John Myung interview

Stig Nordahl: You’re in the middle of the 25th anniversary tour for Images and Words. It’s not that long since you played in Oslo last time. Did you plan this tour a long time ago?

John Myung: It just became the thing to do. We were trotting out what was going to happen in the following year and it just made sense to come back to this period. It feels really good to go back to a period where it was a real powerful moment. It was like a whole new start that nobody saw coming. ‘Pull Me Under’ took off on the radio and we went from practicing in the basements of retail stores to all of the sudden being known around the world. It was very intense. It was like a space shuttle launching. There was no looking back. It was just all new ground, going to places like Japan, all the different cities in Europe. Basically, all of the sudden being thrust into the world and just traveling for two years. It was a very strong point in our career, for sure. It feels good to revisit that on this tour.

SN: It was a groundbreaking album for this genre. I guess you started the prog metal genre with that album or your first album. Did you understand back then when you released the album that this could be it?

JM: No, it was just obvious to us that this is what felt good to us. This is what we do together when we collectively put our minds together and practice. Ever since ‘85, ‘86 when me and John went to college and we met Mike and formed the band, it was a very intense work ethic that we maintained. From 6pm to 12am every night Monday through Friday, we would always get together and write. We just kept doing it and four years into it, our first album came out, When Dream and Day Unite on Mechanic Records. That didn’t do all too much and then four years later, things started happening with Images and Words. But all throughout that period, we maintained our work ethic. It was what we did. We didn’t really know what was happening until it was happening.

SN: How did you experience going from an unknown band into this big business? Did you understand what was happening? I mean there’s so many stories about record companies that rip you off and stuff like that. Were you on top of the business?

JM: Yes. I mean for us, it was very difficult in the beginning. Originally, we were going to be managed by Iron Maiden’s management and shortly before the record came out, they decided not to manage us, literally weeks before. We thought we had a firm base and a place to build from, but now it’s like, “Now we got to re-establish who our manager is going to be.” We just stuck to the plan, we went out on tour, we were just touring the country in a van; then all of the sudden, it started happening. I remember after a show watching MTV and seeing them playing us and it was like, “Wow!” I was calling everybody up, “Quick, turn on the TV!” I would say, the beginning was very much just getting the groundwork in. Just figuring out where we stood. Just making sure that we were doing the right thing, that everything was in place. But it was a challenge.

SN: When you look back on the album now, when you listen through it, this is 25 years ago; you have matured probably as musicians as well. To many people, this album is just outstanding, it’s perfect. Can you hear any immaturity on that album compared to what you do now?

JM: I think if you look back, you could always see things that maybe could have been different. But when things are happening in real time, it’s more important to go with the flow. The main difference between that album and what we do now is just our experience in the business and who we are as people. I think musically, it’s pretty sound, pretty together. I don’t mind listening to it or playing it. I think that quality – I don’t know if it has a lot to do with the success of the record – but I know with that record, it’s not something I get tired of listening to. It’s a good benchmark to set out for. You don’t know if it’s going to happen, but it’s great when you do find a place musically and you listen back, and it doesn’t have that tiring effect. It’s just there. I think that record has that quality.

SN: There are some tracks from the album you haven’t played for a while; you usually play the classics. What was it like to go back and rehearse the whole album? Was it like you listened to the album and you came well-prepared and you just ran through the songs, or what was the first rehearsal like with the whole band playing the whole album?

JM: The review process for me wasn’t much because that album has been with us for a while, so it was just a simple review process for me, but some of the others, maybe it was a little bit more. We just got together before the tour to do some pre-production and it all fell into place. As long as everyone is aware of what we’re playing, as long as everyone does their homework, it comes together fairly quickly.

SN: What are your favorite tracks from the album? Does anyone stand out?

JM: Favorite tracks...

SN: Is the whole thing your baby, so it’s hard to pick?

JM: I see it as a period in time, so it’s hard to just narrow one song.

SN: Understandable. Do you see people coming to the shows on this tour, coming back because it’s a trip down memory lane? Maybe they haven’t been following the band since back then, but now that you’re doing this album, now they’re coming back to see your shows, or do you think the audience is the same now as maybe last tour?

JM: Our audience has definitely grown for sure because people have grown up with us and have had children, and their children have grown up in a household listening to Dream Theater, so now families are coming out. So we’ve grown that way through just being a part people’s lives. It’s really great to see.

SN: So now that you’re playing the whole album live, do you stay true to the original versions?

JM: Pretty close. Actually we departed [with] some extended solo sections, like the outro to ‘Take the Time’, John has a guitar spot. It’s pretty much pure to form.

SN: On your last tour, you did the whole The Astonishing album, that’s a double album, so you played the whole album and that was it. Now you have room for even more tracks. I’ve seen you actually close the show with ‘A Change of Seasons’ mini album, that whole thing. Who came up with that idea?

JM: John put the setlist together and we were all happy with it. Coincidentally, it works out nicely playing ‘A Change of Seasons’ because originally, the intent was to have that as part of Images and Words – part of that record. But towards the end of the recording process, the record company wasn’t so keen on getting that recorded; I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe it was budgetary, we were running out of time in the studio and an extra 20 minutes was probably more than they wanted to invest at the time. Back then, studios were $2,000 a day to record. Maybe that was a consideration, and it might have had something to do with wanting to keep the album at around an hour, too, to not overload the listener. There’s something to be said for that. You could listen to something on your way to school or your way to work, and you have that sense of completion. It makes you want to listen to it again. That was sort of the thinking, I think, behind that decision.

SN: Do you stick more to the same playlist every night now than before? I remember back in the days Portnoy used to e-mail the setlist for the same night in the morning, and so there could be a lot of changes from night to night. But now you stick more with the same setlist every night throughout the tour?

JM: Yes. We keep it fairly consistent. It has its advantages in terms of just everyone falling into a groove, everyone knowing what their moves are and as the tour progresses, that becomes embedded into everyone’s workflow during the show. I mean for everyone, it just becomes a piece, even for our monitor engineer or our front of house or our lighting director; the whole show becomes this one piece that everyone has to perform. I enjoy that when everything flows and you just feel very grounded as tour continues; that you know what the expectations are.

SN: So what’s next for Dream Theater? You did The Astonishing, a huge project and an extensive tour, and now you’re doing this anniversary tour. Is it now back to composing new material and record a new album, or you’re thinking about having a break?

JM: Eventually. That’s going to be more towards the early [part] of 2018 when we think about that. This tour will probably finish at the end of 2017. The plan is to take a little time off, but to continue and visit other parts of the world. We’ll come back to Europe and then go into Asia at some point, too.

SN: When you’re preparing a new album, are you discussing that the direction you want to take, or does that just happen? The last time, you did a rock opera that’s something completely different; did you talk about which direction to go for the next album?

JM: The plan is to get together and to collectively work on everything, kind of like the way we used to make records. Train of Thought was kind of like that too, where we were just in a live setting and getting away from writing in the recording studio because it’s a more controlled environment, where everything is miked and ready to go and you’re working with headphone mixes. It’s a different chemistry, different energy level, because of how you communicate with each other, whereas in a live setting it’s more free. You play loud chord, do whatever you want, experiment, and then everyone just reacts to what’s happening. So I think we’re going to be going more back towards that.