Ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson was recently asked what he would say to Dave Mustaine if the two came face to face now. Do you think Ellefson would be super pissed, or friendly towards his past Megadeth bandmate? Back in May of 2021, Ellefson was let go from the band following a sex scandal he was involved in.
During a recent conversation on the Mike Nelson Show, Ellefson reflected on his time in the band. When it comes to what he would say to Dave Mustaine now, this is what David Ellefson had to say (the following was transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“I’m sad that things went down the way they did because I don’t think they had to. I knew that everything was fine. And it was a scary moment there for a second, but I knew it was okay. Just over time, our lives just take different directions, and that doesn’t mean you can’t be in a band together ’cause you’ve got different lives. But at the same time, again, things just… I guess they just needed to come apart for this next season of life. And we’ve been here before where things came apart and then they came back together and they came apart. Maybe this is just how it is. Me and Dave are brothers from another mother; I mean, we just are. It’s kind of ironic our names are both Dave; brothers aren’t usually named the same. But, you know, there is a weird thing.
When asked if he would ever play with Dave again, this is what David said:
“I never say never to anything. And in fact, I’ve learned in life. [Producer] Max Norman taught me this, by the way, on [Megadeth’s] ‘Youthanasia’ record. We were doing some lyrics, and he goes, ‘Man, don’t ever fucking use words like ‘never’ and ‘forever.’ They’re fucking bullshit words, man. They don’t mean anything. They’re not sincere. They’re not true.’ And I’ve come to think about that over the years, and it is true. Is love forever? Well, I don’t know. ‘Well, I’ll never play with that guy again.’ I mean, didn’t we see that in ‘Spinal Tap’. ‘Nigel and I shall never work together again.’ I mean, c’mon — it’s silly.
“We have these moments in our lives. They are what they are. Hopefully we grow from ’em, we get better from them. I certainly feel like I have. And you move on. And like I said the first time with the Megadeth reunion. At some point, it was a rearview-mirror item, and then one day it came around in the front window again. There it was in the next intersection of life in front of me, and probably for Dave too. It was, like, ‘All right. Saddle up. Let’s do this.’
“Look, they’re doing their thing. They’ve got their own band now, and they’re a unit. They’re out rocking. And I think it’s great. Look, they’re playing songs that I helped write. I’m playing songs Dave wrote. We should all be happy. Everybody wins. Everybody’s making money. Everybody’s songs are being played. Between the two of us, all of ’em are getting played, or most of ’em. So I don’t see any downside to any of it. I think we’re honoring the legacy. It’s bigger than any one of us.”
That’s pretty interesting to consider, given that Dave Mustaine said back in June: “I just won’t play music with him anymore.”
‘It was hard on me letting him go’: Dave Mustaine Reflects On David Ellefson’s Exit From Megadeth