DAVID ELLEFSON: MEGADETH Is Not A Theatrical Act Where We Would Paint Our Faces Or Wear Masks

Music-Photocalypse.net conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson on July 3 at the Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Music-Photocalypse.net: What do you think about the MEGADETH albums on which you didn't participate?

David: They sounded to me like Dave Mustaine solo records, and I say that because he was the only original guy with three other people. And it's not the same what they did that would have the characteristics of MEGADETH. Because Dave was singing and playing and writing, to some degree 50% of it was Dave Mustaine. But I'd say that on "Endgame" there are parts of that sound of most of the MEGADETH records, because there's heaviness. I think [the fact that] Andy Sneap was the producer, he fundamentally understands how to get MEGADETH sound right and he worked really well with the band to bring that out. There are some things on "The System Has Failed" that had a couple of pretty cool MEGADETH tracks. And then there were moments where I really felt that Dave was trying to break out and do some of his own stuff, which again, I would always encourage him to do a solo record. I think it would be good for him. He would enjoy it without having to do it within the confines of MEGADETH. To some degree as big as MEGADETH is, there are restrictions on it. It has to sound a certain way, otherwise the fans will be pissed.

Music-Photocalypse.net: So what can you say about the fact that MEGADETH won't play on the same stage with anti-Christian bands?

David: I wasn't in the band when that whole thing happened. But, you know, sometimes you've got to stand up for stuff. Dave and I are both Christians now. If there ever were two people in rock and roll who walked on the dark side, it was us. So to come out of that and to proclaim a faith in something good is, I think, a good thing. I was born and raised as a Lutheran kid, which, I think, most Scandinavians are, nothing fanatical, nothing crazy. So for me, coming out of the dark side of drinking and partying and everything that I did which almost killed me — coming out of that to come back to the mainstream and get kind of in the middle of the road with a family and being healthy... If anybody sees that as a bad thing — that is not good. You don't have to be goody two-shoes, but you also don't have to lead people down the bad road. I think at one point Dave said that he is not going to play with bands that are doing this kind of stuff, because it goes directly in violation to his beliefs. He is pretty lenient about most stuff, but in that particular situation he said, "No, that's not OK." So we learned that you have to respect the headliners, you have to have respect for the people on whose stage you technically are. And on that particular day you'll have to be respectful, if you're not… (claps his hands)

Music-Photocalypse.net: You are David Ellefson of MEGADETH, it's basically a part of your name right now. So how does David Ellefson in MEGADETH differ from David Ellefson outside the band: a husband, a father, a businessman?

David: I'm pretty much the same guy. When you walk on the stage, you've got your game face on just like anywhere else: on a soccer field or a basketball court, you're going to have your game face on, you're focused. But personality-wise, I'm pretty much the same guy. I try to have one set of principles that applies to everything that I do. Honestly, for me that's the goal to try and be the same guy I am on and off the stage, because that is a big part of what MEGADETH is about. MEGADETH is not a theatrical act, where we would paint our faces or wear masks, or we do one thing on stage and then we come off and [do the opposite]. The guy who was great at that is Alice Cooper. He was also pretty open about his Christian faith, got saved after all the alcohol and drugs lifestyle he led at one point years ago. He is able to go on stage and be this character named Alice, the evil villain. Then come off stage, wipe the makeup off and go play golf, hang out with his wife and kids and be a stand-up family guy. We've been on tour with him many years ago and he has been a very good mentor, a role model of how to do show business: to be in showbiz, but not of showbiz.

Music-Photocalypse.net: Nowadays the image of a band is more important than the music this band makes. Back in the old days people used to care if the band actually rocked. Do you think this would affect further development of the metal music? Whether it will deteriorate in quality as the image is preferred over the music?

David: Music is about a lot more than just the notes, it's about a lifestyle. I remember watching KORN, when they came out, and we took them on their first big tour. Their whole look, their style and their hair, they sang songs for an entire generation that related to it. So it's about a lot more than just the music. It's like identifying when you go to see the band play. It's more about the scene and a movement now rather than it was in the old days when I was going to see KISS or then RUSH or VAN HALEN. They were all different bands, but there weren't 8 other bands just like them to be a part of the scene. That kind of started with thrash metal. It started with the "Big Four" and then OVERKILL and EXODUS. There was a bunch of us that started a scene and we all moved as a big tribe. And since then there were GUNS N' ROSES, there was a bunch of McCoys and their glam bands, punk bands: SUM 41, BLINK-182, GREEN DAY — they're all a part of the scene.

Music-Photocalypse.net: You're a legendary bass-player, basically an icon. Are there any secrets or magical tricks that you would share with a beginner?

David: You've got to practice — number one. It doesn't just happen. A lot of people, who want to be rock stars, have no idea how to go on being a successful rock musician — big difference. A lot of people who go to work every day wish they could be rock stars. Then they never have to work again and they can have all the champagne and all the girls that they ever wanted. Who wouldn't want that, right? That's the figure of being a rock star that people want. But a lot of people either won't know how to go on about it or are not disciplined enough, or they are just too lazy to go and get it. Being successful is about a lot more than just learning the parts; it's about a lot more than the notes. And I think that people who figured that out are the ones who actually get to have some success.

Read the entire interview at Music-Photocalypse.net.