Originally published in Sticks for Stones.net-Levi Buckley YT channel · August 2016
Marco Minnemann interview (excerpt)
Interview2 min read
Levi Buckley: You auditioned for Dream Theater. Were you bummed out that you didn’t get the gig or how did that go for you?
Marco Minnemann: It was really cool. There were many aspects to that because we were not planning on doing this in the first place, really I have to say. When I talked with Jordan on the phone – and I know Mike Portnoy actually as well and those guys – all of a sudden Jordan said, “Man, we don’t have a drummer,” and I was like, “Oh my God!” And then he was like, “Well, would you like to audition for the drummer?” and I was like, “What?!” I was like, “Oh man...” I didn’t know and we just did it for fun. And I just learned three songs. Actually, it was really fun, I have to say, and they really enjoyed it. Later they asked me questions if I would be available throughout the year to do gigs and stuff like that, and I have a lot of things actually going on. But I think one of the main aspects was when they asked me, “Hey that was really, really fun! How many albums do you have?” and I said, “Well I don’t have any records of you guys!” [laughs] And they asked, “How many songs do you know?” I said, “These three you just sent me.” [laughs] For them, they wanted someone who is fully available and also a fan of the band and is fully behind it. That was one aspect, but for me it was just a fun, joyful experience. Jordan and I still work together, and I’m really on good terms with John Petrucci; we were planning on doing an album together as well. So no, the vibes were very good; there’s many logistics involved when things like that happen to make a commitment. [laughs]
LB: Out of curiosity, when Dream Theater sends you three songs – quite complex ones – how long does it take you to learn a Dream Theater song from start to finish?
MM: Oh, I don’t know, like a day or something.
LB: Wow! That’s fast!
MM: I mean I write it out first. This is what happens when you get songs with a lot of parts. You write it out and you read it at first, and then you play it, but then you absorb it and learn it over three days.