Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci interview (excerpt)

Asked what it was like to make a comeback with LTE after close to a quarter of a century, Petrucci replied:

JP: It was awesome on all levels. My solo album was kind of the guinea pig album to work out the kinks. And so we knew that the setting would be right, and we were set up, the drums would sound great, guitars would sound great. So there was none of that going in, so we can literally just get started. One of the first things we did is – we just jammed and we had these long jams. I know we’ve said this in all the press releases and everything, but it really was like no time had passed, and just the chemistry of us playing together... I mean, obviously, Mike and I have a tremendous history with Dream Theater, and that chemistry doesn’t go away. It was just fun to see each other, keep in mind it was over the summer of 2020 full-on pandemic, so just to be able to do something creatively in the same room with other musicians... There was that, there’s the friendship. Mike and I haven’t played together and written together in so long, we’ve been hanging out and doing some fun things with the family, but to do something musically creative together was amazing, as it was to do it with Tony as well. We all haven’t seen Tony in so long. It was literally like a continuation of the last one, he brought his espresso machine in as he always does, starts making espresso, we start jamming, Jordan Rudess is on keyboards and we’re off to the races. So it was amazing on every level, it really was a lot of fun.

Mike, what do you think was the difference between Mike Portnoy 1998 and Mike Portnoy 2020, who came to the new album?

MP: Well, my hair is long again; and the beard is longer, the hair is grayer. When we made those first two LTE albums all those years ago, it was the first time that any of us had stepped out of Dream Theater. It was the first time that John and I had done anything other than Dream Theater, it was very early in our career, I when we made those first two albums it was after Falling Into Infinity, we were still early in the Dream Theater career. At least I know I was a very different person back then, I think I was always a bit more controlling back then, and I think I’ve mellowed out with age a little bit – I hope so, at least. Obviously making this album, there’s so much that has happened since we did those first two albums. Then after we did those first two albums, Jordan joined Dream Theater, and there was like a 10-year window with Jordan, John, and myself together in Dream Theater, and all that we did over those years and all those albums. And then I left and it’s been 10 years since that, so there’s been everything that John and Jordan have done with Dream Theater without me, and there’s all the stuff I’ve done since Dream Theater... So there’s just been so much history in those 22 years between albums. But as far as a different personality, I think the chemistry was the same – the way that John and I work together and also as well as with Jordan and Tony, there’s great musical chemistry, a very easy, quick camaraderie, and a fast-paced way of writing together... And that’s still very much the same, that style and that chemistry are still there, and kind of the same in 2020. I think we’ve just all grown up a lot more. And not to mention personally as well. When we made those first two albums, John’s kids were just born, my kids were just born, whereas now all of our kids are in their 20s and out. So there’s just been so much since then, but I think the biggest difference is the beard and the gray hair, that’s the biggest difference.”

While discussing the staple Rush instrumental, 1981’s ‘YYZ,’ Portnoy commented:

MP: Actually, I think we did ‘YYZ’ at Berklee, I think it was one of the first things we demoed on my four-track recorders, one of the first recordings we ever did was a cover ‘YYZ.’ That was the gold standard.

JP: Exactly, it’s one of those rite-of-passage songs – you had to be able to play ‘YYZ.’ As soon as the drummer started going into that, that happened. If you didn’t know it, you’re out!

MP: I thought that was like such a clever thing too to actually take Morse code for the letters ‘YYZ’ which, of course, was their airport code or whatever, but then to actually take the Morse code and then write music to the Morse code, it was such a clever, clever thing to do.

JP: It’s such a great example of their songwriting skills, to create an instrumental piece of music that’s kind of like structured as a comprehensive song where it has almost verses, and choruses, and themes. And it’s just so interesting the whole way, and there’s nothing about it that meanders or gets boring. And you wonder how they thought of that, just you listen to it now, it’s like, “Man, those are classic riffs, and melodies, and things. Unbelievable!”

Do you think Alex and Geddy will end up doing anything? Not getting a drummer and doing Rush, but just like the two of them doing anything? Because Alex referred to maybe that happening recently.

JP: Yeah, I heard that he said that, but who knows? Let’s call him! You got the hotline?

MP: One other thing we should say also is it’s amazing that over this incredible career, with the exception of the first album, but starting in 1974, it was just the three of them, and that was it! No lineup changes, it was literally the three of them for 40 years. How many bands go 40 years with the same lineup? I don’t know if any exist! I think ZZ Top might be the only one, but if you say U2, or The Police, or any band like that, they also didn’t have a 40-year span. That is a long, long run without a lineup change, and you could look at any of our favorite bands, or any of our bands, it just doesn’t happen. Look at Metallica, Maiden, Sabbath – none of them. I think Rush is one of the few exceptions where they’ve never had a lineup change for all those years.

JP: There’s only one thing that Rush did that I didn’t like, and Mike knows what it is. What is it, Mike?

MP: I’m trying to remember how the song goes... John always hated the Rush medleys. I always loved the Rush medleys! But what was the song we had?

JP: “I fucking hate when Rush does medleys...”

MP: “Why won’t they play the whole damn song...” And actually, that was a big thing, we did a medley, I think on the ‘Systematic Chaos’ tour, and we called it ‘Schmedley Wilcox,’ that was the name of the medley. But I always loved that, I always thought that was a great, really cool creative outlet, and a way for them to do snippets of ‘By-Tor’ or ‘2112’ and get them in there. And they were very creative with it.

JP: They were, they were really creative and I’m half-joking, but I remember watching the show and going like, “Play the whole song!” I wanted to hear it. And it would get interrupted by another one – “Damn it!” But they were ahead of time with the shrinking attention span.