MARTY FRIEDMAN On His OZZY OSBOURNE Audition: 'It Sounded Fine' But 'I Didn't Really Match The Vibe Of The Band Very Much'

In a recent interview with Argentina's TCDG Guitar Lessons, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman once again reflected on his audition for Ozzy Osbourne's band back in the late 1980s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They actually called me when I lived in San Francisco. I was in CACOPHONY at the time and completely broke, almost homeless. But [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon Osbourne called me up and said if I want to go to L.A., they'd fly me out to L.A. to audition. I'm, like, 'Wow, that's cool.' So, I did the audition and played. I thought I did a good job. But I didn't really match the vibe of the band very much. They were full-on L.A.-metal type of guys with handcuffs in their belts and Jack Daniel's t-shirts, and they were all decked out for rehearsal. And I understood doing that for a show, but at rehearsal they wore cowboy hats and all kinds of necklaces and jewelry. And they were full-on Sunset Strip rock mode. And I came in a t-shirt and jeans. I looked like a regular guy waiting for a bus or something."

Marty continued: "I played and I thought it went well. And it did sound fine to me, and it was no problems. I learned, like, four songs, and we did 'em bam, bam, bam, and it was fine. But we were in this rehearsal hall. There was all kinds of envelopes with cassettes and resumes, and so they were probably trying hundreds of guys. And so I never heard back from them. And then finally Zakk Wylde got the job. And he was just perfect. He was so much better than I would've been for that gig. He was just right, and he plays really well. So I understood it, but at the time I thought, 'Well, I did a good job, but I don't think those guys are gonna [pick me].' They probably went out drinking and partying right after rehearsal, and I was a real good-boy type of guy. Really boring."

Marty previously reflected on his Ozzy audition during Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp's "Metalmania III" event in November 2023 in Los Angeles. Friedman stated at the time: "I failed miserably. I think it was probably because of the way I looked.

"I actually got a call from Sharon Osbourne way, way back, and I was living in San Francisco, and they said, 'We'd like to fly you down to audition for Ozzy,'" he continued. "And I'm, like, 'Oh my god. This is great.' I was practically homeless at the time, living with my then-girlfriend and dealing with the rent and all that stuff, as California rock musicians do. And I was so happy to get the call. So I learned the music, went down to L.A. — they flew me down to L. A. to play with the band. And it was, I guess, the guys who were in the band at the time. And I thought I played everything absolutely just fine, and I thought it sounded great. Everybody was friendly enough. But our images were very different. Those guys in the band were, like — it was just like a rehearsal, and they were totally decked out in 1980s Sunset Strip — what do you call it? — skull t-shirts with handcuffs and long necklaces. And they were just ready to go out on the Strip, and I was just in jeans and a t-shirt, totally normal. I just thought that… It was just a different air. It wasn't like these three guys are gonna get together and jell, even though it sounded fine, I thought. I mean, I thought I played everything correctly."

Marty added: "Being in a band is so much more than the playing. And, actually, the playing is kind of down on the list. If you have the same kind of vibe with the people, you can just kind of smell it: 'This is the guy I wanna hang out with.' And it was different on that level… They smelled like L.A. and I smelled like San Francisco, which was a different smell. Neither of us smelled very good. But they were cool. Everybody played everything great. They were auditioning thousands of guys. So I didn't get it.

"A band is just… it's like more of the personalities between the people. Because there's so many great players who can play every gig, you know what I mean? It's really about who do you wanna hang out with? I would have loved to have got the gig, but they were probably just getting ready to go back out drinking, and I'm not a very big drinker, so it wouldn't have jelled so well. But at the time I was, like, 'Oh, I played it perfectly. Why didn't they call me back?' But I get it [now]."

Friedman defined modern guitar playing with Jason Becker in CACOPHONY, was a key element in the wildly successful rise of thrash pioneers MEGADETH, and with his "Marty-esque" improvisations and exotic fusion of Eastern and Western music, has achieved global success with his 15 solo albums.

Friedman left MEGADETH in 2000 due to creative differences and pursued a solo career, having released his most recent album, "Drama", in 2024.

Friedman first visited Japan in the late 1980s with CACOPHONY, and came to Japan regularly with MEGADETH, all the while studying the Japanese language. After he quit the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit, he moved to Tokyo.