Mike Portnoy comments on John Bonham

Mike Portnoy – Adrenaline Mob, Ex-Dream Theater

On Bonham’s legacy: “He’s the most universally loved rock drummer. There’s people that love Peart. There’s people that love Keith Moon. But sometimes Peart is too technical for people or Keith Moon is too sloppy for people. But Bonham, just everybody loves Bonham. He’s got the groove, the attitude. And it was his body. Everybody talks about how did Bonham get that sound? Was it the mikes? Was it his drums, the pedals, the hi-hat? No. It was him. That’s where you get the Bonham sound. You’re not going to get the Bonham sound unless you’re John Bonham.”

Most important Bonham influence: “Just that sheer brute backbeat. You know? Just like, he had such an attitude. He played with such balls and attitude. And the groove. It was impeccable. How many drummers can you name ten classic drum fills? You can name like, a couple from every drummer. But Bonham you got ‘Rock And Roll,’ ‘When The Levee Breaks,’ ‘D’Yer Mak’er,’ ‘The Crunge,’ ‘Whole Lotta Love’... I mean, just like, every groove is famous within itself. He made the drums sing like any instrument.”

Tribute song: ‘Dazed And Confused’ from Led Zeppelin I
“I had a Zeppelin tribute in 2003 and we did a whole Song Remains The Same version of ‘Dazed And Confused.’ And I think I might have been one of the first to choose a song for this lineup. Brian came to me early. So I had, like, the whole catalog to choose from. And I wanted to do the live ‘Dazed.’ I figured, I’ll get a 30-minute piece out of it. I could hog up the whole show. [laughs] No, I just love [that song]... that was quintessential jamming.”