Marty Friedman: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview

Feature Photo by Shoma Yasukawa

Though many lump him in with thrash metal due to his membership in iconic bands, Cacophony (beside Jason Becker), and Megadeth (beside Dave Mustaine), iconic virtuoso, Marty Friedman, has proven time and time again that there’s more to the picture.

Friedman’s solo records, such as 1993’s Scenes, 2003’s Music for Speeding, 2006’s Loudspeaker, and his three-part Tokyo Jukebox series, prove that he’s fearless and capable of traversing many genres on a dime. And so, with his latest record, Drama, Freidman is kicking it up a notch, telling a story of an artist who has reached a level in life where he has nothing to prove but refuses to let off the gas.

“The Drama album is all about the romantic side of my music,” Friedman says. “I tried to write music that feels wistful, melancholy, and hopefully ultimately uplifting to listen to. This opened up tons of unexplored tonal possibilities for me.”

Cuts like “Illumination,” “Song for an Eternal Child,” and “Icicles” prove Friedman’s point. Drama is about the unexplored but also clearly about leveling up and what comes next. “Drama is a big growing album for me,” Friedman admits. “I used to believe vintage gear was useless junk for lawyers and gear nerds to squabble over.”

He concludes, “I now know from experience that there are some magical older instruments out there, and if they are well maintained, there is a lot of new wonderful music to come out of them. For my material, which is attempting to evoke tears and chills, having this new outlook on my instruments of choice couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

On the trail promoting Drama, Marty Friedman beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to discuss new music, embracing new gear, career growth and perceptions, and more.

Going into your new record Drama, what sorts of sounds tone-wise were you searching for?

Getting sounds always happens organically as the project takes shape, with little effort. But this time on Drama was quite different from my other albums because I had unlimited access to what is likely the most elaborate collection of expertly maintained vintage guitars and amps in the world, along with a master guitar tech and artisan amp builder choosing separate rigs for each guitar part. It was absolutely sick! The guy was literally changing tubes between takes to home in on the ultimate tones for each part. This extra work is definitely noticeable when you hear the album.

A lot of people have perceptions of you based on your last gigs, and they make assumptions about how your guitar sound should or will be. Is that fair?

All artists are responsible for making their music sound exactly the way they want themselves to be represented, regardless of anyone’s expectations. Sounds evolve, people evolve, playing evolves, and life experiences color the sound and feeling of any artist’s work. Music is not like KFC, where you are not supposed to mess with the recipe—although as a fan, sometimes I wish it was.

Having said that, “Illumination” feels triumphant and deeply musical. What approach and gear lent itself to that?

Thank you! As with every song on the album, and every single melody, solo, or backing part, I played my part on guitar, and super-tech and guitar guru Franco Piona would suggest his best recommendation of a guitar and an amp for that particular part. Still, a piece of music is only as good as the music itself. Great gear only magnifies the nuances, good or bad.

And how about “Thrill City?” It’s sort of a quick-paced outlier. Was that intentional? What gear did you use?

This song, the only up-tempo, aggressive metal track on the album, was put in the lineup to give the remaining ten ballads more depth by contrast. Most of my albums are mainly full-power tunes, except for one or two heart-tugging ballads. I flipped the script on this album and did the exact opposite. I used my Jackson MF-1 signature model on this and “Mirage.” For the rest of the album, I used Franco’s vintage guitar collection for just about everything.

As I understand it, you were more open to vintage tube amps this time around. What brought that on?

I have always preferred tubes to anything else, although some breathtaking things are happening with simulators these days. My Signature amp, the ENGL Inferno, is a beast of a tube amp and is what I use for most things, recording and live. But on Drama, I also used lots of vintage Fender amps and other rare amps, all prepared and maintained by Franco, who is a genius. I was very fortunate to have him working on this album.

Are you preparing to forgo some of your new kit for vintage gear on the road, too?

No. My Jackson MF-1 signature model can do an excellent job of getting great tones that cover everything close enough for playing live. I would need to take around 30 vintage guitars on the road to replicate all the nuances of the Drama album. Live, I am much more interested in making good interpretations of the melodies and giving an entertaining performance than staying faithful to the gear used on the recording. Plus, most of those vintage guitars look like coffee tables.

Is your trusty Maxon pedal still your always-on pedal, or have you added to the chain?

I haven’t added anything. I use the Maxon AF-9 on almost all melodies and solos, except when they get a little fast. When you are playing fast, clarity is what makes the lines really pop out and sound exciting. Any pedal, especially an envelope filter like the Maxon, just makes fast lines sound muddy. It is wonderful, though, for slow lines.

I’ve seen promo shots of you with a Strat. That was a sight to see for those of us used to seeing you with Jacksons and various “shred” guitars.

Yes, it is rare to be able to play exquisitely maintained ’57 Strats, Teles, and all the other vintage guitars on Drama, which were cherry-picked for the guitar parts they were used on. What an ideal situation! I’m spoiled now.

Overarching, I love how this record tells a story, which, to me, is almost a snapshot of your arc to this point; it feels person, and the closing three tracks are proof.

Thank you! Storytelling is a good word when you are talking about any kind of music. It is quite the challenge to tell a story without words, but that has always been my goal, and I believe I have figured out my own way to do it.

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