David Ellefson, the former bassist of MEGADETH, has recently shed light on why he didn’t approach fellow Megadeth alum Marty Friedman to join his new band, KINGS OF THRASH.
In his explanation, Ellefson pointed out that when Friedman departed MEGADETH, he also distanced himself from the band entirely, free from any financial ties. Despite the friendship between Ellefson and Friedman, music or business-related discussions were not common between them. Adding to this, Friedman‘s residence in Japan, compared to the band’s base in Los Angeles, posed logistical complications.
“No, I didn’t call him, ’cause, look, when Marty quit, he just walked away. He washed his hands of MEGADETH,” Ellefson said during a recent appearance on HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta‘s podcast “The Jasta Show” I mean, he left his money on the table. He just didn’t turn back. It was not, like, ‘Hey, you f**kers better pay me.’ I mean, nothing. He just literally walked out the door. That was it. He was gone, and he just washed his hands of the whole thing. So, yeah, Marty and I are friends, and we never talk about MEGADETH — ever.”
He continued: “Marty and I, I asked him one time about playing something. And he’s kind of more my — he’s my buddy. We don’t really talk music that much. We kind of check in, ‘Hey, what’s happening? How’s [everything] in Japan?’ And we don’t really talk business… So I intentionally didn’t hit him because I didn’t think he’d be interested. Plus he lives in Japan, and one of the beauties of KINGS OF THRASH, essentially it’s based in L.A. and those guys, they’re even rehearsing now for when we go to Australia next week. I just walk in and plug and play.”
When Friedman was presented with the idea of MEGADETH‘s Rust In Peace lineup in 2015, money became a persuading factor for him to take part. He and drummer Nick Menza met with Mustaine and ex-bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim to talk about rejoining forces once again.
In Mustaine‘s latest book, Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece, Friedman candidly reveals why he declined the offer of a MEGADETH reunion for their iconic album, Rust In Peace.
“My main thing was I’d be happy to do it, but I’m not going to take less money than I’m already making to do it,” Marty said in part.
“I’d been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.
“Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go,” he said.
“”But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn’t seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn’t heard anything that they’ve done in a long time.
“I didn’t know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn’t like MEGADETH was on the tip of people’s tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan.”
