While many fans dreamed of a reformation of the classic Megadeth line-up around the cult album Rust In PeaceMarty Friedman recently revealed in his autobiography the reasons why this ambitious project never saw the light of day.
A project aborted in 2015
In 2015, after the departure of guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover, discussions took place to reunite the iconic lineup of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Nick Menza and Marty Friedman. This project would have marked the return of the musicians who participated in Rust In Peace in 1990.
During a meeting at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Friedman was asked to discuss a possible comeback. However, the negotiations quickly broke down, mainly due to financial disagreements. In his recently published autobiography, Dreaming JapaneseFriedman details the offer he received (via Blabbermouth) : “The amount offered was not even comparable to what I earned in Japan. It was pretty much my first salary when I joined Megadeth in 1990. If I had known they were going to offer me so little, I never would have gone to that meeting in Anaheim.”
Friedman says the offer would have involved a weekly salary less than what he earned in a single day in Japan.
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A missed opportunity with Iron Maiden
Despite these disagreements, Friedman said he was ready to accept a financial compromise for this project which would have included a tour with Iron Maiden: “Touring with Megadeth as support for Iron Maiden could have opened doors for me in America and allowed us to organize an even bigger tour afterwards. But even taking that into account, they were not willing to pay me what I asked for, even though this tour would have been extremely profitable for them.”
Friedman's take on Megadeth
Friedman also emphasizes that he was satisfied with his career in Japan, where he earned a good living while operating in an environment less marked by the internal tensions specific to Megadeth. He describes Megadeth as a “Dave Mustaine-centric operation,” without the camaraderie he would have hoped for in a collective project.
“If it had been a group where everyone shared leadership, I might have considered making concessions. But Megadeth is above all Dave Mustaine’s project, and I didn’t see the point in losing money on that.”
Internal tensions and musical context
Dave Mustaine, for his part, expressed frustrations with Friedman's financial demands, which he considered excessive. Mustaine also mentioned that Friedman wanted to include musical elements inspired by J-Pop, a direction that did not fit with the group's vision.
As for Nick Menza, the iconic drummer, he was approached to replace Drover in 2014, but he also rejected the offer, calling it “very unfair”. Tragically, Menza died in 2016 of a heart attack on stage.
A difficult decision for Friedman
Despite the initial disappointment, Friedman concluded that he was “perplexed and saddened” by the failure. However, he remains satisfied with his choice to focus on his career in Japan, where he continues to flourish artistically.
“I'm happy to do what I love in Japan, without the kind of problems we face with Megadeth. They needed me more than I needed them.”
