Color me surprised, but ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson said he would “take the call” if Megadeth were looking for a bassist and they reached out to him. His comments came during an interview with the Loaded Radio podcast.
“Well, look, I’m not the one who closed the door. [Laughs] You know what I mean.
“Dave’s [Mustaine, Megadeth leader] always gonna be my brother, man. And it’s funny, when I think about Dave — I’m just walking around the house, I’m thinking about some moment in our friendship and our history together — they’re usually fond memories. And look, brothers fight, brothers hug and make up, and that’s the journey. As a musical gig, it’s, like, oh, well, set that off. That’s off the palette now. Clearly I’ve moved on with other things that you can see I really enjoy. So… whatever.
“I’ve talked to other friends of mine about this who have had bands, and they’re in other bands where members have come and gone and whatever, and especially when you’re a principal, key member and a founding member and all these different things, you have a deferent kinship to your fans.
“I always say this: when you make a record, you’re making it for you. But when you put that record out, that record is for your audience. And at that point, it now becomes bigger than you; it becomes bigger than the four or five or three of you, whatever are in the band — it’s bigger than you now. And those songs are gonna outlive us. And everything about that legacy and the stories we just talked about here are now in infamy; they’re gonna last forever.
“So, for me, you’re part of a family. And look, should there ever be a family reunion? Hey, of course, I’ll always take the call. But with that said, I’m not sitting around waiting for a Megadeth reunion. Let’s just put it that way. I’m very forward focused right now and I’m very laser focused on what’s ahead.”
Ellefson was specifically asked if he’d consider returning to the band if asked. Remember, he was thrown out of the band over what amounts to a non-scandal. Both parties involved were consenting adults and the video was only released by a third party. Yes, he was being unfaithful to his wife, but that’s nothing particularly special in the music industry, no matter how super shitty it really is.
Still, the dude’s got Kings of Thrash, Dieth, and a bunch of other projects in the works, so he’s busy as hell without having to think about Megadeth. And given the complete radio silence Mustaine and his camp are giving the whole Ellefson situation, I’m pretty sure the call to rejoin won’t be coming any time soon.