Jens Johansson interview (excerpt)

It’s all from Seventies, I think, because in the Eighties many metal bands used keyboards in some bombastic way, not as proper instruments for soloing. All from Deep Purple and this like, yes?

JJ: Exactly. I saw a lot of that as well, of course, but, back in the Eighties, what I was doing I was the only one playing solos, I guess. I don’t think there was any other keyboard player doing it then. But it started getting better again in the Nineties, in ‘91, with bands like Dream Theater that used to do things like keyboard solo. I think, it’s good.

What’s not good, I think, is that too many bands now have Dream Theater for a blueprint not trying to create something their own.

JJ: You mean, not good for Dream Theater? (Laughs.) I guess, they like Dream Theater and it’s always like that. I don’t like it so much either, but, I guess, they’re free to do it and I’m free not to listen to it, basically. Of course, it’s not so good although some of them do something new, like the band Meshuggah, a very good band that make something completely new.

What about your involvement in Dream Theater? Some time ago news had it that you were going to join them.

JJ: Yes, but it was a bit complicated situation there. Basically, it was pretty clear that I was going to join them but they changed their minds as they wanted to have a wider selection of people to pick from. Then I said I don’t care for that type of bullshit. But that was a long time ago, like ‘94. It’s as simple as that, it was all silly, I thought, it was a bit strange situation. It was when Kevin Moore had actually left the band so, I think, there was a bit of stress, they didn’t know what to do. A strange situation for them – one of the members that actually formed the band, he leaves right before the tour, that’s what he did. There was a lot of pressure. But since, they had quite good keyboard player anyway – they’re the band that always had good keyboard players, so whatever happened was the best.