Interview: Mike Portnoy

Introduction by: Richard Parker

G3 Australian Tour, December 2006

For the second part of our G3 interview, Jon talked to Mike Portnoy, getting his perspective on the Australian trip, the break in recording DT’s new album and the band’s upcoming plans, some of which have now become clear.

Jon Van Dahl: When JP got the invitation to do G3 again, was it the obvious choice for you to go with him again?

Mike Portnoy: Sure – as long as he keeps asking me, I’ll keep coming. I love to do these tours. It’s nice to play for 45 minutes and then have 23 hours and 15 minutes off.

JVD: From what I could see this afternoon (at an MP in store signing) you seem happy to be back in Australia once more.

MP: Yeah – it’s been ten years since I was here – I did a clinic tour in ‘96. So ten years later they get two members of Dream Theater so at this rate, one member per ten years – it should be about 2046 before the whole band gets here!!!

(Australia is the only real mass market that Dream Theater has never performed for simply because they can’t get a promoter to bring them out – JVD)

JVD: What is the appeal of doing G3 in South America and Australia for you?

MP: Well honestly – nothing, it does me no good. It’s a vacation for me – it’s really about John getting the attention to support his solo album. I love doing these tours with him and Joe and Steve and Eric in South America.

They are all great guitar players and great guys – so it is nice to be on the road with such a talented entourage. Honestly – it’s all about John. I am happy to be along for the ride and am honoured that he keeps asking me to join him.

JVD: Will you be participating in any of the jams?

MP: Not this time – that’s up to Joe – he makes those decisions. In Japan, me and Billy Sheehan were doing the jams but on this tour basically John and Steve come out at the end and play with Joe’s band.

JVD: So how much input do you have with the jam’s choices?

MP None, John doesn’t even have any input – it’s all Joe.

JVD: What are your impressions of the Australian fans/reception and what hopes do you have for this trip?

MP: It’s hard for us to really gauge our fan base at these G3 shows – you are not sure how much is our audience, how much is Steve’s and how much is Joe’s. At the time of this conversation, we have only done one show in Brisbane and it was pretty hard to gauge. But this afternoon we did do that in-store appearance and they were great, great devoted fans so they seem as great and fanatical as anywhere else in the world.

So that was encouraging to see – so as far as hopes – hopefully this tour will open up the doors to get Dream Theater down here in the future. So up to now this is the one market that has really eluded us and hopefully this will open up some promoter’s eyes as to our popularity and we’ll get down here. Every time we go to a market for the first time whether it be Eastern Europe or South America or any of these places the reception is absolutely fanatical and huge and I would expect the same results here – it’s just a matter of proving that to the promoters.

JVD: How are these interruptions impacting upon the recording schedule for DT’s new album?

MP: Actually it is nice – I think it is good to get away from the music to catch your breath and gain some objectivity. It’s not the first time that this has happened. When we were doing “Six Degrees”, John and I took some time to go and do G3 in America and when we did “Train of Thought” we broke to do the tour with Queensryche so it’s not the first time it’s happened and I like it. It’s good for us to get out of the studio and it’s good for me and to write some lyrics so that when we get back we can start working James into the equation.

JVD: So what are the immediate plans for DT related activities on your return to the US?

MP: Well we’ll continue to work on and complete the new album and we’ll probably be in the studio until February, then the album will likely come out around May. The tour is starting in June – the dates are already starting to be booked starting in Europe for the month of June and then the US tour will follow in the months of July and August.

JVD: And hopefully in Australia!!!

MP: Yeah – hopefully down the road.

JVD: Any updated news on the release of “In Constant Motion” (Tutorial DVD)?

MP: That will be out in January (it was finally released in late March- ed.) – that is a seven hour, three DVD set – it has been a mammoth, mammoth project and I think the fans will absolutely love it. It has been a big undertaking for me – even to watch the whole thing one time to make my notes is a seven hour watch. I’ve had to do that process many, many times over so it is very time consuming.

JVD: So what does it consist of?

MP Well the first disc is all Dream Theater music – in the studio, on stage – analysis. The second disc is everything I’ve done outside of Dream Theater – Transatlantic, OSI, Neal Morse, John Arch, John Petrucci and G3, Fates Warning, Overkill, Yellow Matter Custard, Hammer of the Gods, Cygnus and the Sea Monsters and Amazing Journey – so there you go.

JVD: With regard to the Amazing Journey DVD – when does that come out?

MP: That is one of the other things I have been doing in my very little spare time. I’ve been going through those tapes and I’m likely to have them mixed and ready to go in the coming months. Probably right after the New Year (also released in March – ed).

JVD: Any updates on the developments surrounding the record deal since the last Voices UK interview?

MP: Lots more news for us but no more news for you guys. (Laughs!!). We are weeks away from signing and we have decided who we are going with so once we do we shall announce it (obviously, it was subsequently announced that DT had signed with Roadrunner – ed.).

JVD: I had a friend of mine who was a drummer and used to work for IBM – he used to call it the “International Band of Musicians” (MP laughs!) so in reality G3 is an eclectic mix of musicians.

MP: As I said before G3 is an opportunity to hang out with so many great players – for instance both bass players on this tour, Dave LaRue and Billy Sheehan I’ve worked with on the side. It’s like a big musical family – it’s like music camp.

JVD: If I can bring you back to the last time you were here, Australia’s Ultimate Drummer’s Weekend in 1996, when in Melbourne you played in a Dream Theater Tribute band which once had another G3 drummer who you toured with – Virgil Donati.

MP: Yeah – Virgil left for America shortly before that and I played that gig with them – until now that was my only appearance in Australia.

JVD: Obviously when you did your first G3 tour; you were playing with him.

MP: Right. I’ve known Virgil for a lot of years – he is an incredible monster; he is a scary talent. He is a great guy – we had a lot of fun doing G3 together.

JVD: You just talked about your drum heroes, John Bonham, Keith Moon (MP is wearing a Keith Moon T-Shirt), Neil Peart, Nick Mason etc., and you have done those second night tribute shows – there have been rumours that you are no longer going to be doing those – is that true?

MP: We’ll continue to do that – whenever we do that we’ll do a classic album on the second night. On the next tour though we are not going to do “Evening Withs”, we are going to start carrying opening bands again like we used to do. Just for a change of pace, just because we have been doing them for three tours now.

I did tell my manager and booking agent that if any offers come in for a two night stand that we would like to still do them. The first night would be done with an opening act while the second night we would do “An Evening With”. So there still is the possibility for the classic cover albums in the future even if we’re not in the middle of an “Evening With” tour.

JVD: Have you got any idea of what you would like to play?

MP: Oh yeah – I know the next five albums – whatever I always have them in the back of my mind – I know plenty of albums that I want us to cover so it is just a matter of the opportunities arising.

JVD: Getting away from Dream Theater for a moment – have you got any ideas for side projects?

MP: Well there has been this ongoing talk about this project with Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt and the three of us would love to do it. Surely if I have the time for a side project that would be the one that I would love to pursue. I love both ‘Of those guys, I really admire both of them and I think we would have a great chemistry together. It is just a matter of aligning our three schedules – they both keep almost as busy as I do so it is tough lining our schedules – so hopefully it will come off in the future.

JVD: Well thanks Mike for your time.

MP: You’re welcome.