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): “Truthfully, 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 street, for positive, clearly, and there have been moments chic 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 would 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 supplied, if it ought to come my method, I would be comfortable to take part on some stage.
“What we noticed in Birmingham [at BLACK SABBATH‘s ‘Back To The Beginning’ event], in my view, was 100% on level the proper approach 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 their… Look, they fired Invoice [at some point earlier in their career], they fired Ozzy, and in some unspecified time in the future 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 executed. I imply, that may be a hundred p.c the proper approach to do it.”
Circling again to MEGADETH, Ellefson mentioned: “If it actually is a farewell, if it actually is, and it is not 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 all of it, then hey, you already know what? As a nonetheless good friend to him, even we have not spoken nearly 5 years — you already know 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 achieve this 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 would not have a lot weight to it. We have simply seen it over and over. So, in case you’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 robust mule, man. I imply, he is gotten on the market and sang and performed regardless of all the percentages. And I’ll give him that. He positively by no means backed all the way down to a problem.”
Ellefson continued: “I bear in mind there was a remark some years in the past — we had been enjoying a pageant in Mexico, and his spouse, Pam, had seemed over at me, and with him sitting proper subsequent to me, [she] goes, ‘The previous horse is slowing down.’ [Laughs] And that was a giant gig. It was [with] JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS… And I bear in mind when she mentioned it, it was type of, like, we are getting up there somewhat bit, however then I have 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 nicely into his 70s, and it is, like, ‘Aargh.’ Like, Jesus, man. The SCORPIONS are impenetrable; they’re robust, like Iron Man.”
David added: “I have never talked to Dave now in 4 years, so I do not know the rationale or something about it aside from they made their announcement.”
Requested what he thinks would occur if he simply picked up the telephone and referred to as Mustaine, Ellefson mentioned: “Properly, even when I had his quantity — I do not know; he might 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 is not 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 had 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 received collectively —not solely did we get to say goodbye to [BLACK SABBATH], they received 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 no less than a second the place possibly a few of, if not all of, the remainder of us received an opportunity to say goodbye as nicely,” 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 understand what? That was a fucking good run, man.’ And take the ultimate bow collectively on some stage.”
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 will be a stunning method for it to finish or exit is to have the surviving members of this legendary band all collectively, no less than 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 will put it proper right here. You possibly can clickbait and Blabbermouth all of it you need, Dave Mustaine, you must name David Ellefson and you must put him as a part of the tip — if that is really the tip and also you’re calling it a wrap, you must embrace David in some unspecified time in the future, even when it is one present, one music, one thing like that. To me, that is the true closure. That is the actual approach to really shut the e-book on MEGADETH. They should no less than embrace David, to incorporate Chris Poland and all of the others, Jeff Younger, all of the others which have been concerned. That, to me, can be the final word farewell, sayonara, all the above. That should occur, so far as I am involved. You should get the Lennon and McCartney, the Joe Perry and the Steven Tyler of this band collectively for one last 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 quite a bit, ‘trigger, after all, it brings up years and years of ideas, emotions, feelings, some nice, some not so nice. I at all times say these gold information on the wall — which, the one cause I’ve ’em up is ‘trigger we’ve got a podcast [laughs]; it simply makes for backdrop — however I have 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 few of the stuff within the ’90s had 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 might 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, after all, and round it was addictions, rehabs, canceled excursions, misplaced funds within the tens of millions. And so for issues to kind 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 comfortable about. And saying that whereas nonetheless being grateful for all that it was, as a result of I feel in some unspecified time in the future it’s a must to discover a path by it as a result of that is actuality.”
Referencing Mustaine‘s debilitating harm in 2002 that triggered 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 title to it. He mentioned we’d 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 realized 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 a whole lot of these things. I used to be out, then instantly 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 had been good.
“Clearly MEGADETH is a Mustaine family-run enterprise,” Ellefson added. “And it began that method, I feel, most likely a short time 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 type of grew to become the great good friend to Dave. I knew him and he knew me in a method that nobody else might. Dave had his associates earlier than me rising up in California, however I’ve actually recognized him one of many longest of most anyone on the planet, no less than from internal workings of a band type of factor. So, as bands go although, there could be tensions, there are all these issues. Definitely 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 isn’t gonna be what it was. It isn’t gonna be collaborative.’ [Former MEGADETH drummer] Shawn Drover at all times 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 bear in mind once I got here again and we had been doing the ‘Th1rt3en’ album after a few 12 months on the street, Dave requested me, he mentioned, ‘Oh, I would wish to have you ever write.’ I mentioned, ‘You understand what? No. Why do not you write the songs? I will play bass for you. Let’s simply maintain it clear. Maintain it easy. Let’s not even blur the traces.’ And that is why I did different musical issues. I did the ELLEFSON solo information and varied different issues to simply have somewhat… I [thought], ‘Let me take my artistic stuff over there.’ I knew on no account was that ever gonna kind of trump the model, if you’ll, be larger than the MEGADETH model, but it was a approach to have somewhat artistic outlet on the facet, type of get my yayas with out interfering with MEGADETH. ‘Trigger I knew — look, we received it again collectively. Let’s maintain it clear, let’s maintain it easy. Let’s simply try this. And I feel each time we tried to put in writing, it was at all times a sore spot. It was problematic. And I used to be, like, ‘Oh, I want we weren’t even taking place this street.’ Now, after all, everyone needs their title on the document, everyone needs to really feel a few of the monetary windfall. And the way issues are break up financially would not at all times should 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… In case you’re a founding member of a band, to some extent you have to be entitled to a chunk of each all the pieces and all of it, mainly, ‘trigger it would not exist in case you weren’t there,” David famous. “And that deal received 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 some extent, but generally they should occur as a result of issues have to be executed the way in which they have to be executed. And I suppose the excellent news for me is financially it landed actually significantly better for me, and getting paid immediately for my sources somewhat than… ‘Trigger generally that is what occurs, is cash goes by the channels of the group and generally individuals do not receives a commission. In order that wanted to occur, and I am glad I went by the method. It isn’t 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 making an attempt to no less than type of maintain my nostril creatively concerned in some stuff.
