David Ellefson Says Dave Mustaine ‘B****ing’ About Metallica Is ‘F***ing Pathetic”

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Dave Mustaine: Ralph Arvesen, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons / David Ellefson: Carter Sterling, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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Since being fired from Megadeth back in 2021, following a sex scandal he was involved in, David Ellefson has taken part in several interviews and has shared how he wants to move on from what went down between him and Dave Mustaine.

Recently, while talking to Heavy Talk, Ellefson was asked if he talked to Mustaine “about a solution” prior to being let go from the band. In his response to this question, Ellefson not only talks about how his firing was handled, but he also references Mustaine’s ability to hold a grudge against Metallica. For years now, even though he’s gone on to establish one of heavy metal’s most popular bands, Mustaine has expressed numerous jabs toward Metallica.

Speaking about how his firing from Megadeth went down, Ellefson shares (as transcribed by Blabbermouth):

“I got one call: ‘You’re fired.’ [Laughs] And I said, ‘What the fuck, man?’ I said, ‘Some shitty fucking people just dropped a bomb on my house. And that’s it? It’s not even true. It’s fucking bullshit. And this is how you treat me?’ It was non-negotiable. I mean, I asked. I said, ‘I’m gonna take care of it. Let me just deal with it. And it will fucking be done. We’ll be ready to go on the road in two months, and everything will be fine.’ And it was. Because it was just false allegations and bullshit.

“But [Dave] didn’t wanna know about it. I think he was getting pressure from some other people around him. And it’s too bad it went that way. Because it was really nothing. I took care of it. And then once the word came out that I was fired, then it turned into this big fucking thing, which, quite honestly, was very damaging and very hurtful and not fair. I’m glad I don’t have that fucking amends on my shoulder, because that was fucked up.”

As a reference of sorts, speaking to how people should try to move on from past issues, Ellefson brings up how Mustaine has handled his dismissal from Metallica. Among the points he shares, Ellefson says “I’ve watched how he’s treated his dismissal from Metallica, still bitching about it 40 years later.”

Here is what Ellefson had to say about attempting to move on and how he feels Mustaine has handled getting kicked out of Metallica:

“Look, I have no choice but to have to forgive it so I can move on. I really don’t. So I don’t know what more to say about it other than that. Look, at some point… The damage was done. So you move on. We’re all human, and it is what it is. You can’t lament it. I’ve watched how he’s treated his dismissal from Metallica, still bitching about it 40 years later, and I think it looks fucking pathetic. And it’s, like, ‘You know what? Fix [your] shit and move on.’ And that’s how I’ve chosen to deal with it: fix your shit and move on. […]”

What do you make of Ellefson’s points regarding Dave Mustaine and Metallica? Do you think that the Megadeth frontman is still holding onto a grudge and that he should move on?

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