Marty Friedman: Big in Japan
Former Megadeth Metal Guitarist Hits it Big on Japanese TV
As heavy metal giant Megadeth guitarist, he had sales of over 10 million records and three top-10-radio singles. He’s received 27 gold and platinum records from around the world, five Grammy nominations, and headlined Rock in Rio in front of 140,000 in Brazil. In 2003, Marty moved to Japan and became not only a fixture of the Japanese music scene working with the top acts of J-POP, heavy metal, enka and classical, but is a television celebrity appearing as a regular on five major networks on mainstream hit TV programs nearly every day in Japan. Why did he leave one of metal’s most successful acts to live in Japan, work with J-POP idols and become a TV celebrity? Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie talked to Marty Friedman about his love for Japan
TJ: What first got you interested in Japan?
FRIEDMAN:: When I was a teenager, I lived in Hawaii. This radio station played only Japanese music and I thought the way they were singing enka was so unique and emotional. I was into rock and was developing as a musician. I started emulating the vocals of enka music on my guitar, so I tuned into the Japanese melodic sense and the way of singing at an early age.
TJ: Why did you decide to move to Japan?
FRIEDMAN: When I was touring around the world, I was going to Japan maybe two or three times a year. Every time I came I bought tons of Japanese CDs and just as a hobby I was learning to speak Japanese. The more I came to Japan, the more I was listening to this music. I realized, “I’m listening to Japanese music 100% of the time.” It was a no-brainer that I should take my act and move it to Japan. Rather than be an international artist that comes to Japan, I’d rather make domestic music in Japan.
TJ: Why did you leave Megadeth?
FRIEDMAN: We were a great band and I loved everything about it, but the music we were making wasn’t what I was listening to. I would be in the dressing room listening to Japanese music and then go on stage and play this completely different stuff. I was much more excited about what was happening in Japan, so it was completely a musical decision why I left.
TJ: Are your dreams coming true in Japan?
FRIEDMAN: One after another–things I never really intended to even shoot for. I never really intended to do television, get fluent in Japanese, or work with so many great people that I’ve admired for so long. Musically, I’ve never been more stimulated and productive. It didn’t really take as long to get assimilated as I thought it would. I guess in Japan if you’re not afraid of working like an insane person you can really do anything. I’m a workaholic, so I enjoy that.
TJ: Do you enjoy Japanese food?
FRIEDMAN: Of course. I think if you don’t like Japanese food it would be really hard to live here, and a waste too because it’s so good. I love the fact that ethnic food is exactly like it is in the country it’s from.
TJ: What bands do you like in Japan?
FRIEDMAN: There’s just too much to even list. I like just about everything from very normal J-POP like Mr. Children to idol music ... the visual kei bands ... If you look at the top 10 in Japan at least nine of the 10 songs I would listen to or buy. But when I look at what’s really big in America, not a whole lot of it would turn me on that much.
TJ: Do you like BABYMETAL?
FRIEDMAN: BABYMETAL is polarizing for an American. There are a lot of purist metal fans, who probably think it’s the absolute worst thing that happened in the world, and there are probably a lot of people, who are tired of traditional metal and think it’s the greatest thing ever. The fact that there are those two opinions makes me a fan from the start. The guitarist in my solo band is in BABYMETAL, so I’ve been a big supporter of them since the beginning.
TJ: What do you think about Yoshiki and X Japan?
FRIEDMAN: They were one of the first things I heard from Japan that blew my mind. I was in Megadeth rehearsing at the same place as X Japan. Some guy with long hair and a black rock t-shirt came up to me and said, “You want to hear my band from Japan?” So he gives me a CD, and it turns out it was X Japan’s album Jealousy and that was Yoshiki who gave it to me. I said to the guys in Megadeth, “Look how exciting it is. We need to push up our game a bit.” To me, Yoshiki broke the barrier between heavy music and ballads. X Japan will have this hard, aggressive song and then this super, sappy ballad. It takes so much balls and I have so much respect and admiration for that. Yoshiki is just a very unique and special musician. Classical and rock have a very delicate balance of being completely lame or completely cool. When I heard Yoshiki’s classical version of the KISS song, I thought, “That’s the way to do it!” X Japan are back firing on all cylinders. I couldn’t be happier for their worldwide success.
TJ: How did you first get involved in music?
FRIEDMAN: I grew up on the east coast and wanted to be in sports but I was just a skinny, kind of goofy kid. There was no way I would ever be able to really play. When I saw KISS in concert, I thought, “Now that’s something I can do.” At 13 or 14, I immediately started a band. If you catch KISS at the right period of time in your formative years, it can set you on a path that there is no return from.
TJ: How did you learn Japanese?
FRIEDMAN: Strictly as a hobby when I was in Megadeth because I was really into Japanese stuff. I’d be studying in airplanes and when I went to Japan I’d practice on people. At one point I got pretty good so I decided to do my interviews strictly in Japanese with no translator. Even though I sucked, that forced me to get good and I started zooming with it. In Japan, all of the people around me are 100% Japanese, so it forces me to speak Japanese. On TV, you have to read the cue cards, and you’ve got to say something interesting. There was no better way to learn than that. I’m not afraid of f**king up and that was what set it on. It came to a point where I got more confident in Japanese than English because I was immersed in it.
TJ: Do you prefer working in music or television? Which is more challenging?
FRIEDMAN: Music hands down ... but I love doing TV for the stimulus, plus it introduces people to my music and it opens so many more doors. I’ve probably done more than 600 TV shows since I’ve been in Japan. TV is way more challenging and that’s why I love it. Sometimes you might be on the panel of a topic you know nothing about, so having to go on TV and act like I know what the hell I’m talking about in Japanese ... that challenge just kicks my ass every time. I love it! Doing all these stimulating things on TV is a great influence on my musical life. A lot of serious musician fans say, “He does so much TV stuff. His music is taking a back seat.” It couldn’t be farther from the truth!
TJ: Can you tell us about your performances with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra?
FRIEDMAN: There is a program in Japan, which has been a staple of TV for 20 or 30 years where they have a guest who plays with the orchestra. It’s the ultimate–playing classical music with a full orchestra. I did Rachmaninoff one time, Bach one time and my own music another time.
TJ: What advice would you give to an aspiring musician?
FRIEDMAN: Don’t get caught up in the mechanics of your instrument as much as the mechanics of playing the music that you want to represent you. Find out what you love to do and get really good at that.
TJ: What advice do you have to give to second language learners?
FRIEDMAN: Necessity is the key ... and then it will stick with you ... Any situation you can put yourself into where you need to speak that language. A lot of Japanese are afraid of making mistakes. That’s not important. People will listen to your bad grammar if you have interesting vocabulary. If you’re afraid of making mistakes, not only should you not be into languages, but you should be out of music because music is all about f**king up in front of a hundred thousand people. But it’s about making those f**k-ups beautiful. Languages are exactly the same thing. A little mistake is so much cuter and will endear you to so many more people. tj
The original article can be found in Issue #276 of the Tokyo Journal. Click here to order from Amazon.
