James LaBrie interview (excerpts)

Jay NandJL: So do you have any idea when the tour will be made up, because I’d heard Dream Theater was going to reconvene in January?

James LaBrie: What’s really unfortunate, Jay, is that like everyone in Dream Theater, our priority is Dream Theater. So the window of opportunity to go out and promote Static Impulse is closed because I go back into the studio with Dream Theater from January through May, and we’ll probably start a world tour in June. I’m not quite sure about the release of the new Dream Theater album. It could be June, July or August. But I try to be real optimistic. I try to let someone know three, four, five months ahead of time. That’s the only way I can see it happening within the relatively foreseeable future.

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JN: Your MullMuzzler 2 CD was released on 9/11, as was Dream Theater’s Live Scenes From New York. How surreal was that for you, especially playing in a New York band?

JL: It was, I don’t know, overwhelming, numbing, extremely painful and shocking. We had Live Scenes From New York with the burning towers (originally) on the cover, which was bizarre. The second Mullmuzzler album came out the same day. When I got in touch with my parents back home to let them know I was OK, and my wife, it took me two hours to get through because the cell phones were completely useless. To add insult to injury, my father had a stroke on the phone. He was OK and fully recovered, but it was enough to put him in the hospital. That’s what inspired me to write ‘Sacrificed Sons’ and things like that, just sitting in my hotel room and watching and wondering, “What the hell is going on here?” It was very surreal.

JN: Were you in New York at the time?

JL: I flew into New York the night before. I got close to Canal St. – anyone out there from New York might know where that is. I was still probably a quarter of a mile away. Just huge plumes of smoke and constant sirens. I was walking down the middle of 5th Ave. for quite awhile, just because everything had been brought to a standstill.

JN: You were in San Antonio on June 12 as Dream Theater kicked off the Iron Maiden tour in Texas. Slightly less than three months later, Mike announces he’s leaving the band, which came as a shock to most in the public eye. For a group that’s been around for 25 years, how did it come to that?

JL: Well, you know, none of us saw it happening or becoming reality. It was not expected in any shape or form. But you know, according to Mike, he’d been thinking about it for quite some time. We don’t really want to talk much about it because it’s a very sensitive subject for us and for him. We have to respect where he’s gone. Our priority is what’s best for the other four guys. That’s what we’ve been doing every night since that night happened in late August. I think everything will be fine. I don’t think – we’re quite confident. Everything that could be said has been said. There have been moments where things were said that could be misinterpreted, so we don’t want to say too much. We have taken the situation under control. We’re doing what we’ve always done.

JN: The next obvious question on most people’s minds is, who are other drummers you’re looking at to replace him – especially since Mike did a lot of the writing and other things besides drumming?

JL: Well, you know what Jay, unfortunately, I can’t shed any light on that. I think soon we will be able to. There are a lot of incredible drummers out there, but to be honest with you, I don’t think it’s a priority that who we’re looking for has to be a composer as well. There’s gotta be a chemistry, an interpretation to the style, we have to gel with this person as a human being – and obviously, he has to be a phenomenal drummer. I just can’t be too specific right now. It’ll definitely be a new chapter with the departure of Mike. I think it’ll prove to be very positive.

JN: Does it feel as if it’s been 25 years of Dream Theater?

JL: I’ve been in the band just over 20 of those years, but yeah, I can’t believe 20 years has gone by. It’s been a challenging ride, a great ride. It’s not unlike any corporation out there that you need to make sure you stay relevant or flavorful [laughs], so to speak. I personally think it’s going to continue for quite some time. There’s still a lot we want to accomplish.

JN: Is there anything you can say about the direction of the next album?

JL: We are actively having those conversations, as far as how we want to go about it and know what we have to achieve with the next album. It’s just a matter of waiting for January to go into the studio.