MUSTAINE Says ELLEFSON Has 'Turned Into Quite A Man' In The Last Eight Years

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was interviewed on a recent edition of "The Moshpit with Mike Z" show, which airs on the Redlands, California radio station KCAL 96.7 Rocks! The chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.

When asked about MEGADETH's reunion with its original bass player, David Ellefson, Mustaine said, "When we [first got back together in February], we didn't know if it was gonna be permanent, we didn't know if it was gonna be something we were gonna do just for a little while or something that was gonna be long-term, so we agreed to take it one day at a time, basically. And then when David had came and played for a little while, he just realized, like we all did, that this is meant to be.

"Dave's a really solid guy, he's got a lot of great things... Believe this or not, Dave's been able to give me some really, really great wisdom. In the last eight years, he's just turned into a totally different guy. I mean, he's always been my ambassador, but I'm talking about maturity in a way that it's beyond my comprehension, 'cause when we left last time, we were both basically two dumb kids that just grew old next to each other, and now, getting to know him again, it's like, 'Man, you've really turned into quite a man.' His bass playing, I told him the other day, I said, 'You know what? I don't know what you've been doing, man, but you're so much better than you were when we parted.' I said, 'You have been woodshedding for eight years, haven't you?' And he kind of laughed and giggled a little bit. 'Cause I think in the back of our minds, when we're doing all that extra work trying to make ourselves better, we secretly want someone to notice and we secretly want someone to say... we want you to like us and see the effort that we made and see how much better we've gotten. Man, he did. He really, really did.

"As great as [former MEGADETH bassist] James Lomenzo is, and as great as [former MEGADETH bassist] James MacDonough is, it's just like running through the snow — you can get really close to those original footsteps, but you're gonna be a little bit off no matter how hard you try. And these guys were all champions at playing bass — I don't play with slacks. These guys, none of them have ever been slackers when it comes down to their playing. But there's a difference in David Ellefson, because he's cut from the same cloth I am. I met him, he was just a kid, and he grew up under my wing. I fought a guy for him that had tried to assault him and I took great pleasure in beating the hell out of him. I've always been there as a big brother for him."

MEGADETH kicked off its "Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour" on March 1 at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, Washington.

Photos of the band's performance can be found at Live 'N Loud Magazine (all pictures by Joseph R. Scozzari).

MEGADETH recently commenced filming a video for the song "The Right To Go Insane" in South El Monte, California. The track comes off MEGADETH's latest album, "Endgame", which was recorded at Vic's Garage, the band's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California. The CD was helmed by < Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).

Dave Mustaine interviewed on "The Moshpit with Mike Z" show (click on player below to launch audio):