Dave Ellefson revealed that he hasn't spoken to Dave Mustaine since he was booted from Megadeth in 2021.
"No, absolutely not," the bassist told Metal Voice during an interview at the NAMM convention in Anaheim last month. "No, he has not reached out."
'No, he has not reached out,' the bassist said.
Ellefson also spoke about what he misses from his long tenure with the iconic thrash metal act.
"It's my band too. I helped start it," he said. "But let me be clear. There are things about it, of course, that I miss – the fans, the performances, the shows."
The bassist noted that he was in his element when out on tour with Mustaine and the rest of the band.
"I'm a road warrior, man. I'm a wanderlust guy," he said. "My fortune in life is out there, not just sitting at home. I've tried that, and I get bored after about a month. I'm a shitty golfer and I can't surf worth a damn, so I may as well stay on the road and play."
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Ellefson also reflected on Megadeth's rise to prominence.
"Megadeth was not always a big gig," he said. "We started where everybody else starts. It was small gigs. So I've known it from the bottom to the top and everything in between."
Although the bassist isn't happy about the way things went down with Megadeth, he still has a positive outlook on life.
"Honestly, as the tides turn and as things go, I'm super happy and very content with everything I'm doing now," he said. "I always say I'm making music I like with people I like. To me, now, at my age, at this point, I've already got the Grammy, I'm good. Those are the things that are more important to me now at this point in my life, is enjoying what I do and who I do it with."
The bassist is currently part of a hard rock band called The Lucid, which has put out two releases since it formed in 2020. Their EP Saddle Up and Ride came out last January.
Ellefson is also a member of the death metal band Dieth, which also has two releases under its belt. The band's latest album To Hell And Back came out last June.
Mustaine fired Ellefson in 2021 in the wake of a sex scandal.
Ellefson was booted from Megadeth in the wake of a sex scandal.
He landed in hot water after it was revealed that he had an online sexual relationship with a Dutch teenager. She recorded videos of Ellefson masturbating in front of her via video chat which were eventually leaked on social media.
At the time, there were allegations that this person was underage. Ellefson claimed the teen was 19 and that the videos were taken without his consent in a police report filed with police in Arizona in May 2021.
The bassist also denied allegations that he "groomed" the person, Blabbermouth reported.
Ellefson said he misses touring with Megadeth but is content with his current situation.
Ellefson spoke about how Mustaine reacted to the situation during an interview with Metal Hammer last year.
"Dave, his manager and his lawyer [called me after the scandal]," the bassist said. "There was a sentiment from one of them saying, 'Let’s step back, let Ellefson deal with it. It leaves the door open for him to come back.' Dave didn’t want that. He made his decision and it is what it is."
He also reflected on the consequences of his actions.
"What I feel the worst about is the embarrassment that it caused some people, like my family, who didn’t deserve it," Ellefson said. "Out of respect for them, I’m going to keep the family dynamic off the table [during interviews]. That’s at their request."