“So, there’s a whole lot of historical past right here with this band. This band began with a resentment. It began with a ‘fuck you’, Dave‘s kind 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 some extent, Dave was his personal artist away from METALLICA. He had ‘Mechanix’ and a few songs earlier than METALLICA, and he actually 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 usually fueled by it, however how might it not be? He was not a founding member of METALLICA. He was there for, as I at all times name it, a 12 months and a half within the lifetime of METALLICA. And [he] actually 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 wish to be part of it? Yeah, after all. 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 kind 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 individuals — Bob Daisley — some people who weren’t there. However for probably the most half, they introduced a whole lot of the individuals again. And simply talking of BLACK SABBATH, they introduced the unique, the core 4 again, they usually mentioned goodbye. Not solely did they are saying goodbye, everyone received to say goodbye to them. And I feel while you’re doing a farewell, that is essential, that you simply 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 must also be capable to say their farewell too” and be a part of the celebrations indirectly, 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 quite a bit. It is taken quite a bit out of him. It is taken actually a toll on him, as anybody can think about. So, look, God bless you, brother. In case you’re executed, 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, consider me, I am 60. There’s some days I simply type of go, ‘God, actually? Ought to I write one other album, one other music? Do I actually wanna go on stage?’ And the reply at all times comes again to sure, I do. So I do. So I am unable to converse for him, and I am not gonna converse for him. However, look, once more, I have never 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 some extent, they mentioned we’re all followers of MEGADETH music, even when we’re not possibly followers of a specific 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 choice to fireside Ellefson in Could 2021 after sexually tinged messages and specific video footage involving the bassist had 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 should. And I made it very clear on the telephone name once they had been firing me that they did not have to try this. It was pointless. No matter these circumstances are had been nothing to be feared. We are able to transfer on. However no matter. They made their choice, so let the chips fall the place they could. I do not actually even like going again to that time frame, as a result of I felt like there was quite a bit main as much as that stuff behind the scenes, conversations that Dave and I had been having about issues that possibly we simply weren’t agreeing on. And that is okay. You possibly can 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, ‘Irrespective of how we go into the room with separate concepts, we come out as one voice.’ And I believed, ‘Man, that is a good way to place it.’ And I at all times felt like Dave and I did that. It doesn’t matter what we felt like after we received within the room, we go away 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 at all times 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 along 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 courtroom, 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. Once I received kicked out of METALLICA, I received kicked out of METALLICA; nobody else was with me on the bus coming dwelling.”
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 section 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 title 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 unique remarks had 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 adjustments. 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 received again in enterprise once more. It has been enjoyable ever since.”
He continued: “There is a couple web pages on the market that do not like me they usually’re making an attempt 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 website. The reality is, me and Dave are companions, we make good music collectively, he is in MEGADETH, we’re happening tour. Hopefully individuals will know once they see him on stage and never assume he is any individual else. [Laughs]”
In February 2016, Ellefson was requested by Cranked Up Reside 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 attention-grabbing… Yeah, I did see [the article on BLABBERMOUTH.NET]. And it is attention-grabbing. 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 dwelling from METALLICA, he had one other bass participant, type of a child he was nearly instructing how you can play bass, and one other guitar participant he had been working with somewhat bit, and a singer, named Lor. And people had been type 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 might get something going. However the day me and my good friend 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 a whole lot of the lyrics and the idea of ‘Black Friday’ on the ‘Peace Sells’ document, 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 feel it was me and Greg‘s condo… And it was Greg who recommended… We had been speaking about band names, and Greg recommended… There was a reputation kicking round, FALLEN ANGEL, that I feel Dave… That was type of working title that he had. However he had a music referred to as ‘Megadeth’, which was later retitled to change into ‘Set The World Afire’. And it was my good friend Greg who recommended, ‘I feel we must 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 needs to be a lot significance on that. I do know, I used to be there. And rapidly, 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.”
