Megadeth Bassist Dave Ellefson Is Dave Mustaine’s Junior No More

In the '80s, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine used to call his bassist and good friend Dave Ellefson 'Junior.' While some have interpreted the moniker as condescending, Mustaine insists the nickname was one of affectation.

"Really, Dave was my ambassador back then," Mustaine told Noisecreep. "I was a pretty loose and unpredictable cannon, and he brought a very calming effect, so he was very much like a mediator, and that's how everyone looked at us. We were the two Daves. And that's part of the reason I wanted to call him 'Junior.'"

Last week, when Ellefson returned to the Megadeth camp following an eight year absence filled with ugly tension, Mustaine welcomed him back with an open heart, stressing that it felt like it was 1990 all over again. But, he admitted, at least one thing had changed. He would no longer call his bassist 'Junior.'

I think that given the circumstances right now, meeting him again on a totally different level, it's not like he's a kid anymore," Mustaine explained. "So I'm getting to know him all over again, and I really like what I see and I really love the way he plays."