Jeff Young passed on auditioning for David Lee Roth’s band because “I just don’t really like his voice”
“And now I’ve since learned he is a lunatic, so I made a great choice.”
Image: Chelsea Lauren / C Flanigan / Getty Images
Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young has offered an explanation for why he once ‘passed on’ auditioning for David Lee Roth’s band in the late 80s.
In a new interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, the musician recalled the time he was offered the gig as guitarist in Roth’s solo band, saying “Jason Becker got the [gig], which I’m glad, because that gave him a chance to do one really killer project before he got sick [with ALS].”
“And he was a buddy of mine. Once I saw his movie, I was really glad I passed on it. I was being managed by Diamond Dave management, and that’s how I got that offer.”
Asked if he thought he wasn’t the “right fit” for the Roth gig, Young replied, “No, I turned it down… I thought he would end up in Vegas. And that was all the way back then. And where did he end up? I might have ESP or something.
“I just don’t really like his voice, to be honest. And now I’ve since learned he is a lunatic, so I made a great choice. He’s nuts.”
Meanwhile, Young and fellow ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson are currently on tour with Kings of Thrash. The group will release a live CD/DVD package called “Best Of The West…Live At The Whisky A Go Go” on 24 March via Cleopatra Records.
