Derek Sherinian interview (excerpts)

Before asking him everything and more about his new band, I try to find out why he parted with his former band Dream Theater.

Derek Sherinian: They fired me. They wanted to work with another keyboard player. I was in the middle of recording my solo record and I get a phone call from them saying they wanted to go into a different direction. I am all ‘uh... ok’. So I finished up my solo record and developed a relationship with the drummer Virgil Donati who co-wrote and played on my album. That’s how we had started a band called Planet X and it has Tony MacAlpine on guitar. He is our guitar player and we are going to take over the world. I want to make it really clear that this new band Planet X is a full on band. It is not a project or an experiment.’

Bart Maurissen: Is it hard to come up with song titles for instrumental songs?

DS: You know what? That was the very last thing that we came up with. And they are so unimportant. With the whole “Atlantis” trilogy I am kind of making a mockery of progressive rock because I think a lot of progressive bands try to be so profound and try to take themselves so seriously. I am kind of just taking a poke at them.

BM: You did it yourself with Dream Theater though.

DS: [laughs] As I said, I was mocking prog.

BM: You were voted best keyboardist of the year in Metal Edge Magazine. Were you honored by that?

DS: Yes I was, because that is the number one rock magazine in America and I think it is pretty funny to get fired from a band, but then voted by the people as the best keyboard player.

BM: And do you agree with the people’s choice?

DS: Yes, absolutely. [laughs]

BM: Like you said, you were fired from Dream Theater. Do you or they still keep in touch?

DS: No. I mean, I never really communicated with them when I was in the band. Let alone outside of the band. It has always been just business with those guys.

BM: How old are the songs on the first album then?

DS: Virgil and I wrote and recorded that album in 4 months and we started in September 1998. So we started working together in September 1998. Then I got fired from DT in January 1999.

BM: How do you feel about that now, 9 months later?

DS: It is what it is and I wish them the best. I learned a lot playing in that band, but it was very frustrating for me because I have a vision and I don’t like following other people’s vision. But it was their band and it is what it is. I wish them the best and I wish me the best. No, I wish them the best and I wish me better! [laughs]

BM: Is it true that at one point you almost changed from keyboard to rhythm guitar in Alice Cooper’s band?

DS: Yes I did.

BM: Wouldn’t that have been a bad career move?

DS: No, because I felt like I wanted to get out and play guitar.

BM: But surely you are a better keyboard player then guitar player?

DS: Yes, much better. Much better.

BM: Alice Cooper calls you ‘a born rock star’. Don’t you ever get tired of being a rock star?

DS: You know, I don’t really think there is such a thing as a rock star. I think it is all just fun and games.