Originally published in Eddie Trunk (Friday Night Rocks) · August 2011
Mike Portnoy interview (excerpt)
InterviewMike Portnoy1 min read
When asked for his opinion of the Dream Theater track “On The Backs Of Angels”, the first song to be released with new drummer Mike Mangini (Steve Vai, Annihilator, Extreme), Portnoy said, “It’s very difficult for me to hear. Nobody wants to see their ex-wife of 25 years with a new husband moving into the house that you built for 25 years. It’s a painful thing for me to hear and see. A Dream Theater without me was never in the plan; I never expected that. But they’ve chosen to move on and I just have to kind of sit on the sidelines and watch and listen. I did hear the song and I heard an excerpt of another song [from the forthcoming Dream Theater album]. And I guess I’ll reserve comment on those just because whatever I say whether it be good, bad or indifferent it’s probably gonna come across wrong and it will be completely dissected and misinterpreted. So let’s leave it at ‘no comment.’”