Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has discussed the feelings within the group following frontman Dave Mustaine’s revelation that he’s battling throat cancer.
Yesterday, the world of music was undoubtedly shocked to learn that Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine had been diagnosed with throat cancer.
“It’s clearly something to be respected and faced head on – but I’ve faced obstacles before,” the rocker revealed. “I’m working closely with my doctors, and we’ve mapped out a treatment plan which they feel has a 90% success rate. Treatment has already begun.”
While this news was undoubtedly troubling, Megadeth also announced that they had cancelled almost all touring plans for the near future, but assured fans they were still “working on the follow up to Dystopia – which I can’t wait for everyone to hear.”
Now, in a new interview with The Classic Metal Show, bassist David Ellefson has described the current mood in the band, explaining how both Mustaine and the rest of Megadeth were dealing with the news.
Check out David Ellefson’s interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-7gTQvpVt0
“We were bracing for the bomb today, knowing that we had to get an announcement out,” Ellefson began. “Thoughts and prayers are always welcome.
“Dave has begun treatment, so things are moving forward with that. It just became a reality where it was, like, ‘Look, in order to do this treatment properly, follow the doctor’s orders, Dave can’t be undergoing treatment for cancer and out playing big rock concerts.’
“So we had to say, ‘We’ve got to just stop. We’ve got to clear the decks and put this as the number one priority,’ which is what the announcement was today – just addressing it and giving everybody a heads up that some shows are going to have to go away until this all gets worked out.”
Despite this, David Ellefson noted that both he and Mustaine are feeling positive about the future, with current treatments giving everyone a good outlook.
“Dave and I have been through our share of the shitshow,” Ellefson noted. “Ups and downs, drug addictions, breakups and makeups and everything else in between. This is another one.
“We’re optimistic about the treatments and the success rate is usually pretty good on this one, so I think there’s a lot of optimism at the end of this whole thing.”
While it remains to be seen how Mustaine’s diagnosis will indeed effect the arrival of Megadeth’s forthcoming record, most fans are undoubtedly hoping that the rocker decided to put himself first, ensuring his own health takes priority over any music we’ll hear in the future.
Check out Megadeth’s ‘The Threat Is Real’:
