MARTY FRIEDMAN Interview Page 3
By Erik Fong

SW: What's the last dumb thing you've done?
MF: I'm not that dumb, but I do a lot of medium-dumb things. I was on a train here in Japan, and I fell asleep, and I didn't get off when I was supposed to transfer. When I woke up, I was at the same station that I started at, and it was the last train of the night. I was about an hour away from my house. I had to get a taxi, which cost a fortune. I felt like a complete idiot. That was pretty dumb.

SW: Name three guitar players in music today who you think will be considered legends in 20 years.
MF: I don't think being a "living legend" is important. I think it's more important to concentrate on making your guitar fit within the context of making good music and making music that a lot of people enjoy. For example, look at Jimi Hendrix: He's known for revolutionizing guitar. But I can only name maybe two of his songs, and I can't hum any of his melodies. But take a guy like Brian May [Queen]; I can name about 50 songs and I can hum all the solos. Look at Keith Scott [Bryan Adams] - in one shot, in the solo to "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," he probably sold more records with that one song than Jimi Hendrix in his whole career. So who's the legend here? It's all in relative terms. I just look at the guys who have entertained me personally, I don't even know their names, but bands like Linkin Park and Trust Company - and f**k, I love Andrew WK. There's so much great guitar being played right now. None of these guys are going to be like Hendrix, but as far as taking guitar to the next level and putting it into a context that we can enjoy, I think they speak volumes.

SW: Since you're so well versed on international music, I've got an exercise for you: I'll name a country and you recommend an artist from that country. Ready, aaaaaand... go: Italy.
MF: Oddly enough, it might not be a lot of people's cup of tea, but the band's name is Pooh. It's the stupidest name in rock, but the guitar player's really good and the music is really romantic. It's sort of like Chicago in the '80s when they started getting those big David Foster ballads, but it's more romantic. The ultimate stuff to play with your girlfriend. They're huge in Italy but rock fans seem to not like them.

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