TOKYO – Guitar icon Marty Friedman will follow the print release of his compelling autobiography last December, “Dreaming Japanese,” with an audiobook version via Recorded Books on June 24. The audiobook release is available to pre-order now across all digital platforms via Amazon here.
Written with veteran music journalist Jon Wiederhorn (“Louder Than Hell,” “Raising Hell”), “Dreaming Japanese” debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Heavy Metal Books chart and has received praise from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Decibel, and Publishers Marketplace. The autobiography shares Friedman’s inspiring journey from landing a gig as the lead guitarist for legendary thrash metal outfit Megadeth during their peak years to his emigration from the U.S. to Japan, where he became a prominent television figure and Japanese pop culture household name as well as being appointed an official Ambassador of Japan Heritage.
“I hope people can take away that there’s never a ‘right’ way to live your life,” says Friedman. “If you feel that pull to do something completely insane, something that everyone tells you is impossible, maybe you should listen to it. The normal tendency is to paint yourself in a good light, but what I find most interesting is when artists don’t do that. The humble beginnings, the failures, the total insanity—those are the moments that stick with people.”
“The book is really a journey that reveals Marty’s unwavering dedication, unwillingness to compromise, and continual triumph in the face of adversity,” says co-author Jon Wiederhorn. “From his greatest fantasies to his worst nightmares, It’s a testament to the resilience and determination of a multi-dimensional guitar hero who ranks right up there with the very best.”
The “Dreaming Japanese” audiobook delivers Friedman’s story with verve with a riveting narrative that captures his relentless perseverance as he struggled to start again from nothing. After spontaneously leaving his home in the US, to feeling lost in the middle of Tokyo with few connections or concrete plans, the story traces his journey to acclimate and assimilate into the inner core of an alien society, language and culture. In fascinating detail and clarity, Friedman shares how he gradually made inroads into the Japanese entertainment industry, becoming a household name and fixture on mainstream television and earning respect as a highly influential solo artist. “Dreaming Japanese” follows the wildly entertaining, inspiring, and above all, unprecedented path of a rock and roll guitar player who took the biggest risk: leaving worldwide success to start over from scratch in a country, culture and society far from his own and ultimately becoming an official ambassador of Japan.
From the adrenaline-soaked years touring the world with Megadeth—where he co-wrote some of the band’s most iconic albums like “Rust in Peace” and “Countdown to Extinction”—to his surreal reinvention as a lead guitarist in J-Pop acts and host of over 800 Japanese television shows, “Dreaming Japanese” reveals the wildly entertaining, deeply human, and often hilarious story of a man who risked everything to chase a new dream halfway across the globe.
About Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman`s presence in the world of music, the world of guitar, and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring.
Born in Washington D.C., Friedman first gained attention with the band Cacophony, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now legendary guitarist, Jason Becker. They released two groundbreaking albums and then Marty joined Megadeth in 1990, and over the next decade left his unmistakable sound on some of the most influential metal albums of all time. His breathtaking range and unorthodox musical contributions to Rust In Peace’ and Countdown To Extinction two years later made him an immediate icon as well as helped propel Megadeth to its career peak.
Since 2003, Friedman has lived in Tokyo where he has become a household name, even beyond the world of music. Fluent in the Japanese language, he’s appeared on over 800 Japanese TV shows of every variety, as well as motion pictures and commercials. He was also appointed an Ambassador of Japan Heritage by the Japanese Government.
Along with his Japanese activities, he consistently continues to release his ever evolving solo albums and touring for them in every corner of the world, to an ever growing and rabid fan base. Drama is his 16th and latest, and for lack of a better word the most elegantly dramatic album of his collection.
Since his previous release, 2020`s Tokyo Jukebox 3, Marty has toured Japan, Asia and the US three times, performed with 3 symphony orchestras and made several TV appearances, and performed at the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Marathon for the 6th time in a row. Worldwide touring for Drama has started and will find him and his band from Japan on his biggest tour ever.
