Dreaming Japanese

by Marty Friedman, Jon Wiederhorn (primary_contributor)

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 an alien society, language and culture, almost like a double agent spy. In fascinating detail and clarity, Marty shares how he gradually made inroads into the Japanese entertainment industry, becoming a household name and fixture on mainstream television and earning respect as a highly influential solo artist. Dreaming Japanese follows the wildly entertaining, inspiring, and above all, unprecedented path of a rock and roll guitar player who took the biggest risk, leaving worldwide success to start over from scratch in a country, culture and society far from his own, ultimately becoming an official ambassador of Japan.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir

392 pages, Hardcover

Published December 3, 2024

About the author

Martin Adam Friedman

Reviews

[Jo Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will be long winded I think, and before I even start, I’ve been arguing with myself a lot over this review. I’ve read a lot of metal/rock star memoirs, but when I try to cast my mind back the main ones I remember would be the likes of Slash, Tommy Lee, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Duff, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil etc etc, we could pretty much say I wanted all the dirt, particularly from Motley Crue and Guns n Roses (big fan) along with some of the unauthorised biographies. The time period eludes me, but it feels like I went through a big phase of trailing to Waterstones to snap them all up. So I’m initially going to out myself as a hypocrite and perhaps acknowledge how much you change as a person is the span of say 20 years. I’m absolutely positive that the majority of these guys (and Mrs. O) must’ve talked about the girls, they had to surely? Particularly Tommy Lee, I’m sure his penis told its own story. So either I’ve really evolved or this title might’ve been more acceptable during that time period, at least to me. Or perhaps the fact that every one of them was messed up on drugs makes their behaviour seem different, or my memory is even worse than I thought.

There were some real points of interest, for example, I genuinely had no idea that Marty Friedman was so big in Japan, nor had I any idea how much career came after Megadeth for him. I nearly rolled right off the sofa and died when he pointed out that he was responsible for recording Welcome To The Jungle for Guitar Hero, to think I developed a claw nailing 5 stars on that game with no clue who was behind the music. That’s round about where the interest runs out though. Others may really enjoy Marty repeatedly telling you he’s a mensh while smack talking everyone he’s ever worked with (this is a big lie, he does seem to like some people) sure, dish a little bit of the dirt, but it really felt like he was playing for laughs in the dishing up of said dirt. Then we get to the girls, and I mean girls, he starts with some really unnecessary details on memories of teenage experiences and from there I don’t think there’s a chapter that passes without mention of a conquest, he really made me feel sick with the mention of Japanese skin……. I’m going to leave it there I think, more dirty old man than mensh.

I should’ve given up really, but I wanted to see if this 69 year old man redeemed himself, and he didn’t.

The narration was good.

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

[Glenn Pillsbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely one of the better-written memoirs by a rock/metal star. Like everyone else, I never understood the 'mystery' of his disappearance to Japan, but this book really makes it clear how successful he became in a total different culture and in a very different media/entertainment arena than the one he'd grown up in the States. It's not so much that he moved to Japan to continue a rock/metal career and we never heard from him again, but that his lifestyle completely changed and he became this weird hybrid of a rockist foreign musician, talkshow host, product pitchman, and fashion model.

All the while, Friedman seems to exhibit an incredible work ethic that is abetted by the distinct lack of real personal responsibilities or connections. He's had two childless marriages to independent and strong women, so the things that might influence other people's career paths are not present here. Instead, the book swirls gleefully through the life of an over-sexed narcissist that rivals the image of Gene Simmons. Sexual encounters run through the whole book, from his unnecessarily detailed description of onanist practices as a teenager all the way through an endless set of experiences anyplace he found himself until his second (and current) marriage. It becomes hard to believe after a while though - no one is that successful in hooking up. And for such an apparently thoughtful man, the cataloging of his raunchy sex life gets old and is disappointingly simplistic. Are other readers really impressed with this aspect of his life? I hope not.

In other areas, Friedman's honesty is appreciated. For example, he's quite open about the fact that he depended on his parents for financial security until he'd really made it in Megadeth - they sent him money every month for years to support his musical dreams. This kind of dependency is not an aspect of "rock star" that is talked about much compared to the usual image that a rock band just "appears" through nothing more than their own sweat and tears. He doesn't dwell on those arrangements (no need), but these kinds of day-to-day details make him more relatable than his sex escapades.

