In his new autobiography, ‘Dreaming Japanese,’ Marty Friedman slammed Megadeth’s ‘weird’ pay offer for the ‘Rust In Peace’ lineup reunion.
“Let’s just say he wasn’t even in the ballpark,” the guitarist recalled the salary offer from Mehadeth’s former manager Ron Lafitte for him to rejoin the band. “Hell, he wasn’t even in the parking lot for the ballpark. The amount they offered was right around the first salary I got when I joined Megadeth in 1990.”
He added, “If I’d had any idea they would lowball me like this, I never would have met with them in Anaheim. Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan. I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it.”
“I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan,” Friedman further shared.
Friedman also talked about why he turned down the Megadeth reunion in Mustaine’s book, ‘Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece,’ which talks about the making of ‘Rust In Peace.’
The musician explained, “My main thing was I’d be happy to do it, but I’m not going to take less money than I’m already making to do it. I’d been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.”
“Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join Megadeth again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go,” he said. “But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn’t seem like they had too much to offer musically.”
Marty reunited with Megadeth in 2023 in Tokyo and at this year’s Wacken Open Air. ‘Dreaming Japanese’ was released on December 3 by Permuted Press.
