Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater)

Interviewed by Shawn Pelata

May 3, 2001

Dream Theater has to be, without a doubt, the single most popular progressive metal band in the world today, bar none. With their 1993 sophomore release Images & Words, they set the standard by which future bands in the genre will be measured for decades to come. With landmark albums like Awake, and the concept epic Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory, they continue to surpass themselves and leave all others gasping for breath just trying to catch up. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with drummer, co-producer, and outspoken band spokesman Mike Portnoy (during a short break in recording sessions for their next masterpiece) about life, music, and the future of Dream Theater.

MP: Are you recording?

SP: Yes I am.

MP: Cool. Hello! (laughs)

Hello! (laughs) All right, here we go. I haven't seen the DVD yet, unfortunately. But by all accounts it's just outstanding. What was your biggest challenge in putting that whole thing together?

Uh...well, my biggest challenge is now! (laughs) Dealing with the incapable people that are, (laughs) you know, not doing their jobs and getting them in stores. And then once they put them in stores, they put the wrong one in stores. Now, it's the hassle of getting them out of the stores and getting the right ones in. There's been a whole backlash since the release of the...at least the PAL version. That's been the most difficult thing. The making of it was incredibly difficult...incredibly time consuming...but incredibly satisfying and enjoyable for me. I mean, I loved it. That's what I've been dreaming of doing. So, the making of it, although...as rough as it was, it was thoroughly enjoyable. I feel I did my job to the best of my abilities and I'm 100% satisfied with the outcome. It was once I delivered the end product to the people at the label, and so on and so forth...you know, the manufacturers and stuff like that...that’s when the errors started coming in. That's been incredibly frustrating for me. But, I can only do so much while it's in my hands. Once it's out of my hands, it's almost out of my control.

Yeah. I've noticed on the message boards and stuff, people complaining that they can't get a hold of it. like, “I go to my store and it's not there!”. That's why I don't have it yet. I've been calling my store for, like, a week and a half and they're saying, “We don't have it yet!”.

Like I said, it all has to do with things that are out of my hands once the creative process is done. Elektra, and some of the people involved in the manufacturing of this thing have definitely done, uh...(laughs) have made some mistakes with the way they've handled this whole thing. Beyond the manufacturing of the wrong master, the also, uh...the release in America, for some reason, all the major retailers are holding onto it ‘'til May 8th even though it was released April 24th. So, the whole thing is shrouded in controversy and mishaps. But, you know, like I said, my part in it I am 100% satisfied with.

You were the first member of Dream Theater to break away with your own website. What was the initial motivation behind http://www.mikeportnoy.com , and how do you think it has helped Dream Theater as a whole?

Actually the irony is that I was the first current member to break away with my own website. At the time Derek (Sherinian) was still in the band, Derek had a http://www.dereksherinian.com . He was the first person to break away and have one. So I said, “Wait a second! What the fuck!” (both laugh). “If any band member is going to have a website, it's going to be me!” (both laugh). So, as soon as Derek got one, I had to get one and everybody followed suit from there. Basically, Dave Hatley approached me years ago. I guess he emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in it. We were on tour, so when we went to his town I gave him some after show passes and I met with him. Basically I said, “Ok, show me what you got.” And he ended up coming up with a great site, which has kind of become a real home for Dream Theater fans all around the world. I'm thankful that my site has been so successful. And Dave has now passed it on to Mark Bredius and Mike Brown who have just taken over. So, we begin the new chapter of mikeportnoy.com.

You are joining John Petrucci on the G3 Tour. How did that whole thing come about?

Well, um, my end of it came about just by John simply asking me to do it! (laughs) You know? John's involvement came about by Joe (Satriani) and Steve Vai asking him to do it.

It was that simple...

It is that simple. Basically, John was offered the gig. He took it. And then John offered me the gig, and I took it. You know, I actually am very flattered that John asked me to do it, to be honest. Because, he could have very easily have gone out and done this on his own and not been willing to share the spotlight with any Dream Theater members.  Like I said, I'm flattered and I admire the fact that he feels such a close connection with me musically, and personally, that he would not mind sharing the spotlight with me. So I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be fun. And for me it's going to be a really different role because I'm really...almost like a hired gun on this thing. As soon as John asked me, I said “Look, if you want my opinion, if you want my input just ask for it.” But I said, “If you don't ask for it, I'm not going to give it”. Because it's not going to be like Dream Theater where I'm totally in control of every aspect. I don't want to step on his toes with this thing. It's his gig. So, I'm actually just coming along as a drummer, you know? I'm not going to write the set list, I'm not going to write the music. I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to come play drums and, for me, it's going to be a refreshing change of pace.

So what will you be playing? Some Dream Theater stuff? Some Liquid Tension (Experiment) maybe? New stuff?

Uh...in respect to John, and the fact that I'm the hired gun for this thing, I'm not going to talk about it. You know? It's his gig and what he chooses to share and discuss in public is up to him. For once, I'm keeping my mouth shut! (both laugh) First time ever! (both laugh)

I've noticed that you and John (Petrucci) have really picked up the ball in terms of backing vocals. It adds another dimension to both your records and your shows. What led to the decision to add this as an element to your sound? Because I noticed, early on, it really wasn't part of the live thing.

