Thomas Lang, Aquiles Priester interview

Igor Miranda: Out of curiosity, you both were involved in that Dream Theater audition. Thomas, specifically, what memories do you have from participating, from working for minutes with these guys?

Thomas Lang: It was a really great, interesting, fun experience for me. We all had to learn some songs and prepare for this thing. There was like a jam part, which I enjoyed. I had very little time to prep because I was on tour with Paulina Rubio at the time in South America. And so I remember sitting in hotel rooms and playing the songs on pillows and mattresses and stuff. Preparing for it. But it was a really fun experience. It was nothing but positive in retrospect. I think all of us probably got a lot more eyeballs than before through the audition. So in general, it had a very positive effect. And it inspired a great idea that I recently had when we just recently talked about it. I think we should organize a drum show here in Brazil with all the drummers who didn’t get the gig. You know, Marco and Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy and Virgil, Aquiles, myself. And we should take it on the road and call it Drum Theater. I think that would be fun.

IM: Nowadays, you can call even Mangini. He’ll be available, too.

TL: We’re all going to be there. And maybe we can ask Mike Portnoy to come and host the whole thing. That would be great. Hey, Mike, if you see this, I think it’s a good idea. Guys, let’s do this! Let’s have the show on the road. Drum Theater.

Aquiles Priester: Yeah, especially in Brazil. We’re going to play, like, at least two sold-out nights in big theaters.

TL: Yes, probably. Exactly, yeah. But for me, it was a fun experience. For you?

AP: Yeah, really good.

TL: I thought honestly – this is like my honest opinion – that Aquiles would have been the best guy for the job. Absolutely. No, I’m not kidding. I’ve told you that before.

AP: Yeah, I know. Many times.

TL: No, because you’re a fan of the band and you knew all the stuff, and you played with such power and precision and attitude. And I just would have loved it. I thought that Aquiles should have gotten the gig.

AP: Sometimes people think that if you do a mistake during the audition, that’s why you didn’t get the gig but it’s not like that, right?

TL: No, of course not. There are many moving parts to a decision like this. And there’s a lot of stories out there about the process – some true, some not true, from what I know. I think they got the right guy for the gig at the time, and it worked out for them for a period of time. I anticipated of course that Mike would return, Mike Portnoy at one point. I mean, what’s better than “the reunion” after 10 years or something. It was kind of expected, but for the time being, I thought Mike was the right guy for them. Everybody else has their own opinions about it – who should have, could have, would have done it – all that. But for me it was a fun experience.

AP: What I always state, back in the day, in 2010, that audition didn’t and our career, right? We were just keep going after that.

TL: I don’t think it had any negative effect on anybody. Although some, I have to say some of the editing was clearly sort of...

IM: I can say cruel.

TL: Well, yes, if you want to, some call it cruel, but it was meant to sort of support the...

IM: The narrative of the choice.

TL: Yes, of course. And Virgil, who’s an amazing player and a good friend of ours – we’re all friends – and it seemed like he didn’t know what he was doing at the audition because he had ideas for how to change parts and stuff, which wasn’t what they were looking for, but it came across a little weird.

AP: A lot of people asked me, like, “They were just showing your mistakes.” And I said, “No, that is what happened.” So when they sent me the video – they sent me the video before they used that. They said, “If you want any changes, you can ask it.” And I said, “I won’t change anything because that’s what’s real.”

TL: I don’t think I got the video before they released it. Or maybe I didn’t see it. I don’t know. I don’t think I did. That’s not fair! [lots of laughs]

IM: Call them right now.

TL: Yes, add more drum solos. Make me look good. Only use the lift camera. That’s my pretty side. [laughs]