JEFF YOUNG Blasts 'Douchebag' DAVE MUSTAINE Over Comments About Ex-MEGADETH Members Never 'Amounting To Anything'

Jeff Young has blasted Dave Mustaine over his recent comments about ex-MEGADETH members not ever amounting to anything during their time away from the band.

In a recent interview with Oran O'Beirne of Bloodstock TV, Mustaine reflected on MEGADETH's special performance five months ago when he and his bandmates were joined by ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman during the group's first-ever gig at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan. He said in part: "Marty has made quite a name for himself on his own since [he left MEGADETH]. Of all of the ex-bandmembers of MEGADETH, Marty seems to be the only one that's ever amounted to anything. No offense to the other guys — that's how the facts are. If you look at their sales and stuff, Marty's the only one that's ever done anything significant."

Young, who was recruited for MEGADETH in 1987 before exiting the band just two years later in 1989, addressed Mustaine's comments in a new interview with Disturbing The Priest. Speaking specifically about Dave's claim that no ex-MEGADETH member other than Marty has ever done "anything significant," the guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm just, like, what about that little Number One Brazilian world music album I did over here, douchebag?

"It just promotes… And that's [Mustaine's] whole mission — just to promote disinformation, and disinfo and lie," Young added. "And the funny thing is he aims that song 'Liar' [from MEGADETH's 1988 album 'So Far, So Good... So What!', supposedly written about former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland] at other people, and he needs to look in the mirror, man. Because the stuff you say and the songs you write you're writing about yourself."

This past March, KINGS OF THRASH, the new band featuring Young and another former MEGADETH member, David Ellefson (bass),  released a live CD/DVD package called "Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go" via Cleopatra Records. The 17-song set, featuring performances of MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!", was recorded and filmed live at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 15, 2022 and includes an appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).

Asked in an interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com if he and Ellefson had received any feedback from Mustaine about their new band or their recent live shows, Young said: "We haven't, nor would we care or concern ourselves with any of that. It's a win-win for all of us, including [Mustaine], 'cause on this KINGS OF THRASH 'Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go', who's getting the publishing on every one of those tunes? Not me or David Ellefson or any of the [other members of] KINGS OF THRASH. So [Mustaine is] making the money."

When Gaudiosi noted that MEGADETH largely ignores material from the first three albums at its live concerts these days, Jeff said: "They don't play those songs because they can't play those songs; [Mustaine] can't play 'em or sing 'em. I'm not being a dick. It's just a fact. He can barely play and sing the stuff that they're doing, the same ten songs every night."

Jeff's comments were similar to those he made last year when he told Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series, Young that he and Ellefson were "really not concerned" about Mustaine's reaction to KINGS OF THRASH. "I don't pay attention," he said. "I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

Dave Mustaine photo credit: Gibson