During the “Remembering Ace Frehley” episode of The David Ellefson Show, former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson was asked by co-host Joshua Toomey whether the recent deaths of Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley had made him consider reaching out to Dave Mustaine, despite their lack of contact for nearly four and a half years.
Ellefson shared that someone had approached him after he performed at the Ozzy gig during Back To The Beginning in early July, saying, “Dude, let’s just get over it.”
Reflecting on his past dynamic with Mustaine, Ellefson explained (via Blabbermouth), “The problem with it is me Dave and I were always together as a band. We never just hung out just as buddies not in the band. It was always sort of angled with us being in the band together.”
He acknowledged Mustaine’s current direction: “Look, he’s got his own [incarnation of Megadeth], he’s got his own record, he’s got his new music. I’m not part of that. I think he made it really clear in his press statement, he doesn’t wanna play music with me again. And whether that was just a knee-jerk anger statement or it was true, I don’t know. But, look, I would take his call.”
When circling back to the original question, Ellefson admitted, “I don’t know. It didn’t feel like suddenly it was the moment to do [try to reach out to Dave]. But I don’t know. There is something to be said for that, because, look, none of us get out of here alive, as the saying goes. And our time is limited. There’s only so many miles on the road for all of us.”
He went on to add, “For sure it would be nice if things between me and Dave and me and Megadeth, as just an entity, didn’t end on a sour note.” According to Ellefson, the band’s farewell announcement sparked conversations about potential closure. “Which is why I said right away, I said, look, I would be open to [being part of] it, if for nothing else to just sort of close the circle, close the gap.” He emphasized that friendship isn’t a prerequisite: “It all ends with us, if not being best of friends, ’cause we don’t have to go there. But at least just sort of closing the gap and closing the circle.”
Ellefson drew a comparison to Kiss and their final shows in December 2023: “Would it have been appropriate for Ace to come out and play [with them one last time]? I mean, why not? But I think in Gene and Paul‘s mind, as a band guy myself, it’s, like, ‘Well, he’s not part of the band. He’s just not part of the act. He’s not part of the show. Where do we squeeze that in?’ Yet they certainly could have, if they wanted to.”
He made it clear that personal affection isn’t always necessary for a reunion: “I mean, let’s face it, when you go to the family reunion, you don’t go ’cause you like everybody. You’re, like, ‘Ah, Uncle Joe, Aunt Sally, oh God, these people. I gotta be around them again.’ You don’t go because it’s all fun and games. You go because at one point, those will be the last memories you have. And it is a bloodline.”
Referencing longstanding band tensions, Ellefson said, “You see [members of] The Eagles [feuding with each other], you see these guys, and it’s, like, how much hate can you have towards someone and just be that fucking miserable?” He continued, “And fans don’t wanna see it. They don’t wanna see it. I don’t wanna see it. I was sad when I would see Kiss arguing about stuff.”
He acknowledged that legal battles only made things worse: “Probably when Dave and I were in a lawsuit, ’cause we’re dissolving business matters and trying to get things settled properly, that was fair for both of us. And we had to walk through that process for that to happen. And it sucks, because it makes headlines, and those aren’t the headlines you want. And I don’t want those headlines with Dave. Those were not the headlines that I am ever proud of in my life. Now, I had to do it — I had to go through the process to have it land where it needed to, for business matters — but no one wants to see their heroes at war.”
In a recent interview with the Today’s Boondoggle podcast, Ellefson was asked if he would return to Megadeth if Mustaine invited him for the final tour. His response was candid: “Yeah, of course I would. I mean, I didn’t ever think I should not be there now. You know what I mean? [Laughs] So, now with that said, look, there’s some shit we’d have to kind of hash through.”
He recalled how simple their last reunion was in 2010: “We didn’t talk for — I don’t know — four or five years, three or four years, and then [Megadeth’s drummer at the time] Shawn Drover gets us both on the phone. It was, like, a two-minute conversation. I throw a bass in my car, I drive across the desert to San Diego, we plug in, play ‘Symphony Of Destruction’. It was like we just played yesterday. It sounded amazing. It immediately sounds like Megadeth. And it was kind of like we just looked at each other and it was, like, ‘Why did we not talk for the last five years?’ You know what I mean? It’s so silly.”
Ellefson believes outside forces often drove them apart: “It’s always some outside forces that pull [Dave and me] apart. It’s never really me and him. If it were up to me and him, we’d probably be playing together.” He added, “But there’s always outside influences and advisors and all this bullshit. And so the reality of it is, when Dave and I hang, it’s usually pretty chill. It really is.”
He concluded by acknowledging ownership of his legacy: “But, look, he’s got his own band now. I’m not in that band, and that’s his band, so I’m not here to go carving up his group, you know what I mean? But if, look, if he made the call, given it was a friendly environment, which I’m sure it would be, why wouldn’t I? You know what I mean? Megadeth was my band too. It’s my lifetime of work as well.”
