various Mike Portnoy comments

You’ll be happy to know (and please feel free to pass this all on), that I was at Elektra yesterday and they mentioned receiving the petition and were VERY impressed. (almost to the point of disbelief!!)

I don’t know what it’s impact will turn out to be at this point, as they were already looking to get us started as soon as we return from Europe (say May) with a release probably in the Fall (say Sept./Oct.), but I think this really was a nice and much-needed slap in the face and reminder that there are SO many of you incredible DT fans out there patiently waiting. Thanks to EVERYBODY involved here on this.

Mission accomplished and a job well done!!

In the meantime (as always), as soon as I have CONFIRMED starting dates, release dates, producer name, etc. etc. You all will know.........Until then, look out Europe!!!!

(from YML 2730)

Q1) Are they letting that new dude water down the content/length of songs like Lines in the Sand ?? If they go chop-chop on songs like that down to 5-6 minutes, keep me away from high places ....

A1) Yes, Kevin Shirley has made suggestions and changes here and there. That is one of the roles of a Producer. And yes, there were even minor changes on “Lines in the Sand”. However, they were suggestions made to help strengthen the song’s arrangement..not “water down” the content or length. In fact, it still clocks in at around 12 minutes or so.........So, It’s safe to go have a party on your roof!

Q2) Have they made any headway about the total length of the CD ?? There were strong indications over in NL that this producer insisted on nothing longer than 60 minutes total. Of course this is insanity when they have 2+ hours of great stuff !! Tell MP that we are PLEADING for 79.999999 minutes !!

A2) It’s not 100% for sure, but it looks pretty probably that the CD will be packed to the max. (75 or so minutes) Kevin, and even a few of the other band members, prefer shorter albums...but we had sooo much material, it was hard enough to narrow down the songs to record. Now, we are pumped on all of the ones recorded and can’t seem to imagine not including any one of them. So it’s looking good......I’m still looking out for you guys!!!!

Q3) Are they going to tackle Metropolis II during this recording session (even if it wont be on the CD) ?? We know that if they do then there is a chance that the Gods may bless us at Christmas time or that there may even be a CD single.

A3) Because of the extreme length of the song (we got carried away...), there was no way to include it on the album while still getting all of the others included...... Because of the time available to us to get the album done, I doubt there will be an over-abundance of time leftover for a track of this magnitude..... We really do want M2 eventually released because it is so over the top, but I honestly can’t picture it happening until at least next year. (Maybe an EP, or imported CD single..) This is a similar dilemma to what we had with ACOS... If you’re in the fan club, the Gods will probably bless you around Christmas time anyway....It just won’t be this just yet..... Believe me, We’re about to provide you guys with PLENTY of music!!! Thanks for the comments.....

(from YML 3744)

Hey all,

Before any rumors or incorrect speculation begins among our UK fans (and we have been pleasantly surprised to see that there actually are some!!!!), the reason tonight’s show at Rock City in Nottingham has been cancelled is because James woke up this morning unable to speak. The doctor who saw him today said that he has gotten laryngitis and can’t do tonight’s show...

Now as if that wasn’t a big enough bummer for our fans here who have waited 5 years for us to come back...the thing that has me REALLY bummed is that I spent all morning arguing with the promotor & the venue to let us do an instrumental show without James. (Instrumental DT / Rudess Morgenstein / LTE / Platypus)

I tried to convince him that I’m sure the fans would prefer to see that as opposed to nothing (or maybe even more than DT!!) and to offer refunds to those not interested.....but they refused to let us play!!! (and you UK jammers wonder why we don’t tour this country!)

Well, I just wanted to go on the record saying that I’m JUST as disappointed as any of you that were planning on coming to the show tonight.... I’m writing this post from the hotel literally across the street from the club and there’s nothing I can do about it..... : (

We will leave tonight for France and hopefully James will be rested enough for our last 2 shows on Thursday & Friday.....

As for you UK fans, we will be back to play the Forum in London on June 25th.....

Once again,

I’m sorry....

Mike Portnoy

PS - Please post this anywhere else that some of the UK fans might see it...

(from YML 3938)

>> Well - it is IMPOSSIBLE for everyone (let alone 2 people) to agree on a 1 hour DT set list

> Yet 5 will before the show :)

Probably NOT actually!!! I always write the set lists and it almost never pleases all 4 of the other guys.....

