Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: “I’ll Forgive [David Ellefson] a Thousand Times…I Just Won’t Play Music With Him Anymore”

Last year, bassist David Ellefson was fired from thrash legends Megadeth due to a sex scandal emerging online. A series of lascivious conversations between Ellefson and a woman who isn’t his wife were released, along with a video of him masturbating (accusations that this woman was underage were quickly proven false — Ellefson’s actions may have been inappropriate, but they were not illegal).

Now, in a new interview, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has said that while he’ll forgive Ellefson for his transgressions, he will not be playing with him again.

Speaking to Metal Hammer, Mustaine said the following of parting ways with Ellefson:

“Let me just say this — it was a hard decision that had to be made. 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.

“I’ve forgiven him before [in 2004] when he sued me and I’lll forgive him a thousand times. I just won’t play music with him anymore.”

I’m firmly of two minds about Ellefson’s firing. On the one hand, as a guy running a business, Mustaine probably wants to keep things as low-drama as possible, so of course he fired Ellefson after this. More so, maybe Dave is really good friends with Ellefson’s wife and family, and is angry about what he did.

On the other hand, Ellefson is not a youth pastor or children’s TV show host, he’s a bassist in a thrash metal band, and given how famous Mustaine is for shaking up his line-up at the drop of a hat, this felt more like Mustaine shrugging off a musician with whom he’s had past drama than making a tough decision. At the end of the day, I don’t think Ellefson really deserved to get fired.

Anyway, Megadeth’s new album The Sick, The Dying…And The Dead! drops September 2nd, and is available for pre-save and pre-order.