Sad news: Another Megadeth member announces his departure….
This isn’t an easy article to write, but given how big of a Megadeth fan I am, I thought it would be insincere to skip this topic that has dominated almost all heavy metal outlets these past few weeks. David Ellefson is no longer in Megadeth. His second stint, which had begun in 2010, has recently ended due to some private videos leaking to the public. A member change in Megadeth isn’t shocking news anymore, but David is no ordinary member. He’s a co-founder and has been the longest-running member besides Dave Mustaine himself. While those two statuses won’t change, he is indeed no longer in the band.
Before you get deeper into the article, please understand this. This is not an anti-Ellefson or anti-Megadeth piece. Unfortunately, too many people on social media can’t help their tribal instincts and end up being too strongly aligned with one party or another. As in any unfortunate situation, there are many complexities to consider here. I’m going to explore those. I will analyze the situation and argue why Megadeth had no choice, but to come to this conclusion. At times, you may disagree with me. That’s fine. But you will hopefully understand — if you read the full article — that I’m trying to take a breath and approach this as objectively as possible, something that is sorely lacking in too many reports these days.
On May 10th, as I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw one post from David Ellefson that I didn’t quite understand at first. I thought maybe I had misread something. I ended up reading the same statement a few times just to make sure. Ellefson acknowledged the leaking of private videos and other adult communications with a 19-year-old girl in the post. He also shared a statement from her. Her message and Ellefson’s comments denied one critical thing: he had “groomed” her. She said she was a consenting adult, all interactions took place online, and there was no grooming. It turned out that her boyfriend had found out about David’s texts and videos on her phone and posted them online from his own account. (Note: Ellefson is looking into filing charges against him.)
Megadeth released a statement on the same day acknowledging that they were aware of the leaks, and they looked “forward to the truth coming to light.” A few days later, Ellefson deleted his social media account, which many considered an early sign that he was out of the band, although there was no indication yet. Keep in mind, at that point, he was getting so many comments that it is understandable he didn’t want to deal with them on top of everything else.
The final announcement came two weeks later, on May 24th. Ellefson was not going to be in Megadeth anymore. There are a couple of things that I picked up on here. One, this announcement, unlike the first one, was signed by Dave Mustaine as well as Megadeth. In other words, they made sure it was understood this was mainly coming from Mustaine. Two, the announcement talked about a “strained relationship,” which implied that there was more to it than the fans were privy to. I will explore both of these areas, along with others, in this article.
This is an article that touches upon some socially-sensitive areas, too. Therefore, I will try to be as open as possible about where I’m coming from. I’ll say what I overall think here: I think the band made the right call by parting ways with David Ellefson. As a fan and someone who admires Ellefson as a musician, it’s not easy for me to write this. But I will explain why I think this way. Again, please remember that it’s okay if you disagree with me. But I hope you will carefully read what I write here before you come to a conclusion.
The best way to approach a loaded topic like this is to group some of the arguments I’ve seen online and then comment on them. That way, you can catch up on what the online discussion so far has focused on, and you can easily see where I stand on each of them.
“Ellefson didn’t do anything illegal. Therefore, he shouldn’t have been fired.”
A lot of people approached Megadeth’s decision with this comment. This is an odd argument, because no one has claimed what Ellefson did was illegal. Not a single person. The argument here is not a legal one. If anything, it’s a moral one and a business one. The band statement talked about a “strained relationship,” not about broken laws. You are free to agree or disagree with Megadeth. But your decision should not be based on “legality” when no one is making claims against it anyway. So, please stop bringing that up as part of this debate.
It is a moral one, because we should first address the elephant in the room. An almost 60-year-old man who is a bass player in a world-renowned heavy-metal band and a 19-year-old girl described as a “fan” is a clear example of a vast age difference and a significant imbalance in power dynamics. A man who knows that this young person is a fan and incredibly young should not engage in sexual encounters, even if they only take place online. Look, David Ellefson is known in the industry as a nice person. I believe that. One big mistake should not erase all the good deeds, nor should it prevent future ones. But every time I read a Megadeth fan say, “This is no big deal,” I feel so disappointed. It is a big deal, and it’s not okay. If we can’t bring ourselves to say that, we as a society won’t really make any progress on sensitive issues like this. And just like we can’t ignore this aspect of the ordeal, Megadeth couldn’t either!