(It’s a dirty job, but someones got to do it!!)

(from YML 4387)

Here’s a response to Mike Bahr, who commented on 2 things he was disappointed by......(he was very pleased with everything else...so don’t start flaming him on this!)

Mike Bahr: I, for one, am most pleased. About the only thing I could find wrong, anywhere, and this was really nitpicking, was the complete absence of New Millennium. But ah well, we can’t have it all. Especially when we get some of the choice tenderloin grade-A cuts that were presented on the video!!!

MP: There actually is a real reason for this because I definately would have included it on either the CD or video....
John M. did not bring his Chapman Stick with him on the European leg that we recorded the Paris & Rotterdam stuff. (That leg was mostly festivals, at which we did not perform “NM”, so he didn’t bring his Stick....)
You do get it as incidental music during one of the tour segments on the video..

Mike Bahr: One little aside: jeers to Mike for just borrowing tracks from the WOWOW 1/24/95 broadcast... like we hadn’t seen it already or something. ;) I’d rather have seen those Foundations Forum performances of those songs (6:00 and Voices) with Jordan Rudess... like in the PAL broadcast from MTV Europe that was brief but tantalizing.

MP: You can thank eMpTVy for that......
I tried to get the pro-shot Foundations footage from them, but they wouldn’t let us use it.....
The Japanese WOWOW was the only pro-shot Awake footage we could obtain the rights for...so I decided to include it in order to represent that tour for us....

(from YML 4635)

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the return of the old DT font....The main reason it was changed to begin with is that Storm Thorgerson does not like to work with existing band fonts. He likes to create something that ties in with the artwork he creates...

If you look at all his previous work (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc..), you’ll notice the band logo’s are constantly changing.. (sometimes the band’s name won’t even appear on his covers)

So as long as we continue to work with him (and I have no reason to see why not..), you’ll have to settle for new fonts each time out.....

(from YML 4646)

We will begin work on the new Dream Theater CD this coming week....

We will begin writing and recording on Monday, Feb. 8th 1999 at Bear Tracks Studios in Suffern, NY with engineer Doug Oberkirker. (same studio and engineer as I&W, Live at the Marquee and ACOS....)

We will self-produce (with a mixer TBA) and spontaniously write & record (ala LTE). (The big difference will be that we will have 2-3 months to do it, instead of 1-2 weeks.) Recording will probably last through to May, as we will take March off for the birth of my son......

We are very excited to begin the latest chapter of DT history and begin “the Jordan era”.....

The music will be all new and freshly written material...

For everybody inquiring about Metropolis Pt. 2: the only comment I will give is that we hope to be able to incorporate it, but if we do, it will definately be different from the version we wrote with Derek as we want to have a fresh start with Jordan....

This is all I will comment on it for quite a while, so spread the word.......

(from YML 4663)

>> As for the jam at the end of Met, I don’t think it has a name, does it?

> Actually, according to MP, it’s a section of “Where Are You Now” which they threw away.

Actually, it wasn’t WAYN...

It’s from the original “The way it used to be” (pre-demo version)

(from YML 4702)

regarding the “choir” at the end of LtL, MP said:

Here’s some trivia.....
That is NOT James...
It is I&W Producer David Prater.
On the last day of mixing (while we were not in the studio), he took it upon himself to sing on our record....(The closing moment of it - no less!!!) He then hopped on a plane to Florida...

When we came into the studio to hear the final mix, he was already gone and his vocals were there with nothing we could do about it!!!!

And he sometimes wonders why we won’t work with him again!!  : )

(from YML 4864)

>> Ever get pissed off that LtL fades out on I&W ?? Shit, I do. <snip> Anyhow, MP does have a version of LtL without the lame faded ending. And supposedly, a great drum fill is in there as well.

Actually, the version we recorded in the studio for I&W did not have the same ending we tagged on live as we always knew it was going to fade.... Yes, I do have the original studio outtake in my archive....but it only consists of us vamping for an additional minute or so (with some drum fills) and then some silly ending.

You can actually hear this very ending on the I&W home video during the “in the studio” portion when the playback is rolling and me & John Petrucci high-5 each other and dance..... (an “end of drum tracks” ritual also documented from the Awake sessions on the 5Years video....)