Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman has opened up about his aborted return to the thrashers in 2015.
In an excerpt from his new memoir Dreaming Japanese published by Blabbermouth, the 62-year-old says that he was open to a reunion of the speedsters’ 1990s lineup (also composed of singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, then-bassist David Ellefson and former drummer Nick Menza). However, it became impossible when he was lowballed financially.
According to Friedman, the salary offered was the same as what he was given when he first joined the band in 1990. It also paled in comparison to what he was earning at the time as a multimedia star in Japan.
“Let’s just say he [Megadeth’s then-manager] wasn't even in the ballpark,” writes Friedman. “Hell, he wasn’t even in the parking lot for the ballpark.”
He goes on to add: “Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan. I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it. I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan.”
Friedman also states that the numbers didn’t add up because, had the 90s-era reunion happened, Megadeth would have toured with Iron Maiden and earned a “huge windfall”.
“I was willing to take the financial hit because a reunion tour with Megadeth opening for Iron Maiden could open doors for me again in America,” he continues. “And what followed could be a bigger tour than anything we had previously done. Even if they met my rate, the tour would have been a huge windfall for them. They easily could have agreed to that, and the reunion would have been on, but they said I wanted too much money.”
The guitarist finishes by expressing frustration over the lack of recognition, and says he ultimately felt “puzzled and sad” once the anger dissipated.
“They didn't even acknowledge they had just lost their guitarist and drummer [Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover both departed in 2014] and needed me more than I needed them. When I got over my initial anger, I was puzzled and sad.”
Mustaine told his side of the story during an interview with Loudwire in 2020. He claimed that Friedman’s demands for the reunion also included being able to pay his own crew, sell his own merch at concerts and fly first-class, and that eventually he could no longer deal with the back-and-forth.
“Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money,” Dave said (via Blabbermouth). "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said that he has to pay all his team while he’s gone instead of just himself. ’Cause I thought, we’ll pay you what you’re making so that’s switching horses in the middle of the river: it’s no big deal unless you fall off.
“And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, ‘I can’t deal with this.’”
Friedman left Megadeth in January 2000, after 10 years of service. In a previously published Dreaming Japanese excerpt, he goes in-depth into the panic attack he suffered on Christmas morning 1999, which hastened his departure from the band.
Ultimately, Megadeth regrouped in 2015 with Chris Adler (then-Lamb Of God) on drums and Kiko Loureiro (ex-Angra) on guitar. The lineup’s 2016 album Dystopia won the band’s first-ever Grammy Award For Best Metal Performance, but both members have since left, as has co-founder Ellefson. Currently, Mustaine is flanked by Teemu Mäntysaari (guitars), Dirk Verbeuren (drums) and James LoMenzo (bass).
Though he never returned formally, Friedman appeared as a special guest during Megadeth’s 2023 concert at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo.
Dreaming Japanese is released in the UK on January 2 via Permuted Press.
