“I wish Teemu Mäntysaari all the best with Megadeth” – Interview with Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman`s presence in the world of music, the world of guitar, and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. From his groundbreaking beginnings with Cacophony, alongside the legendary Jason Becker, to his pivotal role in propelling Megadeth to its peak of popularity with his breath-taking range and unorthodox melodic sense, Marty has solidified his status as a unique guitar icon.

Since moving to Japan in 2003, Marty Friedman has become a household name even beyond the world of music. Fluent in Japanese, he has appeared on over 900 Japanese TV shows of every variety, as well as motion pictures and commercials including an ad campaign for Coca-Cola / FANTA that ran for over two years. He was recently appointed an Ambassador of Japan Heritage by the Japanese government who also commissioned him to compose the “Japan Heritage Theme Song“, recorded by Marty and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and is played at official government-related events. He has played the Opening Ceremony at the Tokyo Marathon 5 times, most recently in March 2024. Three books on Marty`s life have been released in Japan and a brand-new full autobiography will be released worldwide later this year.

In addition to his legendary work with Cacophony and Megadeth, Marty has released fifteen solo albums starting in 1988 with ‘Dragon’s Kiss’, and has had multi-platinum, platinum, and gold album sales awards in twenty-seven countries, achieving seven Grammy nominations to date. In recent years, Friedman has put out the distinguished, ongoing “Tokyo Jukebox” line, which, as the title suggests, is a series of albums featuring covers of Japanese songs starting with “Tokyo Jukebox” in 2009, “Tokyo Jukebox 2” in 2011, and most recently, “Tokyo Jukebox 3” in 2020. This series has become a go-to set for people all around the world who are fast becoming fascinated with Japan and its music.

Marty has played the Tokyo Dome, Budokan, and every major Japanese venue multiple times. He has toured Japan countless times with his solo music as well as alongside many legendary Japanese stars. Since the release of “Tokyo Jukebox 3” in 2020, Marty has toured Japan twice, performed as soloist with three major symphony orchestras, and made several TV appearances, most recently performing with Yoshiki of X Japan. 

Marty Friedman will be releasing his next solo album “Drama” on May 17th via Frontiers Records and Chaoszine sat down with the guitar god himself to discuss about the album as well as about the two shows Friedman played with Megadeth last year at Budokan and Wacken. You can check out the entire video interview below:

If you like the content we do on Chaoszine subscribe also on our YouTube channel. You can do it here. For behind the scenes video footage and pictures from interviews check out our Instagram page here. You can start following our Twitter page here.

You can check out the singles released from Marty Friedman‘s upcoming “Drama” album below: