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, trade politics and the lasting brotherhood cast via 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 the whole lot 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 mathematics and I spotted that is why issues have been so onerous for me to attempt to get offers. I walked into Carvin [guitars] in the future and I believed, ‘You understand what? These guitars aren’t unhealthy. I wanna discuss to their A&R man.’ So I spoke to the man and he goes, ‘Dude, we do not use individuals 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 stored [Jeff] from getting work for a very long time. I may say the identical was tried at me. Happily, I simply stored transferring. I simply stored going and was, like, ‘All proper, I am simply gonna ignore that remark and preserve transferring.'”
David continued: “It is attention-grabbing. There’s all the time been a number of these ‘former MEGADETH members unite’ [situations]. And it isn’t an intentional factor. It is not. In actual fact, 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 will deal with it. I will 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 present 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 is not bitter grapes or something. It is simply it lastly dawned on me simply how a lot injury that actually did.”
Slightly over three years in the past, Poland confirmed to Couch King Cool that the music “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 offended when he first heard he was the lyrical inspiration for the music, Poland mentioned: “No, man. It is just like the pot calling the kettle black, man. If 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 basic 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 towards Mustaine relating to the usage of the three “Rust In Peace” demos on the album’s reissue with out Chris‘s permission. Based on MEGADETH‘s webmaster, Mustaine included the demos as a result of he thought Chris can 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 choices 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 accordance with MEGADETH‘s webmaster. “Bear in mind, there’s a confession within the VH1 ‘Behind the Music’ on MEGADETH,” the webmaster mentioned. Chris ultimately 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 incredible guitar participant, and I needed to present him a shot once we did the 2004 reissues for ‘Peace Sells’ and ‘Rust In Peace’, and I needed to place that music out on the ‘Rust In Peace’ reissue. He bought concerned in a nuisance lawsuit, I feel 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 dwell, and I mentioned I may have simply as quickly purchased that piece of dust 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 document. [When] individuals say, ‘Hey, this appears 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: “After 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 at the very least a dozen occasions, and I by no means heard again from him. Then I known as Dave‘s supervisor a dozen occasions, and he would not get again to me. The final time I known as him, I mentioned, ‘Hey, man. For those who do not name me again, I will 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 all people 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, ‘Hear, man, we’ve to do one thing right here. I am not simply going to stroll away. I like the followers, however I am simply not going to do it. If all people else is getting a efficiency royalty for this, I need one.’ I need all people to know that it wasn’t a nuisance swimsuit, it wasn’t something like that. I made each try to work it out, and so they simply ignored me.”
For greater than two and a half many years, Poland‘s essential musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has launched a number of full-length studio albums so far.
Ellefson and Younger are presently 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)
