MARTY FRIEDMAN Doesn't Mind Answering MEGADETH-Related Questions From Fans And Media

May 8, 2015

Ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked in a new interview with Ghost Cult if the subject of his former band comes up a lot, from both the public and the press alike, in Japan, where Friedman has lived since 2003. "Not nearly as [much as] here [in the U.S.], because [in the U.S.], that's what I'm known for," he said. "But it's taken a long time in Japan, not to wipe that out… I've done so many other things. Maybe if ten people meet me, two of them would know me from MEGADETH, two of them know me from this thing, and two would know me from something else. It's all different things."

According to Friedman, he used to get a bit irked when the subject of his former band was brought up by fans and the media, but he has since learned to accept it and embrace it.

"I used to get a little bit…not upset, but I'm doing all of this cool stuff now," he said. "Why do you keep bringing up MEGADETH? Then I realize that it takes a long time of doing other things before people notice it. So then after a while, people ask less about it and more about what I've been doing lately. So I feel that it's better. But I'm proud of all of that MEGADETH, stuff so I really don't mind."

Friedman was a member of MEGADETH for ten years, during which he played on four albums, including fan favorites "Rust In Peace", "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia", all of which were also the band's most commercially successful.

Since he relocated to Japan, Friedman has reportedly made more than 600 TV appearances, including on a Japanese cooking show, news shows, political shows and as a guest on a number of Japanese variety shows.

Clay Marshall, general manager of Prosthetic Records, Friedman's current U.S. label home, told RollingStone.com: "He's a cultural celebrity over there. I tried to figure out how to explain it to people and we came up with the 'Ryan Seacrest of Japan' catch-phrase. It's not exactly accurate, but it was a much more accurate assessment of who he is and what he means to that world than 'Marty Friedman: Heavy Metal Guitar Player.'"

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