Ex-MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON Becomes A 'Baron Of Sealand'

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson says that he was recently given the title of baron by Sealand — described as the smallest independent state in the world.

Sealand is a WWII defense platform off the coast of Britain, consisting of a large steel deck sitting atop two concrete towers. It was seized and proclaimed a nation by a pirate broadcaster named Roy Bates in 1967. His grandson Liam Bates currently holds the title of Prince Of Sealand.

To fund Sealand's operational costs — including two full-time security personnel who live on the micronation year-round — Sealand's online store sells t-shirts, stamps and royal titles. A lord, lady, baron or baroness peerage costs $44.99. To receive the title of sir or dame, you will need to cough up $129.99.

Ellefson discussed his Sealand lordship in a new interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live! he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Drew [Fortier, musician, filmmaker and actor], one day we were talking, and I was talking about castles across Europe. And he said, 'Dude, you can go to Sealand' — look it up online — 'you can buy like a square foot of land of Sealand.' So I became a lord, 'cause that's what a landowner is, is a lord. And then I upgraded to becoming a baron. And then I even paid another couple of hundred bucks and became a sir. So now I'm Sir Lord Baron David Ellefson, the royal and noble title of the royal family. So I [paid] a few hundred bucks and became a sir as opposed to Paul McCartney and Elton John; they have to pay — I don't know — a million pounds to the Queen or something to become a sir. So you can refer to me now as award-winning [film] producer Sir David Ellefson."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year 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 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.

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis nearly a decade ago.