Jordan Rudess interview (excerpt)

Rodrigo Altaf: One of the recent releases you were part is the third Liquid Tension Experiment. What would be more likely at this point: a fourth album or a tour of Liquid Tension?

Jordan Rudess: That’s a good question. The touring thing as we know has been very complicated, and everybody’s kind of backed up with touring. So it’s hard to say. We haven’t really entertained a Liquid Tension tour since we’ve been working so hard on just getting the things back to normal that have to happen. From that point of view, maybe it’s more realistic that we would go and do another album first.

RA: But when remains to be discussed.

JR: Yeah. All the when’s,..

RA: ...the ifs, the when’s and buts. OK. You’re doing the solo tour until August, and then there’s a complete change of gears as Dream Theater resumes touring. What are the other guys doing between tour legs?

JR: [laughs] I’ll have to catch up with them. I generally know what they do. Like right he’s doing his online courses, and he’s amazing with his setup there, this drum room and his zoom and all the students and everything like that. John Myung, of course we know is sitting at home and he’s practicing, doing exercises in the basement. John Petrucci I think has a new line of bourbon out, and he’s busy with his products and his very full life with everything that he does. I’m not exactly sure but I’m sure he’s being very productive as he always is. James is promoting his new solo album. I see he’s still actively getting the word out and promoting. So everybody in this group is very productive and busy doing their stuff.

RA: You’re playing the Rock In Rio festival in my homeland in a few months. I just saw yesterday that there was a change in the lineup and Iron Maiden would play before Dream Theater.

JR: Wow! That’s a good opening act! [laughs]

RA: That’s a first I think. There’s a first time for everything, but Maiden opening for Dream Theater...

JR: I don’t think that’s the way they’re looking at it but it’s good for my ego to look at it that way.

RA: I saw the tour here in Toronto and this time you’re not doing the “Evening With” format. Can we expect this to go back in the future at some point or what’s the...

JR: Well, maybe. I don’t know. Everybody kind of feels like [for] so many years we were playing such long shows, and it’s so exhausting. It’s just kind of like, “Give us a break! Let us be human here!” I kind of feel like... I don’t know. For me, doing these shows and having an opening act really works nicely. I’m not saying it will never happen again, but for right now it’s kind of a good thing to allow people to breathe a little and not have to kill themselves with long shows.

RA: Of course. For James, too.

JR: Last time I checked, he was a human being so you gotta keep that in mind.

RA: A View From The Top Of The World to me is a highlight of this lineup – it’s probably my favorite since Mangini joined. How would you compare the way you channel your creativity now versus when you joined the band? I mean does that come from the same spot, the same process?

JR: When I joined the band there was a lot to learn, even though I had worked with John and Mike in Liquid Tension Experiment. Still when I walked into Dream Theater, it was very different and it was very different because first of all, we’ve got a singer in the band, but mostly because it was a style that had been developed and almost secured and turned into a – even in those days – you could almost say it was like the Dream Theater brand. So I needed to learn and just be educated what that really was all about. First of all, it was a new thing to me to have this international audience with all these eyes on everything, and all these people who were so engaged with it all, and every move we made would matter to them. So I spent some time really absorbing that and learning how all that works, and then how it affects what I do in the group. Anything was possible in Liquid Tension Experiment because it was just like a soup with all of us throwing in our ideas and mixing it up, but in Dream Theater, you’re walking into something that’s established already. Luckily for me I could relate – that’s why they hired me. I could understand and relate to the styles that they were doing, but still I’m a different person, having not been in that group and established what they have done up to that point. So the question was, “How am I going to fit in?” which was a big question, which they assumed I could. So the challenge was how to fit in, but also offer what Jordan Rudess can bring into the situation. That’s definitely a learning curve. Over the years now – it’s been, what, how many years? 23 years or something like that – and I feel like I understand the parameters here. I know what I’m dealing with orchestrationally; I know what I’m dealing with stylistically. I’m still not the one who’s the keeper of the Dream Theater brand/style. I mean I still might all of a sudden play something that’s like Frank Zappa or who the hell knows what, like a Broadway show or... And people look at me going, “I’m not sure. That maybe [for] a solo album!” [laughs] I mean, that’s who I am. I’m musically here, I’m musically there. Yes, I can do this, but I’m also all over the place. But they also depend on me for that, because that’s part of what we do. We’re, “Okay down the line here,” but also we’re, “Oh wow, that sounds a little like this.” That’s what makes it progressive and quirky and cool, and there’s sections in our songs which kind of go to make a turn, and you go, “What the hell am I listening to!?” That’s part of my role in bringing some of that into the mix. But at this point, the difference is that I’m much more clear on how I fit into this group that I was not an original member, that I joined. Even 23 years later, it’s kind of like a place in the way that things happen.

