At this month’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s ‘Metalmania III’ in Los Angeles, during the Q&A session, Marty Friedman reflected on why he wasn’t chosen by Ozzy Osbourne while discussing his audition for Ozzy’s band in the late 1980s.
The guitarist explained that his audition for Osbourne didn’t go well, and he believes it was largely due to his appearance. He recalled being excited when Sharon Osbourne called him for the audition, as he was struggling financially at the time. Although Marty felt his performance was good, the difference in style made him feel out of place, and he sensed that they wouldn’t blend well together. He then added:
“Being in a band is so much more than the playing. And, actually, the playing is kind of down on the list. If you have the same kind of vibe with the people, you can just kind of smell it: ‘This is the guy I wanna hang out with.’ And it was different on that level… They smelled like L.A., and I smelled like San Francisco, which was a different smell.”
Personality And Lifestyle In Band Chemistry
Friedman continued, detailing the differences in personal lifestyle:
“Neither of us smelled very good. But they were cool. Everybody played everything great. They were auditioning thousands of guys. So I didn’t get it. A band is just… it’s like more of the personalities between the people. Because there’s so many great players who can play every gig, you know what I mean?”
The Bigger Picture In Band Selection
The musician revealed how he now realizes that the decision involved more than just his musical performance, noting:
“It’s really about who do you wanna hang out with? I would have loved to have got the gig, but they were probably just getting ready to go back out drinking, and I’m not a very big drinker, so it wouldn’t have jelled so well. But at the time I was, like, ‘Oh, I played it perfectly. Why didn’t they call me back?’ But I get it [now].”
Even though he couldn’t be the new guitarist for Osbourne’s band, Friedman later tried out for Megadeth. His audition was successful, and he officially became a member of Megadeth in February 1990.
You can watch the rest of his Q&A session below.
