In a new interview with Cassius Morris, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked if he would ever consider joining another band where he does not have complete creative control. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Let me make this completely clear. In my own Marty Friedman world, anything that’s got my name on it, my solo band, my solo albums, I have complete control over that. But I take a lot of people in who I respect their opinions, and I use their ideas very, very much. I am definitely not the type who has to have everything come from me. Of course I can veto anything, but you would be so surprised how many people’s ideas I take along the way — guitar techs, engineers, of course my band members, people that I hire. The reason I surround myself with the people I do is because I want their opinions, and I wanna get every single thing out of them that I can, and that’s a huge part of my music. So when you hear me, it’s a combination of everybody. It’s a combination of all the ideas and all of the identities of the people that I work with. That’s why I choose them. So, that’ll make that clear.”And another thing: I would be absolutely thrilled to join any band or any project that I enjoy and have absolutely no or little say in what goes on in it because I just love music,” he continued. “And if I love the music, I’m there. I will do it. I play in a lot of different projects in Japan and all around the world, all around the world. I just played in Jakarta with a girl named Isyana [Sarasvati], who I guess you would say might be the Beyoncé of Indonesia. And her music is very, very intense and heavy and very musical. And she called me to come down and play it at her show and collaborate with her on a single, and I just absolutely loved it.”So I am open for doing anything,” Marty added. “I just love music. In my world, I have the final say of it, but in any other world, I’m absolutely happy to not have the final say of it. And actually, I like not having the final say of it. I like to just play guitar and headbang and play my ass off. That’s a wonderful feeling too. So, I do everything. I just love music and I love to play huge situations, small situations in between. As long as I love the music, I’m in there, ’cause that’s what I do, that’s what I love to do.When Morris asked Friedman to clarify that he “wouldn’t rule out” joining another band, Marty said: “I wouldn’t rule anything out. I wouldn’t rule anything out at all. Of course, if I don’t like it, I would rule that out, if I don’t like the music. But you would be very surprised. I mean, people offer me stuff, and sometimes I take it. I love it. If I love the music, it wouldn’t matter if it’s a veteran or if it’s a brand new band. I would do it, man. I’m crazy. I love when people make music that appeals to me. It’s magical. So, I’m there, dude.”Friedman kicked off his “Live Drama 2025” U.S. tour on January 25 at Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas, Nevada.Friedman’s latest solo album, “Drama”, came out last May via Frontiers Music Srl.Recorded in Italy, “Drama” showcases Marty’s unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single “Illumination”, to the album’s breathtaking “Mirage” and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.Marty’s presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy “Hebimeta-san” (“Mr. Heavy Metal”) and its spinoff, “Rock Fujiyama”, which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan’s mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.Friedman’s autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.[embedded content]