Originally published in Guitar World magazine · October 2011
Dream Theater Guitarist: First Tour With MIKE MANGINI ‘Was So Smooth That It Was Almost Scary’ (excerpt)
October 5, 2011
InterviewJohn Petrucci4 min read
Jose Bosso of Guitar World conducted an interview with guitarist John Petrucci of progressive metal giants Dream Theater for the magazine’s November 2011 issue, which features the “Big Four” of 1980s thrash metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) on the cover. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On drummer Mike Portnoy’s decision to leave Dream Theater in September 2010 while he was on the road with Avenged Sevenfold:
Petrucci: “Mike had played on Avenged’s album [‘Nightmare’] and that was fine. We all do side projects when time permits. But touring with the band, that was a different story. That was taking significant time away from Dream Theater at a point when we were all planning to start recording. Initially, we put off recording to go on tour with Iron Maiden that was too good an opportunity for us to turn down. And then when Mike said he was going on the road with Avenged Sevenfold right after the Maiden tour, that didn’t feel right.”
On Portnoy’s request that Dream Theater take an extended hiatus, with no firm date in sight for reconvening:
Petrucci: “In the end, it was something we couldn’t do. Mike wanted to hold all the cards. He wanted to get back together when it suited him. We couldn’t abide by that. So he decided to quit. It was quite a blow. As much as we wanted to continue as a band, we didn’t want Mike to leave.”
On whether Portnoy was hoping his place with Avenged Sevenfold would become permanent:
Petrucci: “I guess Mike was looking at them as the new girlfriend or something. They were younger, up-and-coming You can definitely draw the parallels.”
On Portnoy’s request in late 2010 for Dream Theater to take him back:
Petrucci: “Mike Portnoy asking to be back in was a problem on a few levels. First, we were very happy to have selected Mike Mangini [as the new drummer]. Second, [Mangini] had quit his teaching gig at Berklee. We certainly weren’t going to hang him out to dry when he sacrificed so much for us. Mike Portnoy was too late in asking to come back. We had moved on.”
On the “mystery” surrounding Portnoy’s decision to leave Dream Theater:
Petrucci: “I can’t speak for him. I can only see things from my point of view. For him to leave a successful band, one he had been with for 25 years he must’ve had his reasons. I guess he really needed a change. Maybe he was confused or conflicted at the same time. I don’t know. The biggest thing for me is to not be negative or resentful. I understand the way life is, and change is part of that. People get divorced, they leave companies, they quit bands it happens. Mike needed a change in his life. That’s really the only way I can look at it.”
On how the recent European tour with Mike Mangini went:
Petrucci: “It was so smooth that it was almost scary. Even though we felt very good about our decision to hire Mike Mangini, we couldn’t predict how things would’ve gone during our first tour with him, because we’re still getting to know him on a variety of levels. But recording with him was fantastic, touring was great, every night onstage got better and better. I feel like I’ve been playing with him 20 years already.
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There’s some stupefying unison playing in the intro to “Lost Not Forgotten.”
Yeah, it’s pretty wild. [laughs] I wrote that because I wanted an insane passage that was based on a diminished tonality. I constructed it one lick at a time, wrote it out, recorded it and put a drum tempo down so that it’s basically all there, and then all we have to do is record it for real. At that point, I teach it to Jordan— and teaching it to Jordan just means playing it for him, because he has perfect pitch. We’ll work out some harmony parts. Then we have to think about what the bass is going to do, so John will come up with his parts. Mike Mangini then came in and turned some things around, added some cool fills and did some crazy bits. Again, it’s a fun, cool process.
In “Breaking All Illusions,” you play a solo that is pretty bluesy. You’ve cited David Gilmour as a blues-based guitar player who’s influenced you. Are there others?
Sure. Stevie Ray Vaughan is probably the biggest guy for me. The first time I heard him on the radio, his sound just drew me right in. I was like, “Wow, I love this guy!” [laughs] Ever since then, I’ve loved everything I’ve heard him do. If I could get even an iota of his sound, I’d be satisfied. David Gilmour, too. When I’m thinking of memorable, melodic solos with a soulful, bluesy edge, I think of him. All the great things he’s done, like the solo in “Comfortably Numb.” If I could just tap into a brief moment of that kind of genius, it’d be great.