Author Topic: "We wouldn't have been nominated for a Grammy if DT hadn't changed the drummer"  (Read 6904 times)

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Offline Nest777

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Interesting interview with Mike Mangini here. I'm translating it from spanish, sorry in advance for any mistakes!

Quote
You have a lot of experience as a session musician. Recording ADTOE was like a session, or you felt quickly integrated in the DT writing dynamic?

It was more like a session, 'cause the music was already written, but at the same time it was my new band, so there was some kind of flexibility. I suggested some ideas, and I was free to play like I wanted, but I did have no control over my sound. I must say that the sound in that album doesn't represent me at all, the mix was far from what I would have done.

How?

I'd have liked a more equalized, flourished sound. The isolated drum tracks from ADTOE sound huge, just the same way they did in the studio. When you add the whole band, the drum mix isn't that great. It has to be very clear, very loud mix, 'cause when you add so many guitar and keyboard tracks, the drum track is harder to hear. At the end, if you put the drum track in the middle of that sonic storm, it sounds like a machine. I like the album, though.

Two years later Dream Theater released a self-titled album. This is the first time you were ther since the beginning, how was it?

Working on this album was quite different. Like you've said, I was there since the beginning. As a composer, I manage some things in a different way. For exaple, I'm able to compose a whole song, with all the instruments, from start to end. That allows me to be quiet when it's necessary, as opposed to Mike Portnoy, who was quite controlling. I'm a silent man most of the time, I don't have the need to do or to say something everytime I can. If the guys are developing some great ideas, I don't want to bother them. Been able to create a whole song gives me confidence, I don't need to be a control freak all the time. That's important, let the other guys think in peace.

There are many fans who aren't 100% fond of the new album. How do you feel about that?

We are very happy with the album, all the reviews we have read are great. We've been nominated for a Grammy again. Do you know how important is that? We probably wouldn't have been nominated for a Grammy if Dream Theater hadn't changed their drummer. But they changed and the songs ended being great enough for the nomination.

https://blogs.rock.com.ar/mike-mangini-dream-theater-baterista-grammy/

 :corn
« Last Edit: September 19, 2014, 05:53:20 AM by Nest777 »

Offline emtee

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I'm not clicking on the link because I don't need another virus to wipe out but that does not sound like the MM I know. At all.

Seems like BS to me.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Even if it is remotely accurate, I would assume something got lost in context or something.  Perhaps like, DT wouldn't have had the notoriety to be noticed for the Grammys without all of the publicity revolving MP leaving.

It certainly didn't have anything to do with MM himself, and he is humble enough to know that, so without some other corroboration, I do not accept this at face value.
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Offline BlobVanDam

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Even if it is remotely accurate, I would assume something got lost in context or something.  Perhaps like, DT wouldn't have had the notoriety to be noticed for the Grammys without all of the publicity revolving MP leaving.

It certainly didn't have anything to do with MM himself, and he is humble enough to know that, so without some other corroboration, I do not accept this at face value.

Yeah, I definitely don't think MM would have meant it in a way that took anything away from pre-MM era DT. If he did mean that DT wouldn't have gotten a Grammy nomination without the publicity and exposure they got from MP's departure, then I'd probably agree. DT deserved some recognition for their successful career, but tbh OTBOA isn't the song I would have chosen from them.

And I've never taken translations like this at face value. It's translated from English, then back again, and it only takes a word or two of difference for the meaning to get distorted.
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Offline OpenYourEyes311

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I'm not clicking on the link because I don't need another virus to wipe out but that does not sound like the MM I know. At all.

Seems like BS to me.

This exactly. I would need to see a video of this interview because that really doesn't sound like Mike. He has a lot more class than what is represented here.
I don't want MP playing with DT unless they were making a drummer change. If they let MM go and bring back MP, then fine, but no guest appearance please.
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Offline Shadow Ninja 2.0

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Quote
Working on this album was quite different. Like you've said, I was there since the beginning. As a composer, I manage some things in a different way. For exaple, I'm able to compose a whole song, with all the instruments, from start to end. That allows me to be quiet when it's necessary, as opposed to Mike Portnoy, who was quite controlling. I'm a silent man most of the time, I don't have the need to do or to say something everytime I can. If the guys are developing some great ideas, I don't want to bother them. Been able to create a whole song gives me confidence, I don't need to be a control freak all the time. That's important, let the other guys think in peace.

This is a strange statement.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Maybe he was on a bender.
Hef is right on all things. Except for when I disagree with him. In which case he's probably still right.

Offline rumborak

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That indeed reads very un-MMish. Would love to hear the original recording.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

Offline Xenon

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It's fake. Lots of wrong things in the interview. Or Maybe it's legit, but the interviewer sucks at translating or loves to take out of context everything  :lol

Offline theseoafs

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That's super fake, or else the interviewer was so bad at translating that what he did probably doesn't count as translation. MM would never say any of that.

Offline Nest777

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Come on guys, maybe something is lost in translation, but it's far from fake. Rock.com.ar it's a HUGE web in Argentina, with more than 17 years of activity, over 100000 followers in Facebook and thousands of daily visits. One may think they have *some* experience transcribing and translating interviews  :\

Also, please don't kill the messenger :lol

Offline Shadow Ninja 2.0

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We have not killed you.

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Offline Ravenfoul

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Yeah i get the sense it was about publicity, when it comes to that particular statement.

