Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson is, technically speaking, not actually a member of the band he co-founded with front man Dave Mustaine in 1983.
Ellefson is Megadeth's second longest-serving band member, next to Mustaine. The bassist was part of the band when it broke up in 2002. But when Mustaine revamped the band in 2004, Ellefson was on the outside looking in due to a messy disagreement with Mustaine over rights and royalties that turned into a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
In 2010, the two Daves forgave one another and reunited in the band they built. But for Ellefson the arrangement is different this time around.
In a recent interview with Metal-Rules.com, Ellefson revealed that under the terms of his deal to return to Megadeth, he relinquished his ownership stake in the band, essentially making himself a high-value hired gun. He says one thing wouldn't have happened without the other.
"When Dave broke the group up in 2002, we left our business matters intact," Ellefson explained. "When we reformed in 2004, our disagreements were very much about participation in ownership of the group. Relationships are not static. ...But you find that every band is its own business with personalities and hierarchies in collaborations and contributions. It is different inside each one of them."
The bassist added that the very reason he didn't return to Megadeth in 2004 was because Mustaine demanded he relinquish his ownership.
Ultimately, Ellefson's six years on his own helped him warm up to the idea of being a sideman. He says he fell "back in love with playing music," and ended up relishing the hired gun role in other situations, noting that now he doesn't have to deal with a lot of the obligations that come with being the boss or co-boss, as the case may be.
"Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff," Ellefson added. "At this point in my life I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines."
Ellefson's name is inextricable from Megadeth's history; he made his mark on the band and the genre, and he even won a Grammy with the band in 2017. He also owns a record label and production company, EMP Label Group. It's understandable why he wouldn't want to deal with the drama and inevitable arguments that would come from owning another business, like Megadeth. In the end, the deal has paid off.
"Being a sideman has its benefits," he said. "In my case, it helps retain a friendship, too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."
Megadeth is heading back out on the road in August. Get all the tour dates here.
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