That said, Friedman is another gracious memoirist, like Rob Halford. No trashy gossip about other metal musicians here, even if he pulls no punches about his views of Dave Mustaine as both a person and an artist. I appreciated how much thought went into conveying a respectful tone toward pretty much everyone in the book (including Mustaine), even if there were times when he had extremely negative feelings toward them for some professional screwup (those usually revolved around drug use).

As a text, the prose is very well done and readable. The presence of a ghostwriter/collaborator certainly helps, but you can still hear Friedman's own "voice". Like many rock memoirs, there are few actual dates given in the text, so trying to follow along with a chronology can be hard. It's a long book too, and the chapter markers are just numbers. I found myself wanting to return to one chapter in particular, about the making of the Megadeth album Risk, but realized I had no way to find it. Actual chapter titles would have helped immensely there, or just the presence of an index.

Overall, can recommend if you're curious about Friedman.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a nerd of all things heavy metal, and have followed Marty’s career from Cacophany to Japan over the past four decades. I have seen him live with Megadeth and his solo band, which resulted in making me want to sell my guitars after seeing someone so fluently speak through the instrument while I mostly try to parrot someone else's language.

And while I don’t speak even a word of restaurant Japanese, around ten years ago I was able to dig up and watch the dozens of episodes of Hebimetasan, Rock Fujiyama, and Gyao Fujiyama…the Japanese TV hard rock and metal variety shows that propelled Marty into stardom on that side of the world. Many American artists appeared on the shows while on tour there, and I was also exposed to many ‘new’ Japanese artists along with the extroverted side of Marty that was not seen in the U.S. The whole production is completely foreign to the American format, but the language barrier was hardly an issue.

Dreaming Japanese seems to scratch the surface on most of the aforementioned, albeit there is a lifetime worth of information he had to parse for one book. He bared some surprising honesty about his career: Megadeth drama, financial over-reliance on other people, and even his repeated (humble-bragging) emphasis of random sexual encounters as his priority in life, barely second to music up to his somewhat recent marriage. He literally followed his Asian fetish around the world and jumped in the deep end of that culture.

Ultimately, I am illustrating these facts because they were unexpected and interesting…I am not here to judge. I don’t think less of Marty for the metal god’s humanity (But he brings up groupie sex…a lot!). The autobiography took courage in much of what he chose to share, divulging private information and personal relationships. It offers the funny, the tragic, what could/should have been (Dave, David, Marty, and Nick), and a generous dose of his humility experienced while cultivating his musical career.

Dreaming Japanese scratched an itch for more, and the desire to revisit his discography knowing the who/what/where/why of the music. And maybe some of the seemingly alien Japanese music that he has so wholly connected with.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by Marty Friedman. Love the insight throughout his career and what has made him such an eclectic and eccentric artist for decades. It was an informative review on his life and career in Japan and his life throughout his 10 years in Megadeth. I love his music and guitar playing and I highly recommend this book if you do as well.

[Ryan McKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging Memoir Hits Some Off Notes...

Marty Friedman, best known for his dazzling solos in Megadeth’s classic line-up and for his fusion of metal with Japanese musical styles, is a true guitar virtuoso, revered for his expressiveness and innovation. “Dreaming Japanese” is his new autobiography (co-authored with Jon Wiederhorn, so the “auto” is somewhat ambiguous). It’s a rags to riches tale, tracing Friedman’s journey from borderline penury to helping craft one of metal’s landmark albums (Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace”) yet being denied royalties for his contributions, to forging a lucrative television career in Japan and landing major endorsements.

Friedman’s varied career presents both an opportunity and a challenge for an (auto)biographer: plenty of material, but an audience with diverse expectations. Friedman and Wiederhorn do a good job though of keeping the pages turning, earning the book’s “rollicking” description on the back cover.

As with Friedman’s music, the story he tells has crushing lows (the debilitating panic attack that jeopardises his final tour with Megadeth; the death of his beloved father) and soaring highs (orgiastic performances in a barn with his early band Deuce; landing the breakthrough gig with Megadeth; performing at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Marathon). There are also some Spinal Tap moments, such as trying to find his way to the stage for an appearance with Megadeth at the Budokan arena in Tokyo, or his tour bus driving off without him in Turkey. And the story of Friedman’s transition from one culture (the US) to another (Japan) is genuinely interesting, providing Western readers with some neat insights into Japanese customs and norms.

