Megadeth's Dave Mustaine recalls 'weirdness' between him and Marty Friedman

Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman
Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman performing live (Image credit: Getty)

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine says there was a “weirdness” between him and former guitarist Marty Friedman.

The frontman compares the frosty relationships he had with previous guitarists Friedman, Jeff Young and Chris Poland with his close rapport with Kiko Loureiro.

When asked if different guitar players affect his own style, Mustaine tells Interactive Guitar Magazine: “There’s not really that much of a difference when you’re playing with guitar players, but there is something that’s of a personal nature.”

He adds: “I feel that the couple of months I’ve been with Kiko, we have become very close friends. And there was a weirdness with Marty that – and my bassist David Ellefson will concur – we could not cross that barrier, that he would just not let people in.

“Poland and I had a very turbulent time, and Jeff Young and I never really got that close either. With Kiko, we have so much fun goofing around and doing silly stuff all the time.

“I think that’s important, because when you leave home and you’re gone for this long, and you’re with a guy that you barely know, it can be really bad.”

Friedman left Megadeth in 2000 after recording five albums with the band, including Rust In Peace and Countdown To Extinction. He later moved to Japan where he has lived since 2003 and has built a successful career as a TV personality.

Mustaine previously branded the assumption that he is “difficult to work with” a “terrible lie.”

Megadeth will kick off the South American leg of their tour in support of 15th studio album Dystopia next month.

Megadeth remaining tour dates 2016

Aug 02: Santiago Teatro Caupolican, Chile
Aug 07: Sao Paulo Espaco Das Americas, Brazil
Aug 12: Brasilia Net Live, Brazil
Aug 13: Fortaleza Siara Hall, Brazil
Aug 20: Ascuncion Independiente, Paraguay
Aug 22: Buenos Aires Luna Park, Argentina

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.