Mike's response to an open letter on his forum

[EPICVIEW]

well said Nick.^

Its just ignorant for any of us to think we have any insight into Mikes emotions or why he may feel the need to vent.. nor should we judge him. Nobody has any idea what he is feeling but Mike.
there are no TRUTHS, nor anything we can tell him that he could use as "advise" here...thats laughable!!

We can only wish him the best in lifes journey and hope he is happy with his choices..

[Nick]

Yeah, more than anything I just want any drama to die down and see what good can come of this split.

[Seventh Son]

Bashing is not simply, MIKE IS A FUCKING RETARD HUR HUR. You can either be respectful in your posts or you can not. When the entire tone of the post is quite aggressive I'm going to err on the side of bashing when I read the contents of something, that's just natural. It amazes me to no end that a lot of people can't just sit back and write things in a calm and respectful manner, that so many posts are filled with angst and aggression.

I think the aggression and angst arises out of all the drama of the situation that Mike Portnoy pretty much brought upon himself. Compound that with him constantly playing "the victim" card and you have a lot of people are extremely frustrated with someone they probably thought of as an idol. Its like when your parents are fighting, but the both of them are doing some REALLY dumb shit to themselves and each other in the process. You, as a kid can't help but want to scream at both parents and tell them what they are doing is stupid.

That being said, I've been mostly apathetic during this situation. Mike seems like a great, if overly emotional guy. But at the same time I've never personally idolized him or worshiped him so the impact during this whole thing hasn't really angered me. Of course I'm disappointed in the man for the route he's taken and think he's very much in the wrong and constantly making excuses is making it worse, but at the end of the day Mike Portnoy's issues belong to Mike Portnoy. If he wants to completely destroy his reputation, that's his choice.

[Samsara]

I agree that MP is handling this poorly, but I'm having a lot of personal issues myself right now that makes me understand. It took me over two months till the full emotional issues of a break with someone came and hit me full force, and frankly everyone takes differently to a situation like this. Some will be calm throughout, others emotional throughout, and others will flare up at certain times.

Good point, but sorry, that doesn't excuse MP for the way he is handling it. Just because you can understand why someone would lash out the way he has, doesn't make it right or appropriate. You don't give the guy a pass for acting like Mike has. These are professionals, and this is a business. While personally, sure, Mike is struggling and having a hard time, it doesn't excuse his public comments and actions.

You have to be enough of a professional (in Mike's shoes) to say (or in this case, NOT say) the right things. MP completely mucked it up, and looks foolish and sad to say, in my opinion, very selfish.

If Mike has any wits about him going forward, he'll just move forward and leave the past behind until time heals things a bit. Because he looks bad, very very bad.

[Nick]

I agree that it doesn't excuse Mike and I agree that it hasn't been appropriate.

[EPICVIEW]

I have no issue with MP.. and I dont think anyone has the right to judge him or critique him as far as his "handling" of this split..
the whole band is free to say and do as they feel.. we are here to observe, but our views are moot
Its ROCK AND ROLL

[SystematicThought]

I am just happy MP responded even though the victim card he seems to play gets annoying. I think his response was okay.

I am more of mad at the guy who posted the letter for not expanding upon the drum pad thing. He knew people would be wondering, yet he always just says: I can't say it publicly, but some 'cats' aren't happy with him

[ariich]

In general Mike hasn't been handling things well, that much is obvious. I actually think that particular response to the "open letter" was a good one though. He admitted jumping to conclusions and publicly apologised to everyone include CJS.

I think some time off from the internetz could do him some real good though.

[Ħ]

Unfortunately, I think that Mike's poor intenet and research skillz are causing him to make major mistakes, such as misinterpreting the Blabbermouth headling and posting that narcissistic article on Facebook.  I recall that Mike once called Youtube "Mytube".

Anyway, I think that all the communities are blowing this wayy out of proportion.  Honestly, Mike did not commit first-degree murder.  He just had a brief misunderstanding with the band, which he apologized for a day later.

The only thing I think that Mike deserves to be "bashed" about is the victim card thing.  He wasn't kicked out--he LEFT.  He's really making a mistake in that regard.

[ariich]

Well, it was both. I don't like the whole "Mike left" vs "they kicked him out" debate. Both sides had their own feelings, they couldn't come to an agreement, so they mutually decided to go their separate ways. The whole "YOU LEFT" argument is getting very annoying if I'm honest.