When it comes to his opinions on other musicians, Friedman is unfiltered. He has positive things to say about a young Alex Skolnick and praises Pat Benatar’s guitarist (and other half) Neil Giraldo, but legendary players like Page, Blackmore, and Gilmour don’t appeal to him. He “abhors” the instrument-smashing antics of The Who and Hendrix, and Eric Clapton’s “Layla” solo “nauseates” him.

Some of the most biting commentary, however, is reserved for Megadeth main man Dave Mustaine. In his book about the making of “Rust in Peace”, Mustaine had this to say about Friedman:

“granted, he was really good at lead, but he was not a well-rounded player; not a rhythmic-lead-acoustic-electric-songwriter-lyric-writer-producer-engineer. He was not all these things. He was only a lead guitar player…”

Here Friedman fires back:

“Something else I’ve never revealed is my firm belief that Dave should never have played so many solos in Megadeth. His vocabulary for solos was painfully limited. To be blunt, having him solo when I was in the band was like putting a third string player in the game and keeping the first stringer on the bench... being shut down by someone who is so limited that he plays the same phrases in almost every solo can be frustrating.”

For all of Mustaine's talents, it’s hard to argue that Friedman’s lead work wasn’t the more sophisticated of the two. This exchange alone is bound to stir debate among Megadeth fans.

As engaging as the memoir is, there are some downsides. A minor point is that in contrast to Friedman’s music, his book has somewhat shoddy production values. Instead of glossy colour photo spreads, we get grainy black-and-white snaps interspersed throughout. And given that at one point Friedman describes the misspelling of “Megadeth” on a venue marquee as “pathetic”, it’s ironic that his book is awash with typographical errors. These low-rent aspects feel oddly discordant given the evident perfectionism of Friedman’s music.

More substantively, some areas of the book feel uneven. There is extensive detail on his early bands Deuce and Hawaii, yet little about the other musicians in Cacophony (aside from Jason Becker, who is rightfully given great respect). The book also teases fascinating moments, such as auditioning for both Madonna and Megadeth in the same week, but never follows up on the Madonna audition, leaving a gap in the narrative.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect is Friedman’s portrayal of himself. As a guitarist, he exudes taste, class and finesse; as a memoirist, some of his personal reflections are less refined. Despite claiming, “The last thing I want to look like here is a male chauvinist,” he frequently reduces women to their physical attributes and sexual affordances and proclaims himself a “slave to pussy”. Of course, rock memoirs often feature tales of debauchery, but given Friedman’s distinctive career path and sophisticated musical persona, readers might expect a more evolved perspective. For me it was a let down to discover that this assiduous student of “multifaceted ethnic music, ranging from Chinese opera to Middle Eastern traditional motifs” is kind of a frat bro.

At one point, Friedman writes of the importance of preserving some mystique: “for the sake of the fans, I’ve always tried not to burst the bubble of whatever cool impression they may have of me.” What a shame he didn’t adhere to this principle here. As it is, we get two full pages about the intricacies of his teenage masturbatory routine, and learn that he liked to listen to the Runaways when he was “just about to bust a nut.”

Some readers will have preferred to learn more about the intricacies of his music. By contrast, pretty much all Friedman says about his most celebrated musical contribution, his solo in Megadeth’s song “Tornado of Souls”, is that it “impresses people simply because it’s long.” While his frustration that so much emphasis is given to a solo he played 35-odd years ago is understandable, this dismissive assessment seems excessively self-deprecating – and also a little patronising to the thousands of fans who picked up their guitars when they first heard it.

Of course, he’s partly right about what makes the solo so popular: it is long – a full minute – and the extended run-time allows more of his signature phrasing to shine. But that alone can’t account for its broad appeal. Friedman’s contribution aside, no doubt there’s a kind of preferential attachment process operating (a musical “Matthew effect”), whereby initial positive evaluations of the solo ramify over time, until it just becomes received wisdom that the solo is iconic. And Dave Mustaine’s contribution shouldn’t be underestimated either – the chord sequence he lays down for Friedman to solo over is fantastic (six repetitions of a thematic variant of the chords in the song’s verse and chorus, with some chromatic flavouring mixed in).