Along with a moral decision, his dismissal from the band was also a business decision. Of course, since Mustaine isn’t well-liked by most people commenting online, many people associated this with “greed” or made it about “loyalty.” Weirdly, many people choose to ignore the “business” aspect of the music business. If you’ve got a brand that you’ve worked so hard to grow for more than three decades, you will, of course, want to protect it! It’s clear to me so many don’t get that. Mustaine doesn’t want his band to be associated with Ellefson’s recent actions. If he were still in the band, this whole thing would have followed them all the time. With a new album on the horizon and new tours booked, it is natural that Mustaine & Co. wanted the focus to be on those things. As long as David was in the band, the focus was never going to be on the music! If you can’t see that, then you probably were never put in a position to manage a business.
And yes, Megadeth is a business, just like all of your other favorite bands. We all love the art — and that’s the most important aspect — but you can’t ignore the business decisions they still have to make. They may not always make the right call, and we are always free to express our opinions, but they have to think about how they can keep their band alive and thriving to keep making an income. That’s business right there! And there’s nothing wrong with it.
And lastly, Megadeth has two other members who are full-time members in the band and Megadeth thriving means they get to keep doing their jobs as well. Those are Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren. Let’s not forget that they also deserve to promote the new album, with their playing on it, without having to focus on the recent topics.
“Mustaine made mistakes too. How come he’s not punished?”
“Mustaine has not faced any consequences from his actions. It’s unfair.”
These are more reasonable comments, as some of Mustaine’s controversies are rather well-publicized. So, people can’t help but think this way. However, the comparisons they’re drawing are not apples to apples.
Let’s dig deeper here, shall we?
First of all, as much as Mustaine has said and done some embarrassing things, he’s never been caught constantly texting a girl decades younger than him and masturbating on video in real-time. Let’s not conflate the nature of the controversies. So, at the very least, let’s stop with the “whataboutism,” because there isn’t any. Mustaine’s controversies are not comparable with what Ellefson did. If you have proof to the contrary, then bring it up. If not, your “comparison” is not a comparison at all.
Second, even though Mustaine’s controversies are not the same as this recent one from Ellefson, it is indisputably wrong to suggest that Dave Mustaine has never faced any consequences from his actions. Some people online actually implied that! Are you kidding me? He was fired from Metallica due to his own actions, a decision that still haunts him to this day! Some of his former band members quit, because of his impulsive comments and actions. While I don’t know exactly, based on the comments from his peers (musicians in bands of the same era), he doesn’t seem well-liked. Some of that is due to personal clashes that can happen to any musician, but a big part of the reason is the public comments he’d make time and again about those people and bands. Megadeth could have been a bigger band, but they lost some tours and momentum, because of his actions — especially in the early days. It soured the relationship among band members. He can be impulsive and cause others to deal with the negative commentary. These are only some consequences he faced and faces. The idea that he’s just been cruising along in his career without facing anything negative is hyperbole at best, an intentional lie at worst. We all have to live with our choices. The suggestion that Mustaine doesn’t is plain false.
And third, David and Dave’s statuses in the band were not the same. Ellefson was an employee of the band. Mustaine is the leader. Jeff Bezos can cause many controversies, but you can’t quickly fire him from Amazon, even if he’s the instigator. It would take something massive for that to happen. If you’re thinking Amazon is too giant and a bad example, well, pick any company! An employee will be subject to different standards. You can hate the dynamics, but the “founder/boss vs. employee” relationship is everywhere. You have some bands like Rush, where everything was equal, but for many others, it’s all about what contract you agreed to when you joined. This dynamic is certainly a part of Megadeth, too. When David Ellefson returned to Megadeth, he returned as an employee, not as a “co-founder.” He talks openly about that in his books. I know it’s hard for some fans to accept that, but when a co-founder leaves and comes back years later, they can’t expect the same deal as before. This is not unique to Megadeth. Look around… Testament, Slayer, Anthrax, etc., all deal with similar issues when an old band member comes back years later. Ellefson knew the arrangements of the new contract, and he accepted them when he came on board in 2010.
All in all, neither of these arguments holds water. You don’t have to agree with Megadeth’s decision. You shouldn’t, however, draw “comparisons” that are not there.
“This is cancel culture. They canceled David Ellefson.”
I’m not gonna bother delving too much into this, because the “cancel culture” debate is a somewhat political one, and this site is about heavy metal and hard rock. However, this comment keeps coming up, so I can’t ignore it either.
