During a recent interview with The Metal Voice at the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, David Ellefson, the former bassist of MEGADETH, was asked if band’s leader Dave Mustaine reached out to him following his departure from the band in 2021.
“No. No, absolutely not. No, he has not reached out,” Ellefson responded.
Regarding whether he misses being part of MEGADETH, David said: “Of course. I mean, look, it’s my band too. I helped start it. But let me be clear. There are things about it, of course, that I miss — the fans, the performances, the shows. And I enjoy the touring.
He continued:”I’m a road warrior, man. I’m a wanderlust guy. My fortune in life is out there, not just sitting at home. I’ve tried that, and I get bored after about a month. I’m a sh*tty golfer and I can’t surf worth a damn, so I may as well stay on the road and play. Look, of course, there’s things about that and the big gig and everything, but MEGADETH was not always a big gig. We started where everybody else starts; it was small gigs. So I’ve known it from the bottom to the top and everything in between.
“But, honestly, as the tides turn and as things go, I’m super happy and very content with everything I’m doing now. I always say I’m making music I like with people I like. To me, now, at my age, at this point, I’ve already got the Grammy, I’m good. Those are the things that are more important to me now at this point in my life, is enjoying what I do and who I do it with.”
Ellefson was fired from the group in May 2021 after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the 57-year-old musician leaked.
Ellefson previously said on Loaded Radio podcast that we would be willing to rejoin MEGADETH if they approached him in the future.
“Well, look, I’m not the one who closed the door. [Laughs] You know what I mean,” he said. “Dave‘s always gonna be my brother, man. And it’s funny, when I think about Dave — I’m just walking around the house, I’m thinking about some moment in our friendship and our history together — they’re usually fond memories.
“And look, brothers fight, brothers hug and make up, and that’s the journey. As a musical gig, it’s, like, oh, well, set that off. That’s off the palette now. Clearly I’ve moved on with other things that you can see I really enjoy. So… whatever.
“I’ve talked to other friends of mine about this who have had bands, and they’re in other bands where members have come and gone and whatever, and especially when you’re a principal, key member and a founding member and all these different things, you have a deferent kinship to your fans,” Ellefson continued. “I always say this: when you make a record, you’re making it for you. But when you put that record out, that record is for your audience. And at that point, it now becomes bigger than you; it becomes bigger than the four or five or three of you, whatever are in the band — it’s bigger than you now. And those songs are gonna outlive us. And everything about that legacy and the stories we just talked about here are now in infamy; they’re gonna last forever.
“So, for me, you’re part of a family. And look, should there ever be a family reunion? Hey, of course, I’ll always take the call,” Ellefson added. “But with that said, I’m not sitting around waiting for a MEGADETH reunion. Let’s just put it that way. I’m very forward focused right now and I’m very laser focused on what’s ahead.”