Right.

Then it started creeping in with you and John picking up the background vocals.

Well, he and I have always been very involved in the writing of the melodies, as well as the lyrics. So, he and I have always, you know, written a lot of these melodies and background vocals and stuff like that. So, when we're working on the music and writing the music and demo-ing it, a lot of times he and I...we’ll sing , you know, on the demos and so on. You know? If it's a song that I wrote lyrics to, like “Home” or “Strange Deja-Vu”, or any of these songs that I've written to I'll usually demo the songs with me singing them. And John will do the same, and then (we'll) bring them in for James to hear. After a while we both decided, you know, we're doing this in rehearsal and we're doing it on the home demos of the songs we might as well get involved and try to add some dimension to the harmony of the vocals. We've always been (fans) of bands with multiple voices, whether it be Yes, or Pink Floyd, or The Beatles, Queen. And we've always wanted to do that. At first we kind of shied away from it because we were so wrapped up in our own instruments. But, as time went on and John and I were becoming more and more involved in the writing of the lyrics and the melodies, and the production of the records, we just took over and started doing it.

I think it's very cool. Because I'm a fan of that, too. I'm a fan of bands, like you said, like The Beatles, and King's X where they do that sort of thing.

Right.

It's just a really cool element to have. On top of everything else you guys have, that kind of put the cherry on top of it, you know what I mean?

And I love it because I've even gotten to take it a step further with Transatlantic. That's such a vocal oriented project. With all four of us singing, and in a lot of cases all four of us even trading leads and stuff like that. It's been fun for me. I mean, I don't consider myself a great singer, but I don't think it takes a great singer to create harmony. If you look at Yes, Steve Howe and Chris Squire don't have the greatest voices but it's the diversity of the sound of each of their voices that creates an interesting style or sound to the vocals.

That leads up to this question. What's up with Transatlantic?

Well, we finished our second album, which will be out, I guess, late summertime. It's being mixed right now. And that's it. There's not much to report. It's an amazing album. I think it even topped the first one. It's just something we're all really excited about. We really think we made some magical music once again and we can't wait for people to hear it. Hopefully (at) the end of summer or early fall.

Can we touch on the Queensryche thing for just a second?

You can touch on whatever you'd like. (both laugh)

This question just popped in here because just a few days ago I read a brand new interview with Geoff Tate (Queensryche). He was asked to comment on something you said on the Metal Sludge site.

Is it the, uh...

You said “Queensryche has recorded some of the biggest piles of shit in the 90’s”.

Right, well I saw a few weeks ago where he said “Who is Mike Portnoy and who cares what he says...”

That's what he said, and I wanted to know what you thought about that. He said “Who is Mike Portnoy and why should I care what he thinks or says?”.

Well, that's just his way of saying “no comment”. He obviously knows exactly who I and Dream Theater are. So, that's just his way of saying “no comment”. I guess he's learned to bite his tongue a little better than I have. I don't pull punches. If somebody crosses me or pisses me off I'm going to tell them like it is. For better or for worse. But the fact of the matter is the Metal Sludge interview should be taken for what it is. Metal Sludge is the type of website, and they do those 20 questions, which are trying to provoke the artist to say controversial things. So when I'm doing an interview on Metal Sludge, I'm going to play along.

And I'm sure part of him knows that too.

And the fact of the matter is, you can take that quote out of context. You're only hearing half the quote. If you actually look at the entire quote it's the fact that I said that they (Queensryche) made some of my favorite records of the 80’s...I said something to the effect of...”The band that made some of my favorite records of the 80’s made some of the biggest piles of shit in the 90’s.”. I'm not completely dissing them. I'm giving them credit for making, you know, Rage For Order and Operation: Mindcrime, which I absolutely love and which were big, big records for me in the 80’s. so, you know, I'll give credit where credit is due. But, I'll also...I’m not going to pull any punches where that is due as well.

Somebody told me you call your recent drum kit the “Siamese Twin”?

“The Siamese Monster”.

“The Siamese Monster”, that's it. what gave you the idea for “The Siamese Monster”?

well, I knew I wanted to create a new kit for this album and tour. Because I had my last kit, which was called “The Purple Monster”, “The Green Monster” and “The Red Monster”. I've had that set-up now for the past two albums and tours. So I knew I wanted something new. Basically, my idea for this kit was to combine the two different sets that I've been using. I've been using my typical, Dream Theater, big, mammoth double bass kit. But then I've also been using a smaller kit for the side projects with Transatlantic and LTE and also a lot of clinics. And I really have come to enjoy playing on a smaller set. So this was a way of combining both kits into one giant Siamese twin. I can actually play some songs on the left side of the kit, and I can play some songs on the right side of the kit. And there are a lot of drums and cymbals that actually sit right in the middle of the two and are utilized on both simultaneously. It's a very interesting set-up, I've never seen anything quite like it. And it's definitely going to freak people out when I get the real thing out there on the road.

