An Interview with Mike Portnoy

A million thanks to Jeff Olson ([email protected]) for transcribing this article!

They used to be called Majesty. They are from New York. Intricate and volatile are two words that describe them. Inspired and inspiring, Dream Theater radiate a new wave of music--the next generation of hard rock that combines the melodic hooks wielded by learned musicians with the uncompromising pace of “technical” speed metal. The quintet: John Petrucci on guitars; John Myung, bass; Kevin Moore, keyboards; Mike Portnoy, drums; and Charlie Dominici doing the wineglass shattering. Without further ado, I shall allow Mike Portnoy speak.

Gray Matter: Your ‘86 and ‘87 demos yield a wide variety of music, from the more subtle “Vital Star” to the energy and quick pace of “The Ytse Jam.” With so much material to choose from, what types of songs are going to represent Dream Theater on this first release?

Mike Portnoy: The album consists of a combination of new and older material. We’ve chosen four tracks from the ‘87 instrumental demo and have four new ones for the album. Nothing from the ‘86 demo will appear on the album because we feel that our writing style has matured a lot since then. The majority of the songs are well over five minutes in length, and the newer material is heavier and more progressive than anything we’ve written in the past. There is one new track called “Status Seeker” which was remixed from the album by Terry Brown to be used as our first single.

GM: Out of curiosity, what other labels approached you before you signed to Mechanic?

MP: Before we signed to Mechanic, Metal Blade made a few offers to sign us, but we felt that the Mechanic deal was a better offer.

GM: Will the song titles on the ‘87 demo change with the writing of lyrics? What kind of literature are people going to be reading when the pick up When Dream and Day Unite?

MP: Only one song title from the ‘87 demo was changed after lyrics were added. “Death of Spock” is now called “The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun.” The title “Death of Spock” was only a working title inspired by the mood that was created while writing the song. All of the lyrics on the album were written by Kev, Charlie, and John Petrucci. The topics range from song to song and deal with faith, truth, dreams, fiction, death, and relationships.

GM: About the new singer, Charlie Dominici: what’s his background and who are some of his influences? Does he fit within the framework of the band, considering the rest of Dream Theater are schooled musicians?

MP: Charlie has traveled around the country in various bands prior to Dream Theater. His influences range from various metal singers to various pop and soul singers. Because he plays other instruments, he understands the nature of our music and fits in perfectly.

GM: How did you feel about recording at Kajem Studios in Philly and having Terry Date at the micing boards?

MP: Working with Terry at Kajem was a great experience. Terry is a great guy, and we had a really good time doing the album. We feel that the album is a solid debut and a proper representation of the band at this stage. Kajem is a beautiful studio with great facilities and a great staff of engineers.

GM: How did you manage to get this far as a band? Wasn’t it frustrating knowing you were musically more competent than many other metal bands getting signed to major labels?

MP: The reason this band has managed to get this far is through sheer dedication, faith and love for the nusic we plsy. We went over a year without a singer and not even once ever dreamed of giving up. We had complete faith in the band and knew that things would come together, and the did. It does get frustrating at times knowing that so many bands that are successful aren’t very talented, but as long as our music keeps us happy--that’s all we care about.

GM: A little politics: U.S. voter participation ranks somewhere near the end of the list when compared to other democratic nations across the globe. The impression I get is that a lot of people strictly into metal are not politically active. Did you people vote in ‘89?

MP: I would not consider any of us political experts, but we try to be as conscious as we can. And, yes, we all did vote this past November.

GM: There’s a big concern among the hardcore and metal audiences that musicians playing heavy metal are just in the “business” for the money. What do you think about about this? And, if it’s not true, why must people still plop down ten bucks for a metal album when HC albums are available for five bucks through the mail?

