In a recent interview with The Metal Circus, former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson opened up about his life after the band and the controversial departure that continues to follow him. Despite his new endeavors, he still finds himself linked to his former band.
Since parting ways with Megadeth, the musician has immersed himself in various musical projects. He launched Kings of Thrash, a supergroup featuring members from different legendary thrash bands, and Dieth, an experimental metal project that explores new sonic territories. However, his association with his former band seems to overshadow his current projects and efforts to establish himself as an independent artist.
Ellefson’s exit from Megadeth was a result of a leaked sex video scandal that took the internet by storm. A video of him engaging in a sexual act, along with private messages between him and a woman, were leaked online, and it led to claims suggesting that the woman was underage at the time, which further fueled the controversy.
Both he and the woman insisted that she was of legal age, but the damage to his reputation had already been done. The scandal not only resulted in his dismissal from the band but also significantly affected his personal life and professional relationships.
The bassist was recently asked if he thought he was a victim of ‘unnecessary criminalization.’ After confirming that he ‘a hundred percent’ was, he stated that he was taken aback by the incident but chose to accept his fault and move forward rather than dwelling on the past or holding grudges against others.
When asked whether he was unnecessary criminalized, David responded as follows:
“A hundred percent. F*cking a hundred percent, I was. Everything about that was just not okay. But you can spend your life trying to get justice, trying to go down that road, and it’s kind of like it always just follows you. I had some good advisors around me, and at some point, it’s, like, ‘Look, it is what it is. What happened, happened. Just move on.’ Life is lived forward, not backward… Own your sh*t and move on, which is what I did.
The night that a video was put out of me that I knew nothing about, and there it was. And all of a sudden, it’s, like, hey, own your sh*t. All right. Whatever. That happened. Move on. And don’t sit there and try to go back and do some spin control or call the publicists because that’s what some people wanted to do.
And I was, like, ‘F*ck that.’ It is what it is. Just f*cking own it and move on. And I’d like to think there’s more integrity in just ‘own your sh*t and move on.’ Let that situation help you get better rather than just sit around and hate on everyone.”
David Ellefson’s journey after Megadeth has been marked by both professional growth and personal challenges. The video scandal and the subsequent fallout forced him to confront the darker aspects of his past, but it has not deterred him from pursuing his passion for music.