MARTY FRIEDMAN On Leaving MEGADETH: 'I Had Nothing Left To Give The Band, And They Had Nothing Left For Me'

From mastering the language to becoming a force in the Japanese music scene, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has called Japan his home for over two decades. On the latest episode of Kylie Olsson's YouTube show "Life In Six Strings", Marty shows us a side of Japan that most people never see... his side. Watch as Kylie dives headfirst into Marty's Japan: tasting the local flavors, visiting Fender's Japan headquarters, and a taxi ride through the city streets. Marty and Kylie's Japan journey wraps up with guitars in hand as Marty shows Kylie how to play his song "Miracle", from his 2017 solo album "Wall Of Sound".

Regarding how he ended up moving to Japan in 2003, Marty told Kylie (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was living, actually, in Arizona. I lived in Arizona, which was just the total normal middle of America — relaxed, [where you] kick back [and] nothing ever changes. Well, that's what Arizona's like. So when you come off tour, it's just very nice. But when you're not off tour and you're just living there, it's like living in a desert. So, then you start to think: what kind of music do I really wanna make? And I really was listening to J-Pop, Japanese music 24-7. And I just knew that I had to be here in Japan if I wanted to actually be in the world of Japanese domestic music. So that was the reason I came."

Elaborating on what it was like when he first moved to Japan and started getting involved in the Japanese domestic music scene, Friedman said: "Back then, when I first moved here, I'd already come to Japan a million times, but always as an international artist. And when you do that, every single thing is taken care of. And then when I came back by myself, of course there was none of that. And plus I didn't wanna be in the international music scene; I wanted to be in the domestic music scene. It's a different world, different people, different connections. I knew nobody, so I started from zero and I really had nothing. Even though I had platinum albums with MEGADETH for 10 years beforehand, [Japanese] domestic music fans, for the most part, they don't really even know the biggest American groups. So I wanted to get into that world, and it was really one person at a time, one connection at a time. And then I started working with a singer named Aikawa Nanase, who I was a huge fan of. I was listening to her music in the desert, listening to it on tour in America, in Europe, and all over the place. I couldn't believe that now I was in her band. That was where I got my first foot into the door of the [Japanese] domestic music scene, and I was very lucky."

Asked if he nervous at all about moving to Japan after leaving a very successful band like MEGADETH, Marty said: "When I left MEGADETH, I knew it was time to leave the band. I had nothing left to give the band, they had nothing left for me, and it was a good time for that to happen."

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.

Since also embracing Japanese music and eventually relocating to Japan, Friedman has cemented his image as a unique and unpredictable solo artist while further solidifying his celebrity rock star status. He has earned several top 10 spots on the Japanese charts and has performed in Japan's largest venues — from the Tokyo Dome to Budokan. He has also guested on over 700 television programs, acted in four motion pictures, and appeared in several commercials and TV ad campaigns. On November 4, 2016, the Japanese government named Friedman an "Ambassador Of Japanese Heritage."

Friedman's autobiography "Dreaming Japanese", was made available last December. Written with veteran music journalist Jon Wiederhorn ("Louder Than Hell", "Raising Hell"),"Dreaming Japanese" debuted at No. 1 on Amazon's Heavy Metal Books chart and has received praise from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Decibel and Publishers Marketplace. The autobiography shares Friedman's inspiring journey from landing a gig as the lead guitarist for legendary thrash metal outfit MEGADETH during their peak years to his emigration from the U.S. to Japan, where he became a prominent television figure and Japanese pop culture household name as well as being appointed an official "Ambassador Of Japan Heritage".

Photo credit: Takaaaki Henmi