Around a decade ago, the idea came about for Megadeth’s “Rust In Peace” lineup to reunite. Arguably the band’s most influential album, “Rust In Peace” featured singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine, guitarist Marty Friedman, bassist David Ellefson and drummer Nick Menza. The reunion talks were sparked after the departures of then-guitarist Chris Broderick and then-drummer Shawn Drover.
Friedman described why the reunion didn’t happen in his new autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese,” saying the salary offer was unacceptable. “Let’s just say he wasn’t even in the ballpark,” Friedman wrote of the offer he got from Megadeth’s manager at the time. “Hell, he wasn’t even in the parking lot for the ballpark. The amount they offered was right around the first salary I got when I joined Megadeth in 1990. If I’d had any idea they would lowball me like this, I never would have met with them in Anaheim. Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan. I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it. I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan.”
Megadeth’s manager also floated the possibility of the reunited band touring with Iron Maiden, which was appealing to Friedman. “I was willing to take the financial hit because a reunion tour with Megadeth opening for Iron Maiden could open doors for me again in America,” Friedman explained. “And what followed could be a bigger tour than anything we had previously done. Even if they met my rate, the tour would have been a huge windfall for them. They easily could have agreed to that, and the reunion would have been on, but they said I wanted too much money.”
Friedman added: “I was happy with my career in Japan, doing what I loved, making real money without the kind of drama that comes with Megadeth. They didn’t even acknowledge they had just lost their guitarist and drummer and needed me more than I needed them. When I got over my initial anger, I was puzzled and sad.”
Mustaine previously explained his side of things in an interview with Loudwire. “Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money,” Mustaine said. “And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he’s gone instead of just himself. ‘Cause I thought we’ll pay you what you’re making so that’s switching horses in the middle of the river — it’s no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, ‘I can’t deal with this.'”
