“I thought I was going to wind up being a mental patient”: How a terrifying acid trip in his teens set Marty Friedman on the path to guitar greatness
Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman has gained a number of pearls of wisdom throughout his long and successful career, and has spoken on the lessons he’d give his younger self given the opportunity.
And there’s one piece of advice he’d certainly give: “I would probably say, ‘Cool down on all the illegal substances.”
READ MORE: “I don’t wanna say ‘screwed the band over’, but it wasn’t a nice thing that I did”: Marty Friedman on his Megadeth exit
“I don’t think I’d even say that, because I got it all out of my system by the time I was 17,” he recalls in a new interview with YouTube channel The Neurotic Guitarist. “I was doing everything I loved, all the drugs, but acid was one that I never took.
While Friedman notes that, in the ’70s and ’80s, acid – LSD – was more associated with the hippie community than the “punk rocker, hard rock, heavy metal” community he was a part of, a group of friends convinced him to give it a go, resulting in a bad acid trip that would become a turning point for Friedman’s musical career.
“People have good trips and people have bad trips. And I think what I had was a very, very, very bad trip. I thought I was going to wind up being a mental patient if I ever came down from it because it was not going away.”
This experience caused Friedman to completely alter his perspective on his future in music. He adds, “While I was up there, I was like, ‘If I ever survive this, I swear to God, I’m not going to do anything but work on music and play music and become the best musician I can be. I’m not going to even take a sip of beer. ‘I’m not going to smoke a joint. I’m not going to do any more Quaaludes, no more coke, no nothing, all gone, everything going directly into music.’ And that’s basically what I did.”
Friedman’s terrifying acid trip ultimately became a defining moment in his life, pushing him to dedicate himself to his music pursuits. This commitment paid off, leading him to worldwide acclaim as a guitarist and songwriter. Although that night took an unexpected turn, it ultimately shaped his future and set him on the path to a successful career…
The post “I thought I was going to wind up being a mental patient”: How a terrifying acid trip in his teens set Marty Friedman on the path to guitar greatness appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