Offline TheCountOfNYC

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There is no way this is real. MM would never say any of this. Saying ADTOE doesn't show off his full potential and that he was unhappy with the sound, saying he can write a full song, that he can take a step back unlike MP who was controlling, and saying that the Grammy nomination wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for him? This is not how MM is at all. This is a bad translation at best and an "interview" meant to stir up controversy at worst.
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Offline rumborak

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I don't know. As Nest777 points out, the site is pretty big (you don't just randomly get 100k FB likes) and as such I can't imagine them just posting a fake interview. Especially with a band of the size of DT, who would probably send a lawyer over if interview was made up.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

Offline RoeDent

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inb4 lock

Offline adamack

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MM has always been gracious to MP and has treated him with respect.

When Mangini won the audition, I remember him saying something like:

"Please know that I am not trying to replace Mike Portnoy, or anything he has done for this band. He is a good friend, I love Mike. He is the only drummer who ever came up to me and told me how highly he thinks of me."  (Not an exact quote, only what I can remember)

I could not find the clip, but it was similar to that. This tells us that MM has a ton of respect for MP, and they've been good friends in the past.

I certainly hope this new interview is not accurate.

As everyone has said, it would be very unlike MM to call Portnoy "controlling", hint that he is a "control freak", and say that they would not have received a Grammy nomination if MP was still aboard.
 
If it is indeed fake, I also hope that someone brings it to MM's attention, so he can clear things up with MP before he reads it for himself.

Offline KevShmev

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Sorry, but not buying this translation one bit.  It doesn't sound a thing like Mike Mangini has sounded like in EVERY other interview we've seen by the man.  Honestly, it sounds trumped up by a Portnoy fanboy (not saying the OP is that, but someone) who wants to make Mangini look bad.

Offline TAC

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Sorry, but not buying this translation one bit. 
Well..maybe MM's Spanish isn't that great! ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline theseoafs

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I don't know. As Nest777 points out, the site is pretty big (you don't just randomly get 100k FB likes) and as such I can't imagine them just posting a fake interview. Especially with a band of the size of DT, who would probably send a lawyer over if interview was made up.

Do you think it's more likely the interview and the translation are real than it is likely that MM actually said this?
« Last Edit: September 19, 2014, 02:31:00 PM by theseoafs »

Offline rumborak

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It's virtually impossible to make the call on it, without having the original audio. I'm just saying, it seems like a reputable page, and it's also not inconceivable that MM is slowly changing the toooone now that he got 2 albums under the belt with the band.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

Offline rumborak

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What's also really bizarre is that whole "on ADTOE my drumming sounds like a machine" part. I mean, if anything, that's a criticism I would levy against DT12.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

Offline theseoafs

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It's virtually impossible to make the call on it, without having the original audio. I'm just saying, it seems like a reputable page, and it's also not inconceivable that MM is slowly changing the toooone now that he got 2 albums under the belt with the band.

I see no reason to believe MM would claim the following:
- The mix on ADTOE wasn't good
- He finds the drum sound on ADTOE to be "machine-like"
- He is able to "compose a whole song with all the instruments from start to finish" which makes him a better band member than others
- MP was controlling because he didn't have the songwriting skill that MM does
- He is literally the reason that the band was given two Grammy nominations

That's not slowly changing the toooone, that's the voice of a completely different person, or at least the voice of an MM that received a really severe blow to the head and doesn't really act like himself anymore.  However, all of these things do sound like things a DT fan would say.

You're technically right that there's no way to know without with 100% certainty without hearing the original recording of the interview, but unless he was on PCP when this interview was done, I don't see how that's likely at all.

Offline hefdaddy42

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I hereby officially declare shenanigans on this interview.
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Offline Xenon

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The thing is that in Argentina most popular things are based on lies  :biggrin:

Offline TheLordOfTheStrings

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I hereby officially declare shenanigans on this interview.
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Offline SuperTaco

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Wow. This is so out of character, there has to be a mistake somewhere.. right? For MM of all people, to say his work on ADTOE "doesn't represent him" is shocking to me. Considering all the previous interviews out there, this sounds like a bad translation that was skewed in a pro-MP direction. I'm not gonna pass judgement until I hear the audio, but this is the impression I get from what I know.

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Offline Chino

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Quote
Working on this album was quite different. Like you've said, I was there since the beginning. As a composer, I manage some things in a different way. For exaple, I'm able to compose a whole song, with all the instruments, from start to end. That allows me to be quiet when it's necessary, as opposed to Mike Portnoy, who was quite controlling. I'm a silent man most of the time, I don't have the need to do or to say something everytime I can. If the guys are developing some great ideas, I don't want to bother them. Been able to create a whole song gives me confidence, I don't need to be a control freak all the time. That's important, let the other guys think in peace.

:neverusethis:

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Offline Nekov

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I just read that whole interview and I'm pretty sure there are some translation errors and some stuff that was probably taken out of context. I just contacted the interviewer through twitter to see if I can get an audio and see what was really said.

Edit: I exchanged some tweets with the guy and he says there was no editing and no omissions on that interview. He says he does have an audio of the interview but I didn't go as far as asking to have it.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2014, 10:31:48 AM by Nekov »
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Offline JediKnight1969

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The thing is that in Argentina most popular things are based on lies  :biggrin:

What?
A daily dose of eMpTyV will flush your mind right down the drain...

Offline rumborak

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For example, the lie that Argentina can win the World Cup.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

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Offline Bertielee

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I just read that whole interview and I'm pretty sure there are some translation errors and some stuff that was probably taken out of context. I just contacted the interviewer through twitter to see if I can get an audio and see what was really said.

Edit: I exchanged some tweets with the guy and he says there was no editing and no omissions on that interview. He says he does have an audio of the interview but I didn't go as far as asking to have it.

Well, you might have. I won't believe anything of this unless I hear the original recording. It sounds so unlike MM it's painful.

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