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Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with returning MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Have rehearsals with Dave [Mustaine] been kind of like getting back on a bike, or has it been a relearning process for the two of you?
Ellefson: No, it's been really good. It's been like, "Wow, it sounds great," especially with this "Rust in Peace" stuff. There's songs on there that I've never played live and I'm sure Dave has never played either. No one's going to have it sound-wise unless you were in the studio recording it. It's a very musically challenging record. We wrote it, demoed it, recorded it and re-recorded over a year and a half. With some records, it's just better if you were in the studio recording it, and this is one of those records.
San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" put MEGADETH on the map, but a lot of people would say "Rust in Peace" is a more raw, crunching and polished record that put the band at a new level. How do you feel about playing it all 20 years later?
Ellefson: Yeah, I would probably agree with that. "Rust in Peace" was a culmination of things. A new lineup at that time, new management, a whole new commitment from Capitol Records. You know, everything just kind of comes in cycles, whether it's fashion trends or even like these big festivals with the "Big Four" [METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX]. This year is really cool for that. Next year, something else may be pretty popular. It kind of landed in our laps without any one of us purposely orchestrating it (laughs), which is pretty much the MEGADETH way.
San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: I was going to ask you about the "Big Four" a little later, but since you've touched on it — you're all American bands playing together for the first time this summer overseas. How significant is it for you to be a part of that, and will it ever happen in the States?
Ellefson: It's funny, I think everyone would love for it to come to the States. But the spirit of festivals in Europe is a lot different than America. Here you have packaged tours and go out on the road, whereas in Europe, they're one-off events that are tailored to the culture of that particular country. They take great pride in their festivals over there. In a few countries, sometimes it's the only real chance they have to see a lot of these bands.
San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: I'll ask you the same question I asked Chris Broderick [MEGADETH guitarist] back in November. On a scale of 1-10, with one being "easiest," how difficult of a guy is Dave to work for?
Ellefson: (Chuckles) Well you know, Dave, on any given day he can be a 2, and on any day, he can be an 8 or 9. One thing I know about Dave — and this is why I've been able to work with him so many years — when he's difficult, it's because he's very focused and has a pretty good idea of the picture he envisions. So I'm able to sit back and go, "You know, his idea is pretty good." Some people move out of their comfort zones, and that's why they think Dave is difficult to work for. It's easy to take things pretty personally, but maybe you should take a few days to process things. And usually when you do, in hindsight, you'll realize he knew what he was doing.
San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Do you have any regrets, or anything you would change, about the evolution of MEGADETH?
Ellefson: You know... No. I mean, sure, if I look at the eyes of MEGADETH through a 45-year-old and looking at how I behaved as an 18, 19, 20-year-old, then yeah. But that's part of the growing process. The things I've been through with Dave have put us in a position of strength and to be better, maybe, than we would've been if we had continued together. It's added very many positive things and allowed us to go forward.
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