Dreaming Japanese

The rollicking autobiography of the iconic guitarist who took thrash metal behemoths Megadeth from the edge of collapse to their highest peak before departing to Japan for the joy of J-Pop.

Marty Friedman’s upbringing was as atypical as his career. Growing up in a Jewish household in Maryland, the son of an NSA executive, he lacked motivation until he accidentally discovered the guitar and immediately found his calling. Enjoying a hazy adolescence overflowing with partying, music, and teen antics, he achieved local stardom in Deuce, then burst onto the national scene by pioneering a radically new style of playing, bringing attention to the guitar aficionado label, Shrapnel Records. Acclaim didn’t breed success or money, but undeterred, Friedman moved to California, and after attempts to join Madonna, KISS, and Ozzy Osbourne, finally scored a gig in Megadeth at a time when the band members were just recovering from the verge of self-destruction, and Marty was in and out of homelessness.

Friedman is the most revered guitarist to play in any Megadeth lineup. During his ten years, his exotic, innovating style helped define the sound of their biggest albums, and while it elevated him to guitar hero status with all the accompanying perks, it came at a significant cost. As the only clean and sober member, Friedman vividly recalls the triumphs and trials of each album cycle and more, bringing to light previously undisclosed personal feelings surrounding the circumstances that forced the band into hiding in the midst of the Countdown to Extinction Tour and the brutal effort it took to get the band back up and running. His profound and complicated relationship with frontman Dave Mustaine was symbolic of the band’s insane dynamic, and Marty poignantly and generously shares his experiences within the band’s inner sanctum during the highs, lows, and daily routines.

But Dreaming Japanese is far more than a memoir about Friedman’s multi-Platinum years in Megadeth. The riveting narrative captures his relentless perseverance as he struggles to start again from nothing. Spontaneously leaving his home in the US and feeling lost in the middle of Tokyo, with few connections or concrete plans, the story traces his journey to acclimate and assimilate into the inner core of...