Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy

translated by Bruno Biordi

Hard Force: Why didn’t you put the song ‘A Change Of Seasons’ on the I&W album?

Mike Portnoy: Our label ask us to remove it from the album the first day of recording. Strange start,no? We have argued a long time (laugh)! They thought the song was too long but they promised to us that they will release it later. Six years after, it’s done!

HF: It was easy to found the original ‘state of mind’ of the song after so many years?

MP: Our ‘state of mind’ have changed a lot. The song was written in 1989, post-produced in 1991 for ‘Images & Words’ and sometimes played live in 1993. After two years, the title was re-animate! When we have got the decision to record the EP, we have changed the title for 1995. Lyrics was changed too. My live was so ‘perturbed’ all these years, that’s why some parts was totally out!

HF: How to include lyrics in these complex intrumental parts?

MP: We used to do intrumental parts first. I needed a concept for ‘Iwages & Words’ because my ideas couldn’t be putted on short six minutes songs. That’s the reasons why we have decided to write that long song. Step by step, we have discovered the evolution of a man and his apprenticeship of the life. The general idea turns around the life of this man. It’s a metaphor on the base of the change of seasons and the change of climate during a year.

HF: Is that man have relation with you?

MP: The story is invent but some things are gettibg from my own live. The song refear to the principle of ‘Carpe Diem’, like an appreciation of all we can do in our lives. That part refears to one epoch : The death of my mother. I wanted to write about that for riding out that bad moment.

HF: After recording the covers in january 1995, it was for doing an EP?

MP: No, we have done that concert for fun. Only for playing covers on stage. We recorded it because we knew that we will use it -But not how and when?-. When a lot of people have listened that fact, they have plagued us with questions. We finally arrange ‘A Change Of Seasons’ and the covers only for satisfy our fans!

HF: Is it true that the fans claim ‘A Change Of Seasons’ via Internet?

MP: It’s fun because no members of Dream Theater have a computer. Some bands have a fan club connected to Internet, and our fans seems to be totally tear! Inspired by one of our first composition ‘Majesty’, they have made the electronic fan club called ‘Ytsejam’. They exchange bootlegs,news, and they talk about the group. So many guys are implicated ,that they know Dream Theater better than our family (laugh)! When we have played ‘A Change Of Seasons’ live, fans have got the bootleg with the song. Then, they have sent a petition to our manager with hundreds letters, these last with the order to release an EP with ‘A Change Of Seasons’. Our manager transmites that ‘command’ to the label. And we have received the green light to do the project.

HF: “A Change Of Seasons” marks the begining of Derek Sherinian.

MP: Yes! Like Kevin wrote lyrics and was a very good friend, that change was very hard! A lot of fans have taken a lot of time for accept Derek, until they have listened him live. He is a fantastic musician and he’s able to play all the Kevin’s parts, and much more... Of course, it will take the time for him, for being totally at ease in the composition. Before leaving the group, Kevin started to write songs like Tori Amos or The Cure, without any bearing on Dream Theater. Derek is a great musician. Many peoples used him for playing keyboard : Alice Cooper, Kiss, ... Derek wished to join a group for a while. Lot of people recommend him to us!

HF: What do you think about ‘Three Chords’ groups, who sell millons CDs?

MP: Some of formations are good. I like Foo Fighters and The Smashing Pumpkins , anyhow they are very diferent, compared to us! In music, 80 percent of people want to listen basic rock with three chords, the other 20 percent want something much technical. We have choiced our style. We accept to sell 500.000 albums, when other groups sell 8 millons CDs! Our music brings to us satisfactions because we work so hard for it. I think our music will persiste in the time while others ones can’t resist to a next fashion. There will be always a place for technical music, because all the fans of it don’t care about the fashions!

HF: You’re right! I know men who’re always listen “2112” from Rush...

MP: Exact! By the way, I’m working for the Rush Tribute Album, with Billy Sheehan and others guys...

HF: What about the new album?

MP: We finish our break. John Petrucci has twin and James LaBrie will be daddy soon. They have spend a lot of time with their family, of course. Personally, I organize drums clinics and I’m working on the Rush tribute album. We start to record for the new album in february. This one will have to be finished for this summer I think. We have already finished a song called ‘Raise The Knife’. It’s a 12 minutes track. We don’t change a lot as you can see (laugh).