Indeed, part of the magic of the song’s solo section is the interplay between Mustaine’s rhythm and Friedman’s lead. I’m not sure whether Friedman is playing in harmonic lock-step with an unorthodox Mustaine chord sequence (in particular, he spells out an E major chord, which is a harmonic curveball given the apparent key of B natural minor), or whether his note choices define a harmonically ambiguous power chord sequence. Either way, Friedman takes the listener on an unforgettable journey. The solo’s sparkling centrepiece is an ascending series of lilting, arpeggiated figures he plays over the third repetition of these chords, recapitulated to stunning effect in the high-velocity two-string arpeggios of the fifth. Mind blown.

A deeper breakdown of the creative process behind his other solos would have been a treasure trove for guitarists (“Tornado” aside, my own personal favourites are in “Poison was the Cure” (from Rust in Peace), “Be” (from Friedman’s album “Introduction”) and “River of Longing – Reprise” (from Jason Becker’s album “Collection”)). But it’s not a book that unpacks his playing in depth.

Ultimately, “Dreaming Japanese” lands at the intersection of multiple audiences: guitar obsessives, Megadeth diehards, rock memoir readers, and those fascinated by Friedman’s Japanese career. Some will want in-depth musical analysis, others tales of rock bacchanalia, and still others insights into the interior world of an artist they admire. The book reflects Friedman’s own eclectic career—a fascinating, if sometimes uneven, journey.

Despite its flaws, the man is redeemed by his music, and it’s perhaps there that the true Marty Friedman is to be found, not on the page. To be fair, Friedman the writer might not know exactly what’s going on under the bonnet of Friedman the musician. Indeed, it shows some integrity that he doesn’t come up with elaborate post-hoc rationalisations of what he was trying to achieve in a particular solo. He’s a deeply intuitive musician who can “literally just wing it”, as he’s said in interviews. That may be our loss as readers, but it remains our gain as listeners.

[Shashwat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I wanted to know about Marty Friedman's life - and more! The man pulls no punches, tells it straight as he sees (/saw) it, and gives all the juicy bits that MF fans (and fans of the golden years of Megadeth) like myself always wanted to read. From his formative years to his metal-defining gigs with top bands and players to his move to Japan, his struggles and accomplishments there... his autobiography delves into every little detail.

They say you should never meet your heroes. This is as close as I've ever come (and probably ever come) to know the man himself, and I'm more than glad - I'm over the moon - to have met him through this book, to know his process, his mindset, his quirks, and his devotion to music!
Long live MF! A must read for Marty Friedman fans.

Megadeth fans, the book has over a 100 pages of things you wouldn't get to read or see anywhere. Go ahead, buy it! Support your heroes, and keep rocking!

[FaithfulReviewer (Jacqueline) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Tantor Audio, the author and NetGalley for an LRC in return for an honest review

As one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, Megadeath were at their peak in the late 80s early 90s. This book goes behind the scenes and tells (in great detail) how Marty Friedman came to be in one of the most celebrated metal bands of all time. My partner at the time, in the 90s, was a total worshipper of the above mentioned metal bands. Whilst I was nowhere near to being a Metalhead, I did let him convince me to go to Slayer and Mettalica concerts with him, the latter actually turning out to be a fantastic experience! The only thing I gained from the Slayer concert was a neck I couldn't move properly for 2 weeks, as a result of really getting into the spirit of the night headbanging!

If you were/are a fan of Megadeath or a follower of Friedman's career pre and post megadeath, no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you are a casual fan there are parts of Friedman's life covered here, that are probably not universally known; like the fact that he is fluent in Japanese and now has a massive career in Japan, having relocated there in 2003. He is also the Ambassador of Japan Heritage and has written the official theme song for Japan’s Agency of Cultural Affairs.

My one issue with the audiobook is that I would've preferred to have listened to Marty Friedman narrate his own life story. Not that Eric Michael Summerer didn't do a good job, on the contrary he excelled with his clear and energetic narration. It's just that Friedman himself, shows how great a voice he has by narrating the introduction. In my opinion, if the author has a compelling voice (and this is definitely the case with Friedman) then they should narrate their own book. I find this is more authentic and has more of an emotional impact on the listener.

With regards to the book itself, I have one major qualm, which made me feel quite uncomfortable. The one thing Friedman should not have included is mentioning yet again, that G**y G*****r was one of his influences. He made this remark in the early 2000s and the comment hasn’t aged well. Many fans at the time were left uncomfortable or disappointed, so I think he should've respected their wishes and not repeated the insensitive words. He could've easily just stated that he was influenced by Glam Rock. I know there's the whole 'separating the Art from the Artist' debate. But I think it's widely accepted that the aforementioned criminal cannot be separated from his heinous crimes. I regret having to include this in my review, but I feel strongly about it. I believe it is a glaring oversight by the publishers, who should have removed this reference before the book’s release. So unfortunately that is one whole star I have deducted from the rating.

