Dave Mustaine has reflected on his relationship with former bandmate David Ellefson, as well as his decision to fire him from Megadeth following the sex video scandal that saw the bass player hit headlines last year.
While speaking on a recent episode of SiriusXM's Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion, the Megadeth frontman explains (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): "I don't really talking about him anymore.
"I like telling the funny stories, but I really don't like talking about that part of things, because the guy that I know and love was a different person".
Discussing his decision to replace Ellefson's bass parts on Megadeth's forthcoming new album The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! by recruiting Testament's Steve DiGiorgio, he continues: "Making the change to Steve, we needed to do that; we needed to do that for so many reasons. On the outside looking in, there were a few people that were saying that I did the wrong thing, but I'm sorry — for my personal convictions, I just couldn't have that around us. And even if it wasn't true, I didn't want that in my life.
"When Steve came in, he was a wonderful breath of fresh air because he could play the parts [on the new Megadeth album]. And the parts that were on the record that were there… I did an interview recently and the girl says, 'Why did you change Dave's parts?' And I thought, 'You can't be that stupid. I have to change the parts.' I didn't say that to her, but I was thinking that."
"I think right now we're sitting on some of the best years ahead of us ever," he adds. "I feel great. I think I'm playing really well. My relationships with most of the people in my life are really doing good. And I think that the band's trajectory has just continued to go upward."
Former Megadeth bassist Ellefson was forced to leave the band in 2021 after intimate videos of him pleasuring himself and exchanging explicit messages with a fan were leaked online.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! will arrive on September 2 via UMe.
