Originally published in Phoenix Radio.co.uk · November 2010
Johnny Christ interview (excerpt)
Interview1 min read
Miss Bomb: Mike Portnoy has just announced his departure from Dream Theater. What were your feelings when you heard the news?
Johnny Christ: It was pretty crazy. He came backstage and told us and it was like, “Wow!” I can’t really imagine Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy, so, you know, as a fan, it was pretty crazy news. As far as it goes with us, that was his decision that he made and had nothing to do with our reflection of anything and we don’t even know what’s going on yet. So, you know, to have him do that was pretty nutty (laughs), but I guess its something he’s been thinking about for a long time coming.
Miss Bomb: Now he released a statement as well shortly after asking fans not to blame Avenged Sevenfold for his departure. How did that make you feel?
Johnny Christ: We liked that, you know. We were worried, we didn’t want some of the Dream Theater fans to like, “Oh, yeah, those Avenged Sevenfold guys.” But, like I said, it wasn’t the case at all. We didn’t ask him to do that; it was just kind of his thing.