David Ellefson admitted to copying some basslines from U2’s Adam Clayton in Megadeth’s music during a recent chat with the ‘X5 Podcast.’ He gave ‘Trust’ from 1997’s ‘Cryptic Writings’ as an example and shared:
“I love U2, I’m a fan. In fact, I cop a lot of Adam Clayton basslines. I love just playing on one string, punk rock. Instead of playing it up on the second fret, you just take it to the 12th fret, because it just sounds more Sid Vicious.”
The bassist also praised the band’s frontman:
“Bono is a f**king rock star. Because half the people love him, and half the people hate him, which is probably almost required. You know, great music is very polarizing.”
Ellefson Has Respect For U2
U2 influenced some of Ellefson’s side projects as well. The band was one of the non-metal inspirations the bassist used for a collaboration with Johnny Wore Black in ‘Walking Underwater Pt. 2.’ He talked about a track from the 2014 record in a chat with JoeDaly.net and explained:
“When Jay sent me ‘All the Rage’ it took me back to the things I liked about U2’s ‘The Unforgettable Fire’ and things I liked about that dark, haunting, melancholic music that was coming out of the UK 30 years ago. This project required a very Adam Clayton-approach to the bass.”
That year, U2 received criticism for giving the ‘Songs of Innocence’ album away to iTunes for free. But Ellefson supported the band’s decision by saying:
“They work their a**es off for it – they’re a phenomenally great band. Whether you like their recent songs or not, whether you like some of the publicity moves they make or their business acumen, I have nothing but tremendous respect for that band.”
The former Megadeth bassist is now set for a world tour with Kings of Thrash and Dieth. His next stop is Phoenix, AZ, on June 21.