Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson recently addressed Dave Mustaine’s decision to remove his contributions from the band’s history. He shared his perspective in an interview with César Fuentes Rodríguez.
Ellefson’s comments focused on his dismissal from Megadeth and the subsequent removal of his bass parts from the album “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!” following sexual misconduct allegations.
“It was stupid. There was never any legal trouble [stemming from the explicit videos which were posted online]. There was never any — there was nothing,” Ellefson said. “And I said that: this is nothing at all. Dave chose to make that decision — for whatever reason or whatever influences he had behind him that made him make that decision, that is entirely on him. His own lawyer on the phone said, ‘Don’t fire David. It doesn’t seem necessary.’ … So, for whatever reason, but it certainly wasn’t from anything on my side.”
The former bassist emphasized his approach to handling the controversy directly.
“In fact, if anything, I felt like when someone tried to cause trouble for me, I stepped up at the handle and then I dealt with it. I don’t fucking back down from it. I fucking deal with it. I don’t wait or hire a publicist. No — you just f*cking deal with it. You deal with your stuff and you make it right. So, again, it was, to me, unwarranted, unfair and unnecessary,” he continued.
Ellefson also reflected on the aftermath of his dismissal and drew parallels to other former band members.
“But with that said, Dave made his decision about it. I haven’t talked to him since. And to me, that was not a very friendly thing to do, and how it was handled afterwards, the statement that was made [by Mustaine announcing that I had been fired from Megadeth] — not cool. Again, I watched the same kind of things happen to [other former Megadeth members] Chris Poland, to Jeff Young, so why not me? So it seems to be a pattern, but whatever. So, no, I have not talked to Dave. Who knows if I’ll ever talk to him? And it’s sad, and it’s too bad.”
This latest controversy represents another chapter in the complex relationship between Ellefson and Mustaine. Their relationship has been marked by both collaboration and conflict over the decades.
The tension between the two musicians has deep roots. Blabbermouth reported that Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million. He alleged that the Megadeth guitarist and vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. The lawsuit was dismissed in January 2005. The judge ordered Ellefson to pay additional costs.
Despite this legal battle, the two musicians eventually reconciled. Loudwire noted that Mustaine forgave Ellefson for the lawsuit. This led to the bassist’s return to Megadeth in 2010. This reunion lasted over a decade before the recent controversy ended their partnership once again.
The 2021 scandal that led to Ellefson’s dismissal involved sexually explicit videos and messages that surfaced online. Metal Insider revealed that the controversy centered around explicit content that was posted online. However, Ellefson maintains no legal issues arose from the incident.
Mustaine’s decision to remove Ellefson’s bass parts from “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!” album marked a definitive break between the longtime collaborators. Revolver Magazine documented that Mustaine described the termination as “a hard decision that had to be made.” He later expressed forgiveness for his former bandmate while maintaining he doesn’t regret the firing.
The comments provide insight into the ongoing tensions between the former bandmates following Ellefson’s departure from the thrash metal group.
