On the most recent episode of “The David Ellefson Present”, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and Joshua Toomey sit down with authentic MEGADETH guitarist Greg Handevidt for a deep dive into the band’s earliest days. Greg shares pivotal tales from transferring to Los Angeles with Ellefson, assembly MEGADETH chief Dave Mustaine and serving to form what would turn into the legendary MEGADETH.
Relating to how he got here to recommend “MEGADETH” because the title for the band, Greg recalled (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”We had been sitting down in our little residence, and Dave had learn a pamphlet by Senator Alan Cranston speaking concerning the ‘arsenals of megadeath’, and I believe that basically triggered one thing in him about nuclear struggle and simply how devastating it was and every little thing. And I keep in mind considering, ‘Holy shit, the arsenals of megadeath.’ And he had that line within the lyrics. And it simply occurred to me, ‘Megadeath.’ I am, like, ‘That may be a cool title for a band.’ And I sat down, and on the time — and I nonetheless type of really feel this manner, though my angle about it form of softened — however I used to be, like, ‘Do you really need the phrase ‘loss of life’ within the title of your band? Do you really need that?’ It appeared type of negative-karma-ey to me again then; that is what kind of was in my head. So I sat down and I simply wrote it out as one phrase and I dropped the ‘A’ out, and I simply wrote it on a bit of paper and I used to be, like, ‘I believe that is cool. We may name the band MEGADETH. One phrase. We take out the ‘A’. It is distinctive. It does not have any form of darkish connotation round it. And I believe folks would see it and never be postpone. It would not put folks off.’ And I believe at that time limit to interrupt by means of in a business sense with out simply fully promoting your self out, I believe there have been obstacles that may’ve… I am undecided Capitol Information was able to signal a band referred to as ‘DEATH‘ on the time. And possibly, possibly not. However even in any case this, and I got here again and I fashioned KUBLAI KHAN and we had been purchasing demos round, we stored getting stuff again despatched to us saying, ‘That is means too heavy. This is not commercially acceptable. We won’t signal you. This may by no means promote.'”
In response to Handevidt, Mustaine “did not like” the title MEGADETH “at first. It took him a few days” to heat as much as it, Greg recalled. “After which I keep in mind a few days later he got here again and he was, like, ‘Yeah, that is rising on me.’ And that is the way it happened. That is the story. It was a fast little factor.”
In his e-book “Mustaine: A Heavy Steel Memoir”, Dave really credited a special former member of MEGADETH with naming the band.
“To start with, I used to be skeptical about my very own singing capacity, so we introduced in a vocalist named Lawrence ‘Lor’ Kane,” Mustaine wrote within the e-book. “Lor wasn’t within the band lengthy, however give credit score the place credit score is due: it was Lor who instructed MEGADETH because the band’s title. It occurred once we had been driving round one night time, speaking about discovering precisely the proper moniker. Lor knew I had already written a track entitled ‘Megadeath’ and thought it might work equally properly as a band title. And he was proper. So, thanks for that, Lor.”
Mustaine reportedly got here throughout the aforementioned pamphlet from California Senator Alan Cranston whereas he was on a four-day cross-country bus journey again to California after he was kicked out of METALLICA. The pamphlet, which was a political dialogue of the hazards of nuclear armament, included the road “The arsenal of megadeath cannot be rid it doesn’t matter what the peace treaties come to.”
Merriam-Webster defines “megadeath” as “a million deaths” and signifies that the time period is “normally used as a unit in reference to nuclear warfare.”
In a 2023 interview with Guitar World, Handevidt admitted that “there was some remorse” after he left MEGADETH and the band discovered success with out him. “How may I not be upset?” he stated. “However we had been so younger, and there have been plenty of issues pushing me to go away. I imply… I used to be a child, and one large challenge was that I had a tough time being away from house. However I will not lie: there was positively a falling out, and that was an enormous a part of why I cut up. No shock, Dave bought drunk sooner or later and kicked me out of the band whereas he was indignant. He by no means instructed me why, and I used to be similar to, ‘Nice, now I am in L.A. with nowhere to go.’ However a few week later, we reconciled issues. We rehearsed three or 4 extra instances, after which it was really me who determined I wanted to return house to the Midwest. I discovered I had a child again there, and I felt great guilt about not being able the place I used to be doing something to assist increase my child. Plus, the vibe was off after I was invited again. Had issues felt cool, I may need stayed. However that is not what occurred.”
Handevidt went on to say that character clashes with Mustaine influenced his resolution to exit MEGADETH. “Yeah… that is true, too,” he stated. “The factor was, as historical past has said, Dave — together with all of us — was fairly overindulgent and aggressive on the time. He had a chip on his shoulder, for certain. Whereas that is made him nice as a songwriter, it made it very laborious for me to be in a band with him, particularly since I used to be a child.”
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 stated: “Now, look, when Dave got here house from METALLICA, he had one other bass participant, type of a child he was nearly instructing learn how to play bass, and one other guitar participant he had been working with a little bit bit, and a singer, named Lor. And people had been type of the primary people who, I believe, 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 buddy 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 plenty of the lyrics and the idea of ‘Black Friday’ on the ‘Peace Sells’ file, that was… we had been the group that had been rehearsing for a couple of weeks, engaged on these new songs Dave was writing. And sooner or later we got here again to… I believe it was me and Greg‘s residence… And it was Greg who instructed… We had been speaking about band names, and Greg instructed… There was a reputation kicking round, FALLEN ANGEL, that I believe Dave… That was type of working title that he had. However he had a track referred to as ‘Megadeth’, which was later retitled to turn into ‘Set The World Afire’. And it was my buddy Greg who instructed, ‘I believe 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 had 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 referred to as MEGADETH.”
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 injury 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 courtroom, and 5 years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in Could 2021, simply days after sexually tinged messages and express video footage involving the bassist had been posted on Twitter.
David was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and once more from 2010 till his newest exit.
