David Ellefsonbassist Megadeth, publicly criticized the band's leader, Dave Mustaine, following recent statements involving the past of group members.
During an interview on the podcast Quemar Un Patrullero, the bassist reacted to Mustaine's statements, who in December, in an interview with Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, said that he doesn't believe it's possible to reunite former members due to the past behavior of one of the former band members.
“To end it the way it ended, and then [Mustaine] to say recently, ‘Oh, because of what one person did, I can’t bring anybody back.’ You know what? Fuck off. Just fuck off,” Elefson said [Transcription via Blabbermouth].
The bassist continued: “Who is this person? It wasn’t me, because I didn’t do anything to prevent me from coming back. Nothing at all. And this thing about deflecting the issue, about trying to put yourself in a position of moral superiority, spare me. Seriously? Look, I had rock stars much bigger than Dave coming to my side and helping me, supporting me, saying: ‘Dude, let me know if you need anything. This is really messed up.’ It’s messed up how they treated me, being discarded. People saying: ‘I’m very disappointed that they chose business over brotherhood,’ because in the end, brotherhood will always last beyond the business of having a rock band — especially something we started and built together.”.
Ellefson added: “On a certain level, I could call a lawyer, I could file a defamation lawsuit, and I have every right to do that—believe me. But at the same time, there are two ways to win in tug-of-war. Either I pull you to the other side of the line or I simply let go of the rope and let you fall on your butt. And that’s what I chose to do—let go of the rope. Let go of the rock.”.
The dismissal of David Ellefson
Although Mustaine didn't directly name the person he was referring to, many point to former bassist David Ellefson, who was fired in 2021 after the release of an intimate video considered scandalous. This episode strained his relationship with the band, which gives meaning to Dave's statement about "past behavior." Meanwhile, Ellefson has expressed in other interviews his desire to participate in Megadeth's final tour, if invited.
During the interview, David Ellefson also commented on his departure. At the time, the musician denied accusations that he had groomed a minor fan and filed a police report in Arizona, claiming that intimate images of him had been released without his consent.
According to Ellefson, he had sexually explicit conversations with a Dutch woman who was 19 years old when their first virtual encounter occurred, but he claimed that the online masturbation videos were recorded and shared by her without his permission. Following the online backlash, Megadeth announced his dismissal in May 2021, a decision confirmed a few days later.
“[The guys from Megadeth] called me to fire me. And I told them: 'Guys, there's nothing here. There's no reason to fire me. This is all nonsense on the internet. That's all it is. Nothing more. And I'm going to keep this position until the end,' and I did,” he said.
The bassist stated that he contested the dismissal, telling the band that there was no reason for his removal. He also criticized the way the case spread on social media, stating that the accusations damaged his reputation and career.
READ ALSO: David Ellefson assesses Megadeth's final album: "It's a Dave solo album"
