Tuesday
May252021
Welp, We Knew This Was Coming
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 01:50PM
As predicted, Dave Mustaine and Megadeth canned Dave Ellefson. This after allegations that the bass player was engaged in a sex scandal with an underage girl. Ellefson denies the grooming allegations.
So who will play bass in Megadeth now? Let the rumors begin! I think James LoMenzo would be great in the role (again!)
— Megadeth (@Megadeth) May 24, 2021
Reader Comments (7)
And I don't know about anyone else but I am ticked that Mustaine fired Ellefson over what Ellefson did on his time off. Whatever he did was his and his wife's business, and it has nothing to do with how well he can do his job. How pathetic to be fired over something like that. I feel bad that he was foolish enough to fall into the trap of a young girl who used him. Sad. Older guys (some of them) become brainless when some young T&A bats their eyes at them. That's really too bad. He got used and he is paying for it now.
Negative news can get beat to death until there is an action, even if that negative news is just a few people squeaking. I think of a scene in Games of Thrones where Ceresi is lead through the streets and the lady behind her just keeps yelling Shame, Shame, over and over when it comes to subjects nowadays. For pete's sake the Scarlet Letter was written before the Civil War, but due to the way some of us are built. Dave would have to wear that the rest of his life and would effect the perception of the band.
I mean we are ok with all the debauchery that are beloved bands did and got away with it years ago, but now ?
But . . . I love this band. I think Mustaine is great, if tormented and tormenting. Ellefson was loyal, after learning a thing or two about what happens when you try to sue a band, and a friend (at times). And these two have been involved in some amazing musical experiences for fans.
Ellefson made a huge mistake. He gave in (and I am using his words and Mustaine's) to a sin that is, at this point, unforgivable in the our current climate. Mustaine didn't do himself or Ellefson any favors when he said, in his PR release, that things had been strained already. But, and this isn't apologetics, Mustaine does this all the time. It is what he does. But where does that leave Ellefson?
At this point, I think he is scraping and scrapping. He is going to file a lawsuit. That is great. If this was done to tank him and was done to drag him, his family, and his career into the toilet, he should have his day in court and be able to defend himself against what the person did in releasing this to the media.
But . . . this is not 1980. Not 1990. Hell, not even 2000. You burn for things both normal and not. And you are judged, not by a jury of your peers (not that it was ever that simple), but by a pubic that wants to pick up every fleck and dander of your personal life and subject to a jury of . . . their opinions. So there you have it.
If I was a lawyer, I would say: "Why did you commit this to video?!?!" If I was a friend, I would say the same. And I would try to understand the thinking that was involved. Thing is, lots of the stuff we do isn't inspired by logical thoughts. And Ellefson got caught, not proverbially, with his pants down. So now he will suffer--as will his family, and this woman--because we live in an age where our private sins are public . . . if we allow them to be.
I still love Megadeth. I still think Ellefson is a good person, was a good spokesperson for the band, and should have a chance to come back from this. But I think we live in a world where sins of our own are sins that others judge, so long as we commit them in their eyes. If you don't (and you believe in sin), are they still the same? People since St. Augustine have been debating that for years.
I am not going to cast stones. We all live in those sorts of houses.
H*ll, remember when Page dated 13 year-old Lori Maddox and no one so much as batted an eye ...
Not sayin’ that should be condoned, just sayin’.
p.s. Hi, Rita!!!
Hope you are both doing well.
I find Dave's situation very interesting. So many issues have been raised - infidelity being one, as well as the current Cancel culture which has taken hold. Not to mention privacy laws, social media downfalls, etc, etc.
I just wish him well. I know he made a mistake and showed bad judgment but it's sad when a few moments of poor judgment destroys so many people (ie. him and his family). I don't really care about the woman. She, I have no sympathy for. None whatsoever.
And I know what it feels like when someone you love lies to you, and talks to other women behind your back in an inappropriate manner. So I do feel for his wife. Good luck to them.
And I don't think Mustaine should have fired him Who cares about the Karens of the world. They have to be the only ones who would think firing Dave is the right punishment in this situation. No metal fan would, I believe. Comments on a Megadeth post I saw were all negative about his firing so I don't think Megadeth fans are happy at Mustaine right now. But I guess he doesn't care. It's his show. Whatever.
Take care guys. Hope you are doing well.
p.s. My BFF and I are going on the Monsters of Rock cruise in February and I would love to see you all there.
Peace.
And I suppose 'being cautious' isn't all that metal. But when you are a public figure (of sorts), and when you present yourself as a decent person (and I still think that Ellefson is), you open yourself up to a lot of scorn, deserved and undeserved. I guess I still don't understand what he was thinking. And I can't fathom how his wife feels about all this, not to mention his children.
My other issue, one I didn't bring up before, was how Ellefson reacted to the release of the video. His first public response seemed designed to tamp down any potential storm that was coming. It was conversational, a touch embarrassed . . . and then it was "See? I wasn't grooming an underage girl, here is her story!" I found the tonal changes odd. His more recent response is to go all-in in pursuit of charges against the person who released the video. I think that is fair. But I also think that it adds to the odd 'quality' of his response(s). My basic point is this: I think he needed some help with PR. You can't own up to an embarrassing transgression while also shooting in other directions. Did the person who released this act in a calculated way (as Ellefson suggests). Truly, I don't know. But did what Ellefson do hurt his family? I have to think it did. And I would have liked to see a bit more of that in his responses, even if what I want from this event matters not at all. Like you, Rita, I know what it feels like when a person you trust violates that trust. I can't even imagine what it is like in his house (metaphorically) right now.
Mustaine's decision? Quite in keeping with his approach to most things. As I said, I love the band, even if I find Mustaine to be a perplexing guy. But, circling back to the world we live in now, Ellefson was an employee. His mistake is not good for the band in terms of promotion . . . in the world we live in. That said, Mustaine also just lost one of the band's most visible promoters and voices of reason. He also violated (and, to be clear, I think this is not a great moral standard) the idea of loving the sinner while hating the sin.
Like I said previously, I have no stones to throw. Just observations. And I still wish him and his former band well. Moreover, I hope his family gets through this in a way that doesn't leave lasting scars that are predicated on Ellefson's personal choices.