What did Prater say about MP's departure?

[Sad Wings]

I seem to recall reading that, in an interview with Classic Rock Magazine, David Prater speculated that MP was kicked out of the band due to his controlling and obsessive compulsive behavior.  I know "officially" MP chose to leave, but I wanted to see this interview.  However I've searched Google and this forum and found nothing.  Might anyone be able to post it or point out where I could read it?  I looked at the DT book, but unless I can get it electronically I don't really want to purchase it again as I bought the box set back in 2007.

[rumborak]

I don't recall anything specific regarding that, but isn't surmising that MP got kicked out of DT because of his controlling and obsessive behavior a little bit in the "No shit sherlock" department? I'm sure even his mother-in-law said at some point "he's a nice guy, but he's gonna get kicked out of DT for his obsessive and controlling behavior".

[Tim van Duijn]

How can you be kicked out of a band you founded?

[Anguyen92]

How can you be kicked out of a band you founded?

I don't know.  Ask Scott Weiland how he got kicked out of Stone Temple Pilots though the circumstances when he got kicked out are a lot more volatile there than MP's leaving DT.

[KevShmev]

How can you be kicked out of a band you co-founded?

Fixed that for ya.

I suspect, legally speaking, once the band becomes a corporation from a financial standpoint, the other members could technically vote a co-founder out (although that isn't what happened here).  Isn't that essentially what happened with Geoff Tate and Queensryche?  I am sure bosk1 can explain this better than me.

[rumborak]

Steve Jobs got kicked out of Apple.

[King Postwhore]

How can you be kicked out of a band you founded?

I don't know.  Ask Scott Weiland how he got kicked out of Stone Temple Pilots though the circumstances when he got kicked out are a lot more volatile there than MP's leaving DT.

That's an easy one.   STP planned on doing a 20th anniversary of core and Scott took out a solo band and did it even though he knew STP was planning it and he was a part of it.

Besided, are you defending Scott since he single handedly killed STP 3 or 4 times?

[Lucien]

How can you be kicked out of a band you co-founded?

Fixed that for ya.

I suspect, legally speaking, once the band becomes a corporation from a financial standpoint, the other members could technically vote a co-founder out (although that isn't what happened here).  Isn't that essentially what happened with Geoff Tate and Queensryche?  I am sure bosk1 can explain this better than me.

We wasn't kicked out, anyways. He left the band.

[Madman Shepherd]

Oh David Prater.  Hearing him and MP talk shit about each other is like watching a pissing match between two bulls. 

I got the feeling we weren't getting the full story with MP but between the two, Prater was clearly more full of shit.  There really is no way you can spin MP's departure as him being kicked out.  He made a demand and said he would leave if it wasn't met.  They made a demand and according to some sources practically begged him to reconsider (but knew they had to play hardball).  He wouldn't give in so if anything, they sort of gave him permission to quit because they weren't going to budge. 

Prater has had no contact with any of them since the mid 90s soooooo....what does he know anyway?

[Sad Wings]

While he wasn't tactful by any stretch of the imagination, I thought some of Prater's criticisms of MP from the 2007 version of the DT book were pretty spot-on.  And I think he helped the band after reading the bits about Petrucci's solo in ACOS.  So I'd be interested in seeing what he had to say.

[SystematicThought]

I think I remember in the Prog Magazine article about the breakup, Prater said he wasn't shocked by it and that the band probably got tired of MP controlling everything (his words, not mine)

[Madman Shepherd]

While he wasn't tactful by any stretch of the imagination, I thought some of Prater's criticisms of MP from the 2007 version of the DT book were pretty spot-on.  And I think he helped the band after reading the bits about Petrucci's solo in ACOS.  So I'd be interested in seeing what he had to say.

Without a doubt there are elements of truth in what both Prater and Portnoy have said about the situation and there was some bullshit as well.  It is telling that the other guys didn't seem to have nearly as big of a problem with him as Portnoy did. It's also a bit telling that Prater very sloppily decide to troll this very message board to defend himself under a pseudonym.   

[Anguyen92]

How can you be kicked out of a band you founded?

I don't know.  Ask Scott Weiland how he got kicked out of Stone Temple Pilots though the circumstances when he got kicked out are a lot more volatile there than MP's leaving DT.

That's an easy one.   STP planned on doing a 20th anniversary of core and Scott took out a solo band and did it even though he knew STP was planning it and he was a part of it.

Besided, are you defending Scott since he single handedly killed STP 3 or 4 times?

Nay.  I was just using him as an example of a guy that got kicked out of a band, even though he was part of founding it.

[Sad Wings]

While he wasn't tactful by any stretch of the imagination, I thought some of Prater's criticisms of MP from the 2007 version of the DT book were pretty spot-on.  And I think he helped the band after reading the bits about Petrucci's solo in ACOS.  So I'd be interested in seeing what he had to say.

Without a doubt there are elements of truth in what both Prater and Portnoy have said about the situation and there was some bullshit as well.  It is telling that the other guys didn't seem to have nearly as big of a problem with him as Portnoy did. It's also a bit telling that Prater very sloppily decide to troll this very message board to defend himself under a pseudonym.   

Really?  Interesting that he still has enough of an emotional investment in DT to do that.  Did he produce any other notable bands?

