Megadeth rocker Dave Mustaine has revealed that he won’t play music with David Ellefson anymore following the firing of the bassist over a year ago.
David Ellefson was removed from the lineup last year after a video surfaced online of him engaging in an inappropriate sexual encounter with a young woman. James LoMenzo was confirmed as his replacement earlier this year, and Ellefson hailed the musician as “one of those just really amazing talented players.”
Speaking to MetalHammer, Mustaine reflected on the drama, saying, “I have made mistakes myself and so I know what it feels like to have people gunning for you. But what we had to remember is that Megadeth has a lot of moving parts to it. There are four band members; you’ve got their families, their management companies, the agencies, all of their technicians and on and on and on.
“I can tell you I’ve made decisions in the past that were detrimental to the security of the band and I know what harm that caused,” he continued. “But I don’t want to be saying anything about anyone who is unable to defend themselves.”
“God, it’s so hard to tap-dance around this…
Mustaine added, “Let me just say this — it was a hard decision that had to be made,” Mustaine added. “There were a lot of people involved and I had to make a decision, because unfortunately, when you’re the leader, you’re the one that has to suck it up and face the music.
“All I wanted to do was make a clean break, and not hurt anyone, not hurt the fans and not hurt him. I just wanted to move on, and I hope the gentleman concerned is doing okay. I imagine there was some adjustment that had to take place when it happened.
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“It was hard for me when I lost my job,” Mustaine said, apparently referring to getting kicked out of Metallica in 1983. “But I’ve forgiven him before when he sued me and I’ll forgive him a thousand times. I just won’t play music with him anymore.”
