DAVID ELLEFSON Doesn't Pay Attention To Online Haters: 'At Some Point, You've Gotta Be A Little Detached From That Stuff'

In a new interview with "The Chuck Shute Podcast", former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked if he ever pays attention to any of the online detractors, some of whom have less-than-kind things to say about him. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I never read any of that stuff, so I just stay completely… [NFL quarterback] Tom Brady had a good thing. Somebody asked him, they said, 'Do you ever read the 'Monday Morning Quarterback', what they say about you?' He goes, 'God no. I would never be able to play the game next week, 'cause someone would be in my head.' [Former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff Young told me that, that [actress] Meg Ryan had [the same attitude]. She goes, 'I never read the interviews. I never read the press. I never read anything about it, 'cause I don't want some fan or some critic being in my head about what I should or shouldn't do in my next role.' And I thought that was great. At some point, you've gotta be a little detached from that stuff. It's just, like, hey, man, I pick up my bass, I write a song, I call my buddies, we make an album. That's what it is. We put it out.

"When you're making the album, it's your album, but once you put it out, it now becomes [the people's] album," Ellefson continued. "And of course there's gonna be critics; there's gonna be those who love or hate. I look at movies. I usually like most of the movies that critics hate. [Laughs] I go see movies all the time, and it's, like, 'Oh, the critics gave it a bad [review].' It's, like, I don't give a shit. I'm not going to the movie with him. I could care less what he says. I'm going to have my own experience with it. Same with records — I download 'em, I put 'em on to have my own experience with 'em.

"Look, it is the entertainment business, man, so they all keep us entertained," David added.

Ellefson recently teamed up with another former MEGADETH member, guitarist Jeff Young, in a new project called KINGS OF THRASH. Earlier this month, KINGS OF THRASH completed a four-date West Coast tour during which the band was joined for several songs by another former MEGADETH guitarist, Chris Poland. KINGS OF THRASH, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, performed MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly a year and a half ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.