Credit: Ralph Arvesen

David Ellefson opens up about Megadeth sex scandal: “We all come into the world with our birthday suit on”

Tue 2 January 2024 19:12, UK

Back in 2021, Megadeth’s frontman and founder, Dave Mustaine, confirmed that former bassists David Ellefson – who was relieved of his duties with the band following an unfurling masturbation scandal – would never appear in the band again.

Ellefson was fired from the band after online grooming allegations surfaced. Initially, the band stood by the bassist awaiting further evidence as Ellefson first cited that there was nothing untoward about his actions and that he had been manipulated.

Ellefson subsequently filed revenge-porn charges, claiming that he had sent videos of himself masturbating to a female fan with whom he had embarked in an online affair with, and that she had leaked the videos online without his consent.

Since then, the issue has been resolved and the bassist has had time to reflect on it. “There’s two sides to it,” he explained to Metal Hammer. “One: when you bare it all, you’ve got nothing to hide. Fuck it, now you can truly be yourself!”

He continued: “We all come into the world with our birthday suit on, so what are we ashamed of? What I feel the worst about is the embarrassment that it caused some people, like my family, who didn’t deserve it. Out of respect for them, I’m going to keep the family dynamic off the table [during interviews]. That’s at their request.”

Despite all this, he continues to tour in a solo capacity. Regarding his recent Bass Warrior Tour, he adds: “I’ve approached my career as that of a musical warrior, always accompanied by my bass guitar. I eagerly anticipate bringing these songs back to the stage, while sharing introspective and entertaining anecdotes about their creation.

Ellefson concludes: “It’s been a wild ride of low notes and high stakes!”