Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson comments on his dismissal from Dave Mustaine's band and discusses his approach to dealing with adversity.
David Ellefson has pondered on his expulsion from Megadeth and shared his perspective on dealing with adverse events.
The former Megadeth bassist was forced to leave the band in 2021 following the release of personal films of him self-gratifying and exchanging explicit texts with a fan. Although the incident resulted in his dismissal from the thrash titans, the band he co-founded with lead singer Dave Mustaine, Ellefson recounts how he has found the positives amid a difficult and trying time.
The musician tells Real Music With Gary Stuckey (as reported by Blabbermouth): "When the sh*t hits the fan, you find out who your friends are and who your friends aren't pretty f*cking quickly."
He continues, "Life is... You are never consistently on top. Your life and your career both experience ebbs and flows. I've had the wonderful fortune to be a professional musician, and I've had to deal with the ups and downs of the good, bad, and otherwise, sometimes from inside and sometimes from without.
Ellefson recalls instances in his career in which he endured comparable adversity: "In the early 1990s, just when we thought everything was going great, Seattle music appeared.
"No one anticipated that. Therefore, there are numerous internal and external factors at play, and I believe the key is to be galvanized in order to weather the storms and continue to rock."
Adding to his explanation of his attitude to working in the music industry, he says, "The reality is that the reward of the music, being on stage, success, being able to live well, and the ability to make a living are all elements.
"You cannot rely just on one or two factors, especially if you are in the music 'industry'." If it were always about having fun, then a large number of people would work while having fun. But when you're in it to win it and music is your career, you must put on your big-boy trousers and accept that not everything will go your way.
He said he believes that the most difficult thing is learning how to compromise and determining which fights you want to win and which hill you are willing to die on.
He added that frequently, the most of them appear to be mountains but are actually mole hills; they're not that significant. And perhaps that is due to his upbringing in the Midwest, where he earnt to be a little more 'go with the flow' with such matters.
