For the most recent episode of “The David Ellefson Present” video podcast, former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland joined ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and podcast co-host Joshua Toomey to share tales about life after MEGADETH, challenges of restoration, business politics and the lasting brotherhood cast by means of many years of music. Reflecting on his time with the Dave Mustaine-led outfit, Poland mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”I’ve no regrets about every little thing that is occurred — besides one. I remorse that Mustaine for years would go on stage and name me a liar. I by no means actually thought a lot about it, however then I did the maths and I noticed that is why issues had been so onerous for me to attempt to get offers. I walked into Carvin [guitars] at some point and I believed, ‘You recognize what? These guitars aren’t unhealthy. I wanna speak to their A&R man.’ So I spoke to the man and he goes, ‘Dude, we do not use folks such as you on our roster.’ So, I used to be, like, ‘Oh, okay.’ So I’ve a sense that Dave‘s anger with me about what it was actually was like dragging round a fucking 50-pound ball on a regular basis — again then.”
Ellefson chimed in: “Effectively, look, he did it to [another former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff Younger. There was some derogatory remark [Dave made] that saved [Jeff] from getting work for a very long time. I might say the identical was tried at me. Luckily, I simply saved transferring. I simply saved going and was, like, ‘All proper, I am simply gonna ignore that remark and maintain transferring.'”
David continued: “It is fascinating. There’s all the time been quite a lot of these ‘former MEGADETH members unite’ [situations]. And it isn’t an intentional factor. It isn’t. In truth, once I was going again to MEGADETH [15 years ago], Jeff was actually taking a difficulty over Dave [saying in interviews that Mustaine was] whistling or singing guitar solos to him [while Jeff was in the band] or one thing, and it was a public factor. And he’s going, ‘Come on, we gotta unite.’ And I mentioned, ‘Hey, Jeff. I simply bought dwelling from San Diego. I actually simply rejoined MEGADETH.’ And this was 2010. And I keep in mind Dave got here to me about it, and I mentioned, ‘I am going to deal with it. I am going to maintain it.’ And I made it go away — as I do. As a result of that is simply a part of — I do not know — a part of the reward I have been given on this planet. It is, like, we’re gonna come to peaceable phrases, we’re gonna make that go away, and we’re all gonna simply transfer on.”
Added Chris: “It isn’t bitter grapes or something. It is simply it lastly dawned on me simply how a lot harm that basically did.”
A little bit over three years in the past, Poland confirmed to Couch King Cool that the track “Liar” from MEGADETH‘s 1988 album “So Far, So Good… So What?” was written by Mustaine about him. He mentioned: “Oh, yeah. Clearly, Dave was very upset with me once I left the band — when he fired me, mainly.”
Requested if he was indignant when he first heard he was the lyrical inspiration for the track, Poland mentioned: “No, man. It is just like the pot calling the kettle black, man. Once you level your finger, man, there’s three pointing again at you. I simply rolled my eyes and was, like, ‘Actually?'”
Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, throughout which period he carried out on the band’s traditional albums “Killing Is My Enterprise… And Enterprise Is Good!” and “Peace Sells… However Who’s Shopping for?” He’s additionally a featured soloist on the group’s 2004 album, “The System Has Failed”.
Again in 2004, Poland and/or his administration and lawyer filed a lawsuit in opposition to Mustaine relating to using the three “Rust In Peace” demos on the album’s reissue with out Chris‘s permission. In accordance with MEGADETH‘s webmaster, Mustaine included the demos as a result of he thought Chris could be “grateful for the promotion, the tipping of the hat, and displaying the followers how Marty [Friedman, MEGADETH‘s guitarist during some of the post-Poland years] had really been influenced by a few of Chris‘s solo picks for these songs.” Chris additionally allegedly tried to sue Dave for defamation of character as a result of Dave known as him a “thief,” however Chris‘s lawyer “dropped that after he came upon that Chris had really taken the band’s gear and bought it for medication,” in response to MEGADETH‘s webmaster. “Bear in mind, there’s a confession within the VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ on MEGADETH,” the webmaster mentioned. Chris finally settled for $9,500 and thereby ended an expert relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.
In a September 2020 interview with Darren Paltrowitz (host of the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz” podcast),Mustaine singled out Poland, saying: “Chris Poland, as a lot as I do not actually just like the man, he was an important guitar participant, and I wished to provide him a shot once we did the 2004 reissues for ‘Peace Sells’ and ‘Rust In Peace’, and I wished to place that track out on the ‘Rust In Peace’ reissue. He bought concerned in a nuisance lawsuit, I believe it was, and we simply ended our friendship. And I believed, ‘God, that was such a waste.’
“There was a little bit teeny mountain that was proper out by the place we stay, and I mentioned I might have simply as quickly purchased that piece of grime there than promote Chris‘s friendship, and I am so bummed that this occurred,” Mustaine added. “‘Trigger I believed it will have been terrific to have him on the file. [When] folks say, ‘Hey, this feels like Marty Friedman.’ No, Marty Friedman seemed like this, as a result of Chris performed it first.”
Poland beforehand mentioned the authorized points surrounding the 2004 reissue of “Rust In Peace” in a 2018 interview with the As The Story Grows podcast. He mentioned: “Once I did ‘The System Has Failed’, [Dave] was engaged on including the demos to a re-release of ‘Rust In Peace’. And I wasn’t going to receives a commission, however I did not understand that till it got here out. I used to be like, ‘Wait a minute — I am not getting paid for this.’ And I attempted to name Dave not less than a dozen instances, and I by no means heard again from him. Then I known as Dave‘s supervisor a dozen instances, and he would not get again to me. The final time I known as him, I mentioned, ‘Hey, man. If you happen to do not name me again, I’ll name [my lawyer], and we will should get into it.’ [The manager] calls me again and completely insults me, saying, ‘You performed a pair solos. So what?’ And I am like, ‘What do you imply, ‘So what?” ‘Effectively, Dave thought that you’d do it for the followers.’ I mentioned, ‘Okay. Is everyone else that performed on that demo doing it for the followers? Are they getting paid?’ He mentioned, ‘Chris, that is not the purpose.’ I mentioned, ‘Pay attention, man, we’ve to do one thing right here. I am not simply going to stroll away. I really like the followers, however I am simply not going to do it. If everyone else is getting a efficiency royalty for this, I would like one.’ I would like everyone to know that it wasn’t a nuisance go well with, it wasn’t something like that. I made each try to work it out, they usually simply ignored me.”
For greater than two and a half many years, Poland‘s foremost musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has launched a number of full-length studio albums to this point.
Ellefson and Younger are at the moment taking part in collectively in a band known as KINGS OF THRASH. Earlier this month, the band launched a brand new single known as “Lockdown”, that includes a visitor look by Poland.
Picture credit score: Melody Myers (courtesy of O’Donnell Media Group)