DAVE MUSTAINE: DAVID ELLEFSON Is 'The Best Bass Player For MEGADETH'

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine recently spoke to the World Entertainment News Network (WENN) about the return of the band's original bassist, David Ellefson. "He's the best bass player for MEGADETH and he's been there since the beginning," Mustaine said. "The time without him was difficult for me. He was my partner and one of my best friends. I asked him to forgive me, too, and that's really important too because I realized that I had made a lot of mistakes in my leadership. I was a kid when we met and, granted, I was an adult when we parted ways, but I made a lot of mistakes along the way that affected him. We're still working through all this stuff and talking about the future."

He added, "I did a lot of things that were mistakes, but I never intentionally screwed Dave. I have always loved him and always wanted to protect him. In fact, I think that is the beauty of why we're even able to do this because he knows my intentions. He also knows my desire to clear stuff up. If something had happened I can tell you right now it was unintentional and my heart is open to making everything right.

"In the old days we lived together, we were homeless together on the street. There was a time some guy was gonna kick Dave's ass and I have multiple black belts, so I told the guy to leave Dave alone and of course he didn't, and so I beat the shit out of him. That's the Dave that I know; he's my little brother and I'll defend him no matter what.

"If there's something that happened to him, especially if it's by my hand, I want to clear it up.

"I think we're in a really great place right now. We've come to a level playing field and are open to talking about stuff."