MARTY FRIEDMAN Still Feels Like He Is Paying His Dues 'Every Single Day'

In a new interview with Rad Jet, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman elaborated on his previous comment that "the problem with paying your dues is it never ends, even when you achieve your ultimate goals." Asked if he sometimes still feels that he is paying his dues right now, Marty replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Every single day. And that can be in all caps. It just never, never really ends. I'm not complaining about it, but I think it's interesting that you picked up on that because it's an important thing because, myself included, and most people in their teens think once you've made it and you've made a record, you're done, you're set on a trajectory that's just all rocking the whole time. But to maintain things and to continue to do new things and to continue to create new, exciting, influential things, it's constantly, constantly paying your dues and giving up things that would be possibly more fun. It never changes. It's constant. So, yeah, it never, ever ends. [I'm] always paying dues, always being disappointed — disappointed, but not always with everything, but every time something great happens, it only happens because you've been disappointed before it. You know what I mean? If all things good happened all the time, you wouldn't have anything to compare it to. So there's a lot of hardships that go into every good thing that happens, and it's always worth it, but you just can't be surprised that every single thing that comes your way is not always good. It's, like, bad things paved the way for good things, and it's a very manly thing to be able to overcome those things. And I've been very lucky with that, and I haven't had too many streaks of bad luck or anything, but nothing has come terribly easy."

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".