David Ellefson, the former bassist of Megadeth, recently spoke about his departure from the band in an interview with Brazil’s Heavy Talk and compared himself to Megadeth’s frontman, Dave Mustaine. Ellefson stated that he has handled his own dismissal more maturely than Mustaine did with his departure from Metallica.
In the interview, Ellefson revealed that he was not given notice or an explanation for his dismissal, nor was he allowed to explain himself to the band because they wouldn’t hear it. David mentioned that people had dropped a bomb on him, and the band didn’t even consider the falseness of the claims. He said that he told them the allegations were false and that he would take care of it, but he wasn’t given a chance.
Despite the unfairness of the situation, Ellefson said the band didn’t have his back, and he had no choice but to move on. He then compared himself to Mustaine, saying that Mustaine is still hung up on his dismissal from Metallica and that it’s immature. Ellefson expressed that he is more mature than Mustaine in handling such situations.
Ellefson stated during the interview:
“I got one call: ‘You’re fired.’ And I said, ‘What the f*ck, man?’ I said, ‘Some sh*tty f*cking people just dropped a bomb on my house. And that’s it? It’s not even true. It’s f*cking bullsh*t. And this is how you treat me?’ It was non-negotiable. I mean, I asked. I said, ‘I’m gonna take care of it. Let me just deal with it. And it will f*cking be done. We’ll be ready to go on the road in two months, and everything will be fine.’ And it was. Because it was just false allegations and bullsh*t.
But Dave didn’t wanna know about it. I think he was getting pressure from some other people around him. And it’s too bad it went that way. Because it was really nothing. I took care of it. And then once the word came out that I was fired, then it turned into this big f*cking thing, which, quite honestly, was very damaging and very hurtful and not fair. I’m glad I don’t have that f*cking amends on my shoulder because that was f*cked up.”
Former Megadeth member continued:
“Look, I have no choice but to have to forgive it so I can move on. I really don’t. So I don’t know what more to say about it other than that. Look, at some point, the damage was done. So you move on. We’re all human, and it is what it is. You can’t lament it. I’ve watched how he’s treated his dismissal from Metallica, still b*tching about it 40 years later, and I think it looks f*cking pathetic. And it’s, like, ‘You know what? Fix your sh*t and move on.’ And that’s how I’ve chosen to deal with it: fix your sh*t and move on.”
Dave Mustaine was famously kicked out of Metallica in 1983 due to his drug abuse issues. On May 24, 2021, Mustaine announced on behalf of Megadeth that they had parted ways with Ellefson following allegations of sexual misconduct with an underage fan. Ellefson denied any wrongdoing, and the other party involved also denied being underage, claiming explicit videos were released without her consent. It seems like both situations resemble each other in terms of both of them being fired abruptly, but according to Ellefson, unlike Dave Mustaine, he moved on.
