By the time Megadeth were gearing up for what would become Rust in Peace, Dave Mustaine was still searching for a new guitarist to replace the then-fired Jeff Young.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Mustaine revisited the moment he first encountered about-to-be-hired guitarist Marty Friedman, tracing it back to a single CD sitting on a counter in Megadeth‘s management office. “Marty‘s CD, Dragon’s Kiss [1988], had been sitting on the counter in the management’s office, and I remember walking past it. The cover was this black picture with bright orange lettering on it, and it was pretty eye-catching. But I just couldn’t do it because of his hair.”
Pressed on what exactly was wrong with it, Mustaine didn’t hold back. “He had two different colors in his hair. His hair was black from the roots down to about his ear line, and then it was red all the way down to his armpits. I thought, ‘I can’t do this.'”
When Friedman arrived to audition, he didn’t exactly inspire confidence. “So, he came in, and he walked in with a Carvin, which wasn’t a company renowned for its guitars,” Mustaine said, still amused decades later. “He had this ADA rackmount unit, but I don’t know what it was for or how he thought it was going to help him. [Laughs]”
At that point, Mustaine was already a veteran of modest success and well-stocked gear rooms… which worked quite well. “And when it came time to do the solo, Marty just popped in. We’ve been through guitar player after guitar player, and we get to the solo part in ‘Wake Up Dead’, and he nails it. I just thought, ‘Oh, my God…’ and I reached behind me, turned off my wireless, went out and called my manager and said, ‘I think we’ve got him.'”
Before Friedman entered the picture, the shortlist read like a metal hall of fame. Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash had been jamming with Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, but ultimately stayed put. Pantera‘s Dimebag Darrell was offered the job, only for talks to collapse when Mustaine refused to bring in Dimebag‘s brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, having already committed to Menza. Savatage‘s Criss Oliva declined, unwilling to leave his band. A teenage Jeff Loomis impressed, but at just 18, Mustaine felt he was too young.
Friedman, by contrast, came with no hype. He was suggested by Ron Laffitte, a member of Capitol Records management, who had heard Dragon’s Kiss, Friedman‘s solo debut recorded after his time in shred outfit Cacophony. Friedman would join Megadeth between 1990 and 2000, and then go on to be the absolute biggest deal in Japan.
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