I remember seeing the above video of ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman's apperance on a Japanese cooking show a while back and thinking "Huh. Look at him all speaking Japanese and junk. Weird." I figured he had just been touring there for so long that he had picked up the language and blended into the culture.
Well, it turns out that things have gone much further than that. Friedman is an all out Japanophile. He did learn a lot about Japanese music through his tours, but unlike most metal maniacs he instantly fell in love with the J-pop scene.
Otaku USA's Patrick Macias has written up an interview with Friedman for The Japan Times. As Friedman explains it:
"Toward the middle of my time in Megadeth, like around the mid- to late-'90s, I started really getting into Japanese music. At first it was B'z, Zard, Hitomi, Glay and Ayumi Hamasaki. Every time we'd come to Japan for a tour, I'd go back home with a suitcase full of CDs and listen to them constantly.
I found that you can listen to a J-pop artist in Japan and they might have one really heartfelt ballad and then a death-metal track and then a disco track or a ska sound, but it's all the same artist on the same album, and with good songwriting all the way through. This made me think, 'I wish I had that kind of freedom in the States,' because if you're a metal musician in the U.S., you can't really step outside of that image very much. I love metal, but there are a lot of other things that I like, too, and I found that Japanese artists have way more freedom in that sense."
Friedman's time away from the American market has given him some unique insight into the way the two cultures approach various genres.
"In the States, you either love heavy metal or hate it," says Friedman. "The mainstream pretty much avoids it. The sound of distorted guitars turns some people off. But here in Japan, everyone is kind of used to it. In the enka music that older people listen to, there are distorted guitars and twin lead guitar solos, just like Iron Maiden use. But people's grandparents here sing along to it!"
[...]
"Also, if someone is too good, it kind of makes them seem distant from their audience, which is not a good thing in Japan. If you are at a U2 concert, it's not like you are in the same room with Bono: he's on Mars and you are in the audience. But in Japan, it doesn't matter how big you get, the artists are trying to close the gap between the stage and the audience."
[...]
"The music in America is depressing now. I don't like it when rich people make angry music. It's not convincing to me. One thing that bummed me out about Megadeth was that we were acting like we were angry all the time, and I'm not that good of an actor. I've found that in Japan you can play hard, heavy and aggressive music and it can still be uplifting."
Make sure to check out the entire interview for much more.
Also, check out the jump for a few more wacky videos featuring Friedman on Japanese TV.
This guy speaks the absolute truth. I agree with everything
I don't think it's just Japan, either. I mean Jungle/D'n'B plays on the hip hop/urban station in the UK and Futurepop, Goth and Metal are pretty much mainstream music genres in other parts of Europe. Not to mention how much easier they take to newer music in general. At least, it seems that way.
The rest of the world craps all over us when it comes to big music festivals, as well.
He speaks for all of us who fell in love with Japanese music. It's great to see someone like Friedman express what we all feel. I still hold out hope that there will be someone who can break the mold here, unlikely as it seems. At least J-music is growing in popularity here. :)
Marty Friedman is the man.
WOW! I really dug his new album, LOUDSPEAKER and I've been curious to hear him speak japanese since he's been living in Japan. This is really cool. Thanks for the videos.
0 comments