You've been a dad for a few years...

It's been four years as of yesterday.

Had a birthday yesterday?

Yeah, it was my daughter's fourth birthday.

Oh, well, happy birthday to her. Do you find it more difficult to be away from home now when touring?

Yeah, definitely. It's the hardest thing for me, and for the rest of the guys as well who are also all fathers. But, luckily we're in a position in our career where we can afford to bring our families out with us, you know? Financially we can do it and also in terms of the support of the other band members. Because everyone can kind of relate. We get to do that as much as possible and that makes it easier. But it is definitely hard. I miss the hell out of my kids even when I just away for a single day.

What's the best practical joke either you had played on you or you played on someone else?

Oh boy...uh...I probably could come up with a much better answer, but off the top of my head me and Dave Hatley played a pretty cool practical joke on the fans for April Fool’s concerning the new drum set. It just so happened that we debuted the picture and information about my new kit, “The Siamese Monster”, towards the middle of March or whatever. So, people started to talk about how they thought it was an April Fool’s joke. So then Dave and I decided to actually, on April Fool’s Day to turn around and say “Ok, you got us. You're right”. It thoroughly confused everybody because it was like a total Andy Kaufman twist where people couldn't tell if we were telling the truth or not. Or what was the truth and what was the lie. Even now I think there's people who really don't understand (laughs) what is truth and what is fiction.

Would you consider yourself a spiritual person at all? What is your philosophy of life?

Uh, I've never really been a very spiritual person at all. But, uh, in the past year or so I have learned a lot about spirituality, and a higher power, and belief in a higher power. It's been a big part of my life (for) the past year or so. So it is something that I'm slowly developing. But up until this past year I never really have been. So it's something that's very new for me. My philosophy of life...that’s been pretty well documented. Carpe Diem. It's something that I totally live my life by and dates back to when my mom dies in 1984. To a situation that we had the night that she was killed. It's a very long involved story. If you go to my website, if you go to the “Ask Mike” section the details are in there. Or maybe the FAQ has it. but anyway, it was a really, really heartfelt, emotional lesson that I learned and that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Would you ever consider touring with Chromakey or Planet X?

Uh, I don't think so. First of all, I don't think Chroma Key will ever tour. And if they do, I don't think Kevin (Moore) would ever want to tour with us. That's just the way he is. I know that he's trying to disassociate himself from us and the whole progressive metal world. So, I think that's out of the question. As far as Planet X goes...you know Derek has even said to me that he would be willing to do it. but, I think it's just a little awkward, maybe, on behalf of the other guys. I get along well with Derek, but I know there's got to be some resentment after what happened in the past few years. So, I don't think it's a reality. I don't think I would personally mind it, but there's lots of people and lots of feelings involved.

Ok, let's get to the good stuff here. How's the new Dream Theater record coming? Bring us all up to date on what's happening with that.

Um, there's not much to tell. We've been here (Bear Tracks Studios) since March. And the way we're looking at the calendar we should be working on it through September. It's going great. It's not a concept album. Its very diverse. It's very experimental. And, uh, we're having a great time writing it. but I'm not going to give out much more detail than that.

Ok, well than I can eliminate my next two questions then. (both laugh)

Well, you can ask them, you know, but...

Well I was going to ask if it was going to be a concept record, you already said no.

Definitely not. Been there, done that.

How do you see it being different from past Dream Theater records?

Every album we make is going to be different. We never want to repeat ourselves. That's one reason we would never consider doing another concept album back to back with Scenes From A Memory. But, every time we make a record we want to try new things. What's going to make this one different is it's the first album of individual songs we've written with Jordan (Rudess) now in the band. So this is the first time this line-up has made this type of record. John and I are producing again so we have a lot of artistic control. And we're just doing a lot of experimenting. We're trying to do different things. We don't ever want to keep making the same record. And hopefully the new things we experiment with and try will be things that the fans are interested in hearing.

In the years to come, what would be some signs to you that it's time for Dream Theater to hang it up?

I think the only thing that will break this band up is when we can't get along anymore, or whatever. But I think, uh, I think we really make really good music together. And we have a really great chemistry together. Three of us now have been doing this almost 16 years. So, we have a real history together. We've been playing together now almost as long as we haven't been playing together. Pretty much half our lives at this point. So there's a real history. And as long as the fans keep supporting it, as long as we're able to do this for a living I think we will. If ever it gets to the point where we don't have creative control anymore then I think we might hang it up. I mean, it almost got to that point a few years ago. It's been documented elsewhere, my feelings on that period. But, it got to the point back in ’97, ’98 where the label was controlling us too much. And we were losing a lot of creative control. At that point I was ready to walk away and call it a day. And luckily we gave it another shot and regained our control from the label, and from management. We got rid of working with outside producers. We totally re-took our music back. And that's rejuvenated us a lot. I, personally, have needed to have that control over my career in order to be happy. So, as long as I continue to feel that sense of control over my own career, I could do this forever.

Note – the Geoff Tate interview mentioned can be found here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20010411031134/http://www.rockreunion.de/interviews/queensrycheinterview.htm