEL on the suggestion of the band’s then-guitarist Greg Handevidt.
In February 2016, only a month after his authentic remarks have been revealed on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Mustaine was requested by Ticketmaster what it means to have a longtime collaborator like Ellefson again within the band after so many lineup modifications. He responded: “David and I’ve been associates for a very long time, even throughout the lawsuit. I had made it clear that I liked him, and I liked his household. I mentioned that the reality would come out and that it was very unlucky. The lawsuit was dismissed, I forgave him, and we acquired again in enterprise once more. It has been enjoyable ever since.”
He continued: “There is a couple websites on the market that do not like me and so they’re attempting to twist a few of my phrases round about David Ellefson being within the band or not being within the band, or being a founding member or not being a founding member. And that shit do not matter, as a result of it is a gossip site. The reality is, me and Dave are companions, we make good music collectively, he is in MEGADETH, we’re occurring tour. Hopefully folks will know after they see him on stage and never assume he is any individual else. [Laughs]”
In February 2016, Ellefson was requested by Cranked Up Dwell about Mustaine‘s feedback to Actual Rock 99.3 the place the MEGADETH chief implied that Ellefson was not a founding member of the band. Ellefson mentioned: “Properly, it is fascinating… Yeah, I did see [the article on BLABBERMOUTH.NET]. And it is fascinating. The headline was very deceptive and was clearly meant… It was very inflammatory. It was meant to be a hamburger bomb thrown over into the center of our marketing campaign. And I feel I noticed it as that. So, once more, open the story, learn it. They did not even say that. They did not even say what the headline says. That headline was misconstrued.
“Now, look, when Dave got here residence from METALLICA, he had one other bass participant, sort of a child he was nearly educating methods to play bass, and one other guitar participant he had been working with somewhat bit, and a singer, named Lor. And people have been sort of the primary people who, I feel, in April and Could of 1983 that Dave was simply kicking some concepts round [with], seeing if he may get something going. However the day me and my pal Greg Handevidt knocked on Dave‘s door and requested him the place to purchase some cigarettes and beer, that was the day that there was a unity that moved ahead, as a result of me, Greg, Dave, that singer Lor and our drummer Dijon Carruthers, who helped create numerous the lyrics and the idea of ‘Black Friday’ on the ‘Peace Sells’ document, that was… we have been the group that have been rehearsing for just a few weeks, engaged on these new songs Dave was writing. And at some point we got here again to… I feel it was me and Greg‘s house… And it was Greg who prompt… We have been speaking about band names, and Greg prompt… There was a reputation kicking round, FALLEN ANGEL, that I feel Dave… That was sort of working title that he had. However he had a tune known as ‘Megadeth’, which was later retitled to develop into ‘Set The World Afire’. And it was my pal Greg who prompt, ‘I feel we should always name the band MEGADETH.’ And it was determined that day, so, I imply, technically, whoever was within the room that day was a founding member of MEGADETH. And, once more, I do not know why there must be a lot significance on that. I do know, I used to be there. And shortly, all these different members both scattered or have been let go, and inside a month or so, it was me and Dave standing subsequent to one another — Dave and Dave of this new group known as MEGADETH.”
