MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson will release “More Life With Deth”, the follow-up to his memoir “My Life With Deth”, in November via Ellefson Music Press. The book was co-written by his business partner, radio personality and music journalist Thom Hazaert, and features contributions from Alice Cooper, Brian “Head” Welch (KORN), Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH) and many more of David‘s friends.
Speaking to Robert Cavuoto of Metal-Rules.com, Ellefson stated about how his upcoming book will be different from “My Life With Deth”: “‘My Life With Deth’ was more broad strokes of my entire life up until that point. In it, I wanted to touch upon my childhood, faith issues, sobriety, and the big transitions in my life, like playing bass in this iconic heavy metal band while crashing and burning with drugs and alcohol. Then getting cleaned up. I was never shy talking about it, but I never put it out there as I did in the book.
“The new book will dig deeper and discuss more recent things like how the record label [EMP Label Group] and coffee company [Ellefson Coffee Co.] tie back to my childhood of growing up in Jackson, Minnesota,” he continued. “Also buying the Combat Records name and its relaunch. I share stories from the very early days of MEGADETH and signing to Combat and releasing ‘Killing Is My Business’ and ‘Peace Sells’.
“The things that happened in the ’80s are largely untold. By the time we did ‘Rust In Peace’, MTV was well on its way and we were a pretty big band at Capitol Records just starting to get media attention. Most of the stories about us have been from 1990 onward. The stuff from 1990 backward has been untold. I’m touching on that in a way that fans will really love, with a lot of musical depth.”
In an early 2018 press release announcing the upcoming arrival of “More Life With Deth”, the book was described as “an insightful and personal look at one of the most revered rock musicians, and celebrated entrepreneurs, of our generation.” It will contain the words of Ellefson and Hazaert, as well as friends and colleagues, including U.K. rock journalist Malcolm Dome, Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER), Marc Rizzo (SOULFLY) and Ron Keel.
“My Life With Deth” chronicled the story of Ellefson‘s fall into addiction during MEGADETH‘s early years, followed by his subsequent recovery and the return to faith which championed the band’s rise to fame over the past several decades. The book was written with Joel McIver, the bestselling author of more than two dozen books on rock music, and featured a foreword by Cooper.
Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play. After Mustaine reformed MEGADETH with an all-new lineup in 2004, Ellefson sued his former bandmate for $18.5 million, alleging that Mustaine still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.
For more information, visit EMPmerch.com.
MEGADETH Bassist Says His Upcoming 'More Life With Deth' Book Will Include 'Largely Untold' Stories From 1980s
MEGADETH Bassist Says His Upcoming 'More Life With Deth' Book Will Include 'Largely Untold' Stories From 1980s
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