RA: Got it. To celebrate the good moment that you guys are in, you won a Grammy...

JR: We did?! Oh my God, that’s incredible! [laughs]

RA: Well my question is, are accolades like this important to you? Of course Grammy’s something to celebrate, right?

JR: Yeah, for sure. My perspective of it is this: for many years when I joined Dream Theater, the Grammys didn’t involve Dream Theater. There was no possibility on earth that we were [going to win] a Grammy because we were a progressive metal group and that’s not wasn’t part of our world. Not that many years ago all of a sudden we were like, “Wait a minute – why not? Why shouldn’t it be? We’re a very popular group all around the world and we’re doing music like other people and we should try to get recognized.” So with our own intention and also with the help of the record company, we kind of put some energy in that area and let people know that, “Hey! Hello! We’re Dream Theater! Notice us, and this is our music; this is our song. Let’s try to fit it into a category. Let’s make it work.” In applying energy to that and everything, we were able to secure three nominations over the years. And this is all actually after our founder Mike Portnoy left, which is incredible to think about, because there was a lot of music when Portnoy was in the band that was also really great.

RA: Grammy worthy! [laughs]

JR: I think so. I mean ‘The Spirit Carries On’ and... you go back and you look at the catalog – “This is great stuff!” If I don’t say so myself. But the way the world works and the way that worked for us, we kind of entered that that area later on and got noticed and our career evolved to be that. Now this year, we were nominated and then we won, which is incredible because we really did apply ourselves to that goal, and we’ve been working so hard all these years, and it’s the one award that I feel does make a huge difference in one’s career. It’s because everybody and their mother knows what a Grammy is, so it’s the first thing that goes on everybody’s resume. It works in that way. It opens doors... It’s an amazing award and it’s great to be recognized by your peers, because the way the voting works is that your peers are voting for you. I’m just waiting for my Grammy to arrive.

RA: Cool. I think you’re eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame already. Maybe that’s in the cards soon.

JR: I don’t know! [laughs] From your mouth to God’s ears! [laughs]

RA: I’m hoping you guys can just get together and jam, some sort of celebration like that.

JR: Yeah that’d be really cool.

RA: Before I let you go, are there any plans for Dream Theater to tour Australia/New Zealand this time around? Another run of North America?

JR: Fantastic question! I know more about the idea of coming back to North America and going back to Europe – I mean in general, conceptually speaking, although there’s no dates. Usually we do two bigger runs in Europe and we do two bigger runs in the US. So everything flowing the way it should, I’m planning that one of these days I’ll get some dates thrown at me to go back and do both of those legs. As far as Australia goes, that’s a question... I mean I’m not sure what’s going on there, like COVID-wise or whatever, but I know that that’s an area we generally cover. Also we are going to Japan, but we’re only doing like one show there, which is the Download festival, but there’s more to do there, too. So I don’t know. It’s all a little tricky because of the world having to shut down and then things opening up and kind of trying to figure out how to do all this. Every other band is in the same situation and vying for dates. But there’s definitely a lot more touring to come.

RA: We’ll know when we’ll know. [laughs]

JR: Yeah, definitely.

RA: Well Jordan, thank you so much. Nice chatting with you as always. All the best with the next dates and hoping you can come to Toronto sometime soon.

JR: Awesome. Nice to see you. Thank you for the good interview and we’ll talk to you soon.