Dave Mustaine has been the constant throughout the entire run of Megadeth, but the other musician to have the longest tenure with the band is bassist David Ellefson, who started with the group in 1983 and remained until 2002. Ellefson returned to the band in 2010 and has remained ever since, but in a recent chat with Eddie Trunk on the Eddie Trunk Podcast for Podcast One, Mustaine called Ellefson an "ambassador" for the band.

During the chat, which can be heard in the player below, Trunk asked how important it was to have a "right-hand guy" like Ellefson around to deal with the transition of new members, to which he responded, "Dave's not my right-hand guy, first off. He's my bass player, he's my friend. We've been friends for thirty years, but he's not my right-hand guy. I think that was obvious when we parted ways; you know, he went and did his thing, I did my thing. Megadeth kept going. I'm glad to have him back. I think that he's a remarkable person. He's got a great personality. He's very lovable. And I think that the fans know that they can count on him to be consistent. Dave's always been like the ambassador for Megadeth."

Mustaine went on to offer praise for guitarist Kiko Loureiro. He stated, "I would say, right now, if you were gonna talk about who's a right-hand guy and who's not a right-hand guy, I would say that, as far as the musical stuff is [concerned], that Kiko has taken that position, because the conversations we've had have been really in-depth and he's really stepped up to the plate, with talking about different stuff, like what should be parked over at VEVO or YouTube or Facebook and stuff like that. And stuff where I'm scratching my head and I'm thinking, 'How do you have time to figure all this stuff out?' 'Cause not only does he do everything that we ask of him as a player, but he's constantly coming with new ideas and stuff, how to build the brand and to protect the fan base and stuff like that, which is a great feeling."

Ellefson and Loureiro are part of Mustaine's Megadeth lineup that recorded the band's newly released Dystopia album, with Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler filling out the band. The group will hit the road beginning Feb. 20 in Dallas. See all of their dates here.

Hear Megadeth's Dave Mustaine on the Eddie Trunk Podcast via Podcast One

Dave Mustaine Discusses Dystopia Songwriting

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