This has probably been discussed more than once, but did JP or any of the other guys ever say anything about the possibility of hiring a producer after Portnoy left?

[TheCountOfNYC]

I'm not surprised that Prater would say something like that. He probably still has an issue with Mike Portnoy after he criticized the way the drums were produced on Images and Words. In all fairness, while I think the drum sound fits the album, I can understand Mike being upset about the triggered snare and kick. I really doubt that Dream Theater kicked him out. It's a pretty simple situation to understand until the post-split drama. Mike needed a break, the other guys didn't want one, so he quit.

[El Barto]

My take has always been that MP left exactly as they all said. About thirty seconds later a couple of them said "OH FUCK YEAH!" and forward they went. MP's controlling nature didn't get him thrown out of the band. It sure as hell locked the door behind him, though.

[Rodni Demental]

How long do you think this thread will last before it descends into anarchy?

[rumborak]

I'm assuming it will be the usual Prater bash fest.

[SystematicThought]

It would be interesting to hear what Prater would do with the band now, although I don't think it would have that much of an impact on anything. But it does sound like he would guide Petrucci a bit.

I also miss Beartracks

[BlobVanDam]

I'm assuming it will be the usual MP bash fest.

FTFY

We wasn't kicked out, anyways. He left the band.

And that. I can't believe it even took that long to point that out.

[King Postwhore]

I think it's understood about his departure.  Only fools and the misinformed think otherwise.

[billybobjoe1881]

Who is Prater?

[Anguyen92]

I believe the producer of the Images and Words album.

[Sad Wings]

We wasn't kicked out, anyways. He left the band.

And that. I can't believe it even took that long to point that out.

I pointed it out in the first post in this thread, friendly fella.

It would be interesting to hear what Prater would do with the band now, although I don't think it would have that much of an impact on anything. But it does sound like he would guide Petrucci a bit.

And give Mangini a better sound.

[CharlesPL]

+ACoS Co producer.

[BlobVanDam]

We wasn't kicked out, anyways. He left the band.

And that. I can't believe it even took that long to point that out.

I pointed it out in the first post in this thread, friendly fella.

My bad! I must have skimmed over that part of your post in my morning grogginess. And to further my confusion, the posts after that seemed to be discussing it as if he was kicked out. So I blame rumborak.

Regardless, Prater hasn't really had any direct interaction with MP/DT in almost 20 years as far as I'm aware, and the band dynamic has changed a lot in that time, so his opinion isn't very relevant at all imo.
Top that off with their mutual bitterness towards each other (brought back up by the book), plus Prater's bad experience trying to persuade this forum that he's amazing and MP is the devil, and it doesn't surprise me that he's still got an ax to grind with MP.

[Anguyen92]

Regardless, Prater hasn't really had any direct interaction with MP/DT in almost 20 years as far as I'm aware, and the band dynamic has changed a lot in that time, so his opinion isn't very relevant at all imo.
Top that off with their mutual bitterness towards each other (brought back up by the book), plus Prater's bad experience trying to persuade this forum that he's amazing and MP is the devil, and it doesn't surprise me that he's still got an ax to grind with MP.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Was there a thread archived somewhere here about that?

[hefdaddy42]

It doesn't matter what Prater says about MP's departure, because it didn't concern him in any way and he has absolutely no insight into the matter. 

Also, he was a total douchenozzle when he posted here.  But that's beside the point.

[rumborak]

In his defense one should point out that in those days the forum was still littered with MP fanboys, and so Prater was being (mostly mindlessly) attacked right from the get go.
I personally actually appreciated Prater's posts. MP is incredibly passive-aggressive, and it's rare to hear the other side of things.

[KevShmev]

Did we ever actually get proof that it was Prater?  I think someone's proof was that his user name was a reference to something on his myspace page , but it's not like a fan couldn't have gone there and seen that, signed up under it, and then posted under the guise of being Prater to make him look bad. 

[Rodni Demental]

True, but he got extra defensive about certain things, and kept on talking about Prater in third person as if he was some kind of friend that had insider information. It was suspicious enough to call him out on it and then he stopped responding so... I guess we'll never know for sure. I think most of us determined it was probably him though based on the nature of his posting.

[bosk1]

How can you be kicked out of a band you co-founded?

Fixed that for ya.

I suspect, legally speaking, once the band becomes a corporation from a financial standpoint, the other members could technically vote a co-founder out (although that isn't what happened here).  Isn't that essentially what happened with Geoff Tate and Queensryche?  I am sure bosk1 can explain this better than me.

Yes, you are basically correct.  The only thing I would corredt in your post is simply the implication that Geoff Tate was a founding member of Queensryche.  Your conclusion is correct either way, but the fact remains that Tate was NOT a founding member of Queensryche.  The other four guys already had formed the band and had a deal to record their demo.  They asked Geoff to sing on their demo, and then later asked him to join the band.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

It doesn't matter what Prater says about MP's departure, because it didn't concern him in any way and he has absolutely no insight into the matter. 

Also, he was a total douchenozzle when he posted here.  But that's beside the point.

Oh, did he? What/where did he post?

[hefdaddy42]

I don't remember, but I'm sure one of our enterprising members can find it.

[Evermind]

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=207.105

Starts at the end of fourth page, I guess.