#DreamingJapanese #NetGalley

[Joe Colorado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting book by an amazingly talented guitarist. The book covers from his early childhood to almost the present day. He really has lived an amazing life, from his early career playing in multiple bands with varying (but ultimately low) degrees of success, to finally hitting it big with Megadeth. He then left Megadeth and every more amazingly, moved to Japan and became a huge star, both as a musician and hundreds of television gigs.
My biggest complaints are:
- the story abruptly goes from a teenager barely able to bend a string on a guitar, to a page later being able to play almost anything. For such an amazingly talent, would have been interesting to hear how he was able to develop his talents
- the story has some confusing gaps on not mentioning other members of his bands. For his first real band, Deuce, he mentions in detail every member but the singer, who gets a brief mention much later in the story. For his first band that had a real tour, Cacophany, he basically does not mention any other member except his friend and other guitar prodigy, Jason Becker. Just bad attention to detail.
- I think he really does fellow Megadeth member Nick Menza (who died fairly young) a disservice. He says multiple times that he looked bad, wasn't sure if he was on drugs or not, etc. Nick had tumors removed from his leg which made it difficult to play, and was eventually kicked out of Megadeth either because of that or because he lied to the frequently-relapsing dictatorial band leader, Dave Mustaine.
There are also some cringy childhood stories that would have been best left out.
The book is written well and is reads smoothly, but the above issues detracted from an otherwise good book. Probably worth it for a Megadeth fan or interesting in Japanese music, otherwise it's just ok.
I would say his music is amazing and I may catch him on his tour in Denver.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very eager to read this. I know Friedman from afar only but have followed his career a bit. I have friends who migrated to Japan and have been living there for a couple of years, am interested in the country, living there as a foreigner and have visited.
The book unfortunately functions as a personal show and tell as well as listing of situations where the author has been wronged or caught the short end of the stick, and is less about living in Japan or dreaming, or anything inspiring really. As I mentioned I don't know much about Friedman but after reading his book I don't feel like I would want to meet him despite what should feel like a successful life.

[Iosiv Basarab · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great memoir of a real rockstar (I mean, metalstar sounds strange, and popstar is reserved for others), from which one can find out that sex is the driving force behind a certain guitar hero who gave up drugs at an age when many of his peers haven't even started using.. different to the 'standard' rockstars, the career of the author of this book is different, as he quit one of the biggest metal bands out there to move to Japan, where he built a new life that did not necessarily evolve around music

[༺ Jason ༻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Marty’s work and love “The Lineup Era” in Megadeth. The book did shed some cool backdrop on his background and let’s face it the Megadeth era in its might. I’ve read a lot of bios but what I didn’t like was his seemingly fetish of many sex antics and too many details. Who freaking cares and that detailed stuff should be private. Seemed unnecessary and kind of disturbing….and it kept popping up..like an addict. Don’t know why anyone didn’t bring that up in the making of this book but yea that’s the vibe. Walked away less of a fan.
⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

[Satyajit Nadkarni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marty is a unique phenomenon / rockstar. His story is the triumph of a rock star who could adapt to a new culture, push past a lot of no's, May he's and find success on his own terms. I definitely recommend reading this to anyone who wonders how do stars shine so bright. Very interesting and entertaining read.

[Emrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I hope Dave doesn’t read this entire book, because he might go crazy :) There are quite a lot of implications in it. Mega-Tease (this made me laugh a lot). Besides that, thanks to Marty. I think he compiled a great bio. I read it without getting bored at all."

[Yon Heong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Marty Friedman but this book has too much sex fiend stuff and not enough exposition on his guitar playing skills. Still, it’s interesting to learn about his journey through the Japanese media landscape.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this book great is that it isn’t short, and it is Marty unfiltered. Marty clearly tells us exactly what he thinks about every situation he got into. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He doesn’t baby us. He just unloads every single bit we probably didn’t fully know we needed to know.

[Dillon Frantists · Rating 5 out of 5]

obviously 5 star bias cause i love Marty's music

[Michal Puchovský · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobre napísaná kniha plná paradoxných informácií o skvelom hudobníkovi.