In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine talked about how he moved on from the lawsuit and the sex scandal surrounding former bandmate David Ellefson.
Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson didn’t always see eye to eye during the years they worked together. There was always some feud between them, including the 2004 lawsuit against Mustaine claiming he owed millions of dollars to the band members regarding royalties.
Although the case was dismissed, the turmoil between them did not end there. After years passed without a problem among band members, Ellefson’s sex scandal broke out, and it was the last straw that pushed Mustaine over the edge to fire Ellefson from the band.
When recently asked about his decision to fire Ellefson from the band, he said it was difficult to make as the band leader. He added that he intended to make a smooth transition for everyone. Speaking about Ellefson’s lawsuit against him, Mustaine said he forgave him for that and the sex scandal. He finally said he wanted to move on from the situation and hoped Ellefson was doing well.
The Megadeth frontman shared his thoughts on David Ellefson as the following:
“I want to give you what you need, so I think if I can answer this real quick, we can move on. Let me say this; it was a hard decision that had to be made. There were many people involved, and I had to decide because, unfortunately, when you’re the leader, you have 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.”
He added:
“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. It was hard for me when I lost my job. But I’ve forgiven him before when he sued me, and I’ll forgive him a thousand times. I won’t play music with him anymore.”
The scandal erupted while recording their latest album, ‘The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!.’ Megadeth had to re-record the studio album with Steve Di Giorgio of Testament. They’ve just wrapped up their ‘The Metal Tour Of The Year’ across the US, which they co-headlined with, Lamb Of God, Trivium, and In Flames. David Ellefson also has moved on from Megadeth and formed his new band, The Lucid.