[rumborak]

Where there's no mistaken though is that this sudden uprising against him (even amongst his most die-hard supporters) is of his own doing. Had he stuck to just making spurious, positive interviews in the near future, the massive support he had right after his departure would have stuck. His decision to essentially comment on every single mental fart coming his direction is the cause of all this.

rumborak

[moffatt]

Wow some people really are hating on MP badly during these times, give the guy a fucking break. Sure he made a bad decision and continued to handle it badly. But for god sake read his words, how would you feel having left the band and best friends that you have spent the majority of your life with? He is obviously very emotionally upset as he has said many times. Of course he is going to make a few mistakes during this time. Personally even though I thought he should have read the whole article about James's comment, reading the words "I'm not unhappy" or whatever the were would definately make a guy in MP's position unhappy even though it was not said in the context it looks like. People need to understand what MP is going through and he's also not helping himself by reading through all the comments and posting and I am glad he is going to take a break from posting as the is the right thing for him to do. But in this matter there is no reason to directly bash him as some people have done so in this thread.

[Ħ]

Well, it was both. I don't like the whole "Mike left" vs "they kicked him out" debate. Both sides had their own feelings, they couldn't come to an agreement, so they mutually decided to go their separate ways. The whole "YOU LEFT" argument is getting very annoying if I'm honest.

But...he did, right?  Sure, "they went their separate ways" is a nicer way to put it.  But is was his choice to leave.  DT made it clear that they would welcome him back if he chose to recind his decision.

[Seventh Son]

I have no issue with MP.. and I dont think anyone has the right to judge him or critique him as far as his "handling" of this split..
the whole band is free to say and do as they feel.. we are here to observe, but our views are moot
Its ROCK AND ROLL

Completely, 100% disagree with this. Why is it that we must view someone like Mike as if he is exempt from judgment and critique? Sure, we make mistakes too but there will be someone to tell us that we fucked up and we were stupid for it (I've done a lot of stupid shit in my life too. And trust me, I'd expect you to tell me that I fucked up. How else can I not do something stupid like that again otherwise?). Mike is no different. I think that's part of the problem too. If no one ever says to you "Hey buddy, you were a dumbass and fucked up" how the hell are you supposed to know what you did was wrong and how to fix it? I think your view only inflates Mike's ego by placing him on an untouchable pedestal of sorts.

Mike Portnoy, outside of drumming, is a human being like anyone else, and is not exempt from any kind of criticism in my opinion. Of course, tact remains necessary, but at the same time saying "We don't have a right to say anything to him" is nothing short of placing Mike on a pedestal and pretending that he is a god. Which he isn't, he's simply a hard-working (And extremely emotional as well) man that is an extremely talented drummer.

[LudwigVan]

Don't you know this is all part of MP's master plan to get VH1 to do an episode of Dream Theater: Behind the Music

[ariich]

Where there's no mistaken though is that this sudden uprising against him (even amongst his most die-hard supporters) is of his own doing. Had he stuck to just making spurious, positive interviews in the near future, the massive support he had right after his departure would have stuck. His decision to essentially comment on every single mental fart coming his direction is the cause of all this.

rumborak

I agree. Unfortunately he's never been good at reacting to things, and right now there's a ton of stuff to react to, and he's obviously hurting quite a lot, so things are in a worse state than usual.

Still, he apologised and pledged to take some time off from internet posting. Hopefully that does him some good.

[rumborak]

Eh, I believe it when I see it. If I've gotten any impression of MP's personality over the years, it's that Mike can't let things go. The more they upset him, the more he bites into them.

rumborak

[ariich]

But...he did, right?  Sure, "they went their separate ways" is a nicer way to put it.  But is was his choice to leave.  DT made it clear that they would welcome him back if he chose to recind his decision.

You can look at it from either side. There's no reason that the band had to get back in the studio. The opposite of your approach would be to say that he wanted a hiatus (which a hell of a lot of fans would have agreed with, by the way) but they said no and gave him no choice.

The rest of the band wanted to get back to things, and he didn't. They didn't force him to and he didn't force them not to. Both sides agreed they weren't in the same place right now.

Eh, I believe it when I see it. If I've gotten any impression of MP's personality over the years, it's that Mike can't let things go. The more they upset him, the more he bites into them.

rumborak

Indeed, which is why I said "hopefully".

[rumborak]

Kinda like a pitbull terrier, where you have to pry the jaws apart once it locked its teeth in the flesh

rumborak

[Seventh Son]

Wow some people really are hating on MP badly during these times, give the guy a fucking break. Sure he made a bad decision and continued to handle it badly. But for god sake read his words, how would you feel having left the band and best friends that you have spent the majority of your life with? He is obviously very emotionally upset as he has said many times. Of course he is going to make a few mistakes during this time. Personally even though I thought he should have read the whole article about James's comment, reading the words "I'm not unhappy" or whatever the were would definately make a guy in MP's position unhappy even though it was not said in the context it looks like. People need to understand what MP is going through and he's also not helping himself by reading through all the comments and posting and I am glad he is going to take a break from posting as the is the right thing for him to do. But in this matter there is no reason to directly bash him as some people have done so in this thread.