MP: That is true to a certain degree. There are some bands who are obviously “cashing-in” by playing trendy music. But, you cannot stereotype it strictly to heavy metal music; it’s always been that way. The record companies are not stupid! They realize that rock and roll is a convenient source of income. The fact of the matter is, it IS a “business”. It’s sad, but it’s true. It would be fair to say that it is the labels that are in it for the money, not always the bands. But then again, it gets very hard for a band to go anywhere without a label.

GM: Has your attitude changed (in any way) about the music scene since you have been signed?

MP: Well, we are now very aware of how much of a business it is and that you have to be very careful not to get screwed. You also have to keep your integrity by doing musically what you want to do and NOT what the lablel thinks you should do. Luckily, Mecanic Records understands what we are trying to achieve with our music, and they do not want to change our style in any way. They are very flexible and generally let us make our own decisions when it comes to the music.

GM: What kind of listening audience do you think you’ll bolster in the next couple of years? Who’s is going to buy your new LP?

MP: I think that our music has something that will appeal to everybody, and that anybody with an open mind will find our style of writing interesting. It’s hard to pinpoint or categorize our music to a specific audience. I think any musician will enjoy what we are doing. Because we have so many different influences, I think the music will appeal to many different listeners.

GM: How did the showcase at U.S. Blues in Manhattan go?

MP: It was a very cool show. It was our first time playing in Manhattan and there was a great turnout. (Especially considering that it was on the same night of the deciding playoff game for the Mets!) We’ve been playing in the area a lot lately. We are basically getting our live show down tight now so that we’ll be ready to tour when the album is released in February.

GM: It seems like image is still a big thing these days. People judge by image; Does your image fit your music? Surely you don’t dress like English royalty in the 14th century, as you old name Majesty would imply?

MP: Our image is just something that comes naturally to us: we basically just dress the way that we would if we were to go food shopping! We just wear jeans, tank tops, t-shirts, sneakers, boots, leather jackets etc... We don’t want to portray ourselves to be something we’re not.

GM: Everyone I know, including myself, compares you to Rush, which I think is justified because of your musical expertise and your (unorthodox) use of keyboards. From looking at Rush’ progression, what do you think your albums will sound like 10 LP’s into the future?

MP: We take the frequent Rush comparisons as a compliment because they were one of the many bands that have inspired us very much. We all still love what Rush is doing now, even though it is not as complex as it used to be. I think our music will always keep the strong emphasis on musicianship. Whether it be through complex arrangements, solos or a simple two chord dynamic piece. Our music is constantly expanding into something else, and we’d like to incorporate all of the styles into one unique one. I can also see the band getting into heavy studio experimentation because we love true studio albums (Sgt. Pepper, Dark Side of the Moon, etc.).

GM: Is a tour planned to follow your debut release? Do you plan on hooking up with a major tour or headline yourselves?

MP: Nothing is set yet, but we definitely will tour when the album is released. We’re hoping to get an opening slot on a major tour and also headline smaller venues ourselves.

GM: Who are some bands, musicians, or composers you listen to to in your spare time? Do you draw influence from bands in your own genre?

MP: God, I could fill the rest of this magazine with our influences!! We really do love anything with integrity. You can usually find something inspiring in anybody’s music. (No matter what the style.) We really do listen to a lot of different stuff. It ranges from metal to progressive rock, rock to jazz to psychedelic 60’s rock. Basically, we love all music.

GM: Have you made any efforts to promote Dream Theater in Europe or other continents? West Germany and the Netherlands, for instance, would most certainly go for your style of music.

MP: Yes. Thanks to the underground scene and all of the fanzines, we’ve gotten a great European response. Especially West Germany. They write to us all the time, and it’s real encouraging to know that our music is reaching these people and they appreciate it.

GM: Say something inspiring...

MP: Well, it’s very inspiring to know that your magazine and your readers are into what we are doing. The album When Dream and Day Unite will be available in February of ‘89, and I hope it will open the doors to combine metal and progressive rock. We hope you enjoy the album, and we hope to see you on tour very soon.