MARTY FRIEDMAN says his upcoming autobiography will include things that he has never said and couldn't say in the media
12-06-2024
In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke about his upcoming autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, which will arrive on December 3 via Permuted Press.
Asked if he is “putting it all out there” with the book, the 61-year-old musician, who has lived in Japan since 2003, said: “Yeah. The entire criteria of the book was things that I’ve never said in the media, things that I couldn’t say in the media, private things and all of the inner interpersonal relationships in all of the bands that I’ve been in, all of the projects I’ve worked on. And it’s almost like a spy-like double-agent look into the Japanese music business and the Japanese entertainment industry, because I came in completely as a foreigner, but I’m working within that industry as someone who is in Japan, lives in Japan, speaks Japanese, works on the Japanese projects. So I can kind of report to the rest of the world what it’s really like from an American’s perspective, which I think the publishers of the book found quite fascinating and I really drew that to a complete conclusion. But it’s basically everything that no one knows about me. So if you’re slightly interested, hopefully you will get a lot of very unexpected information out of it.”
Marty Friedman has released the official music video for “Dead Of Winter”, the second single from his most recent solo album, “Drama”, out on May 17 via Frontiers Music Srl. The track features vocals by Chris Brooks from LIKE A STORM and marks Marty‘s first solo single release featuring a vocalist. The clip for “Dead Of Winter” stars Skylar Erna, Internet personality and daughter of Sully Erna from GODSMACK, and is available below.
Watch “Dead Of Winter” below.
About the track, Marty had this to say: “The lyrics of ‘Dead Of Winter’ as well as the story in the video, both sum up the way I would like people to feel about my music in general– something that will be there to uplift you when the times are hardest and give you a tangible jolt of positivity to last until life inevitably smooths out.”
Watch the previously released “Illumination” below.
“Drama” was recorded in Italy.
Skylar and Sully Erna represent The Scars Foundation, a charity devoted to starting conversations about mental health to raise awareness about the issues facing so many people in our communities today.
With the rise of suicides, bullying, addiction, abuse, and so many other challenges, The Scars Foundation is dedicated to providing resources and tools to educate and empower people on a global level who struggle with these burdens.
“Drama” track listing:
01. Illumination
02. Song For An Eternal Child
03. Triumph (Official Version)
04. Thrill City
05. Deep End
06. Dead Of Winter
07. Mirage
08. A Prayer
09. Acapella
10. Tearful Confession
11. Icicles
12. 2 Rebeldes (Dead Of Winter)(Spanish version)
12. Mirage (Guitar Karaoke Version) (bonus track Japan)
Recording lineup:
Marty Friedman – Guitar
Wakazaemon – Bass
Gregg Bissonette – Drums
Mika Maruki – Piano, Keyboard & Synth
Hiyori Okuda – Cello
Miho Chigyo – Violin
Vocals on “Dead Of Winter”: Chris Brooks (LIKE A STORM)
Vocals on “2 Rebeldes”: Steven Baquero Vargas
Bass on “Mirage”: Or Lubianiker
Rhythm guitar on “Thrill City”: Naoki Morioka
Keys and synth on “Sanctuary”: Takuro Iga
Drums on “Thrill City”: Chargeeeeee
I just finished all the tracking for my new album. This time I did my normal guitar recording in Japan, and then came here to Italy for two weeks to record with all vintage guitars and amps. Can’t wait to share this music with you. pic.twitter.com/LUYppSOaoz
— Marty Friedman (@marty_friedman) December 10, 2023
Marty previously talked about his next solo LP in October in an interview with Chris Akin Presents. At the time, he said: “I’ve been recording my upcoming album for almost a year now. And it’s gonna be finished by the end of the year, and it’s gonna come out in the spring of 2024. And boy, it’s an ambitious one. But, of course, I say that every time. But every time I have to top the one that was before it, so the task keeps getting more and more insane. And right now I would say I’m about 75 percent done with that.”
As for some of the other projects he is currently involved with, Marty said: “I’m editing my autobiography, which will come out also next year. And also, I just did the most exhaustive instructional video series for TrueFire — the most exhaustive one they’ve ever done and the most exhaustive one I’ve ever done by far. It’s the deepest dive into just the way I see music, which apparently is not the same as how others see it. Not that it’s better or worse, but it’s just completely different. So for the first time ever, including any of my other instructional things, for the first time ever, I’ve really actually worked hard on it and created this thing. And I did it at the end of the tour, the U.S. tour that I did earlier this year, and now it’s just about finished. [We’re] just putting the last edits on and just about done with that. So, it’s kind of a lot of post-production work at this point.”
Marty‘s latest album, “Tokyo Jukebox 3“, came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with “Tokyo Jukebox” in 2009, and then “Tokyo Jukebox 2” following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman‘s inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he’s chosen to cover.
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