Maybe I feel differently because of my own experiences. When something like that happened to me, the best advice I got was "Be a man, get over it and stop crying like a pussy." (In many cases its the only advice I've been given   ) So in reading everything going with Mike, I can't help but want to say the same thing (albeit with a bit more respect, per the rules of the site). Life moves on, and so does Dream Theater, and hopefully Mike Portnoy. I don't dislike Mike, I think honestly he'd be a pretty cool guy to hang out with. I just can't help but feel that sometimes playing nice won't do much good here. Sometimes (And I mean this in the best of ways, mods), that a good ass-kicking can honestly help a man go a long way. I don't mean disrespect by that statement at all, trust me! I simply mean sometimes hearing it straight up, no bullshit is a lot more helpful than someone dancing on eggshells, trying to not hurt your feelings. Maybe its because of how I grew up but I stand by that statement that I think Mike Portnoy should man up (And again, I do not mean this disrespectfully. Its like telling a good friend of yours to man up when he obviously needs to).

[j]

But...he did, right?  Sure, "they went their separate ways" is a nicer way to put it.  But is was his choice to leave.  DT made it clear that they would welcome him back if he chose to recind his decision.

You can look at it from either side. There's no reason that the band had to get back in the studio. The opposite of your approach would be to say that he wanted a hiatus (which a hell of a lot of fans would have agreed with, by the way) but they said no and gave him no choice.

The rest of the band wanted to get back to things, and he didn't. They didn't force him to and he didn't force them not to. Both sides agreed they weren't in the same place right now.

I don't know.  I really don't see why there couldn't have been some sort of compromise, if both parties really wanted it.  Like Portnoy saying "ok, I need some time off, can you guys record the next album with a temp guy and then I should be recharged and ready to go?"  Why did it have to be one of two extremes?

-J

[Cool Chris]

There's no reason that the band had to get back in the studio. The opposite of your approach would be to say that he wanted a hiatus (which a hell of a lot of fans would have agreed with, by the way) but they said no and gave him no choice.

Not to continue the debate you are trying to quell, but he did have a choice. I do not like the 'I didn't have a choice' argument. If both options suck, you still weigh them and take what you feel is the better option. Like him saying "This is the last thing I wanted." Obviously it isn't because he chose it over something else. 

[Samsara]

Don't you know this is all part of MP's master plan to get VH1 to do an episode of Dream Theater: Behind the Music

Win! 

[ariich]

There's no reason that the band had to get back in the studio. The opposite of your approach would be to say that he wanted a hiatus (which a hell of a lot of fans would have agreed with, by the way) but they said no and gave him no choice.

Not to continue the debate you are trying to quell, but he did have a choice. I do not like the 'I didn't have a choice' argument. If both options suck, you still weigh them and take what you feel is the better option. Like him saying "This is the last thing I wanted." Obviously it isn't because he chose it over something else. 

No I know, that's exactly my point. He had a choice, as did the rest of the band. But both felt strongly enough about how they felt that they didn't want to compromise, so rather than fighting about it they all agreed on the split.

[faemir]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

[PlaysLikeMyung]

melodramatic much?

[Seventh Son]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

.... I think what I said before applies even stronger than before.

[ariich]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

In relation to his departure from internet posting, I'm assuming.

Also I renamed the thread as it wasn't really accurate before.

EDIT: Also, you guys know that's a Pink Floyd song, yeah?

[The Letter M]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

Also on his Facebook status. 158 Facebookers have Liked it... and rising.

-Marc.

[ariich]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

Also on his Facebook status. 158 Facebookers have Liked it... and rising.

-Marc.

A lot of people will just assume it's a PF reference. Hope he doesn't take too much offence to that...

[rumborak]

[The Letter M]

Portnoy just tweeted "goodbye cruel world"

errrrrr

Also on his Facebook status. 158 Facebookers have Liked it... and rising.

-Marc.

A lot of people will just assume it's a PF reference. Hope he doesn't take too much offence to that...

Well one of his latest status updates/tweets did say The Wall was his favorite album. I guess it's poetic irony for all of this to go down the night he sees Roger Waters' tour of The Wall and to use that song title in a status update... or he's doing it on purpose. I mean, the album has 25 other song titles, although I very much doubt "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" would be a very good status/tweet.

-Marc.

[TimmyHiggy]

I'm sure it is a PF reference (I opened this thread whilst listening to the wall, spooky!)
he went to see Roger Waters play the Wall the other night.
Twitter turns you into such a stalker...

[Nick]

Yeah, people, calm down, he just saw The Wall last night.

[ariich]

Yeah, people, calm down, he just saw The Wall last night.

I actually hadn't even thought of that. I imagine it's a bit of both; using a PF reference to signify a break (or at least drop in activity) from the net.