DAVID ELLEFSON On His Most Recent MEGADETH Stint: 'I Feel Like There's Just A Lot That I Never Got To Say'

In a new interview with "Disturbing The Priest", the heavy metal-themed podcast run by comedian Brandon Battick, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about how he has managed to focus on new projects and move on with his career since his exit from the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit nearly three years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I've had just overwhelming, really unanimous support for that, just going, 'Man, keep going, brother. 'Because, look, it's rock and roll. I was in one of these tumultuous, certainly very storied bands for most of my career. How could you expect it to be anything else? It's like being in the SEX PISTOLS. So, the reality of it is now it comes this time of division.

"I was here before 20 years ago when the band when [MEGADETH] was disbanded and I had F5 and some things that I was working on. But it wasn't my time yet to really kind of be out on my own I feel like now it is. I went back to MEGADETH, obviously, for 11 years, [and] a lot of great stuff [happened], including that Grammy win, but I feel like there's just a lot that I never got to say. And it's fine — look, groups are what groups are; you go along to get along — but I feel like now is moments in time. I've written a lot of music. I've partnered with a lot of different people — Jeff Scott Soto, the DIETH guys, me and [former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff Young are back together working on stuff, [ex-MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Poland — so there's not only the brotherhood of the past family tree, but there's now new forks and branches to extending and widening that family tree into some other stuff."

He continued: "For me, it's always just, first of all, do I like the people and do I like the music? That's always the first thing. It's kind of back to that, when we all got started in this. Remember when we all thought, 'God, wouldn't it be great to be in a band? We'll take on the world. We'll all be best friends.' And then you get into — if you work in radio, it's the same for you — you get into the business of music and you realize, yeah, it's not about that at all. This is a job and do your job to get your check. And playing the bass and being in a band is the same thing, man. It's like, do your job, make the biscuits. And I hate that mindset. I've never used that dirty four-letter word called 'work' in this. I use the other one — 'play' — you know, 'Let's go play music.' Me and Jeff Young were just on the phone this morning talking about some stuff, and we get each other excited. It's like, yeah, man, we didn't pick up our guitars to have to fucking go to the factory and go to work. We picked up our guitars to do this — get up with our friends and sit here and talk about music all day. Let's do that. That's more fun."

In February 2024, Ellefson will embark on his inaugural "Bass Warrior Tour". Accompanying him on the European trek is Italian guitarist and musical director Andy Martongelli, a longtime friend and collaborator who has been by Ellefson's side during his solo ventures, "Basstory", ELLEFSON-SOTO and ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE tours across Europe. On drums will be Roberto Pirami (Michael Angelo Batio, Rowan Robertson, Gus G.),on vocals Titta Tani (EHFAR, ex-drummer of Claudio Simonetti's GOBLIN),and on rhythm guitar Walter Cianciusi (Geoff Tate band).

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

Shortly before Ellefson was dismissed from MEGADETH, he released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders.

Dave Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — released a statement on May 24, 2021 announcing the bassist's departure from the band. In the statement, Dave said: "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward."

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman 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.