In a new interview with Finland’s Chaoszine, ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked what it was like to rejoin his former band twice on stage in six months last year — first in February 2023 at Tokyo, Japan’s famed Budokan and then in early August 2023 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. He responded: “Oh, it was fantastic. Budokan was the one thing that was kind of like unfinished business within the relationship between me and Dave (Mustaine, MEGADETH leader), which has always been fantastic and still is. But there was just that one little thing that was there that was just kind of left hanging there. And Dave was so gracious to invite me to play at the Budokan in Japan, and it was just a great, great way to tie things up — wonderful for me, wonderful for the band. But the fans, watching the fans who were there that night, it was just really something special, something unusual. The look of the fans was different from a normal show. People were in disbelief, and people were laughing and crying and big smiles and it was just kind of a really special event and I’m really glad that it happened.”

As for the Wacken show, Marty said: “That was kind of more coincidental because MEGADETH was playing there and I was playing there on — I forgot who played the festival first, if I played the day before the day after — but we were both in the same place, and we said, ‘Let’s do it again.’ And it was a thrill there as well.”

He added: “I’m just the biggest fan of those guys, ans anytime they ask me to play, I’m happy to do it. And I just wish them all the best with their lineup that they’ve got now and I’m glad to see them kicking ass.”

The interviewer then noted that former MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro suggested in an interview that he would have liked Friedman to rejoin MEGADETH after Kiko exited the group last fall. Asked if he was actually approached about coming back to MEGADETH when Kiko decided to leave the band, Marty said: “No, and I don’t think that’s realistic. I don’t know anything about it. I don’t think Dave would think that I would be a candidate to join the band, or rejoin the band, and it’s certainly not something that I thought of. I think they’re absolutely doing just fine the way they are.”

On the topic of MEGADETH‘s current guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who officially joined the band in November, Friedman said: “I met him for a moment at Wacken. He seemed like a very cool guy, and I wish him nothing but the best. He’s gonna have a good time with those guys.”

When the interviewer asked for more details about Friedman‘s meeting with Mäntysaari, pointing out that Marty is one of Teemu‘s “biggest influences”, Marty said: “I really didn’t have too much time to chat with him very much, because at the time Kiko was still in the band and he was there just kind of watching everything and just kind of being a fly on the wall and watching how the band does its business. He was a very polite, cool guy. And, unfortunately, I didn’t get to see him play there. Yeah, I didn’t really know what was going on in the band, but I just was there to do my show and hooked up with them for a show and he was there. And next thing you know, he’s in the band. So all the best to him.”

He continued: “I’m glad to hear he’s a fan of mine because that’s gonna help in MEGADETH. One of the things I remember about being in the band was it was really difficult for me to play the other guitar players’ guitar work. Luckily, when I was in the band, they only had like three albums out before I joined the band. But it was very, very difficult for me to even try to play Chris Poland‘s stuff, and I was not suited for that at all. So, if the new guy is familiar with my stuff, it’s gonna make his life a lot easier, and hopefully he’ll put his own stamp on things and he’ll make a whole lot of new fans too.”