Mike Portnoy on wanting to rejoin Dream Theater

[BlobVanDam]

Blob pointed out that MP had been known to lurk here without posting and whenever someone noticed a tiny similarity between two songs - MP would later post it on his own website as something he'd just found out himself.

I don't think he ever tried to pass it off as something he'd just found out himself, but he made sure everyone saw Thiago's theory, and agreed with it and said he'd noticed it all on first listen too. If he really noticed it on first listen, he would have either mentioned it when he first noticed it, or would have had the tact not to comment on it at all. The situation just came across as petty digging to discredit the new album.
Not that I'm a huge fan of ADTOE myself, but that criticism was ridiculous.

And I can't remember if he commented on the BMUBMD/Red thing too, but it would have been the same situation there. By only agreeing with it after someone else mentions it makes it very likely he was just agreeing with any criticism he could find.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I could be wrong but wasn't it Thiago Campos article about ADTOE and IAW that MP posted on his site that made him start all these rip off arguments?

EDIT: Ohhh Blob-san beat me to it!

[Super Dude]

Ah, I knew that first bit but not the other parts. Harsh.

[Setlist Scotty]

Been following this thread on and off, and felt it was time to inject some rationality into this latest round of MP-bashing. Just FYI, I haven't spoken to MP about the breakup for probably at least a year, so it's not as if I've gotten some inside information.

Everything was quiet and seemed to be settling down and he goes and says something stupid like "DT has done too much damage behind the scenes".  Excuse me?  MP did all his damage in public for everyone to see yet he thinks whatever DT did in private is the real problem?

I think the point MP's making now is that if for whatever reason MM left and the rest of the guys approached MP about rejoining, because of what has gone on behind the scenes, he probably wouldn't do it. Not that it's going to happen. Even if MM did leave the band, I highly doubt the other guys would ask MP to come back since there are numerous other amazing drummers out there that would love the gig. The only way I can see them asking MP to come back is if DT starts losing a lot of popularity and they think that one of the ways to recapture it is to have a reunion with MP.

Everything we've seen points to DT being classy and mature and handling the situation very respectuflly. 

Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that they have been behind the scenes - only those involved truly know. But, MP's always been very honest, and while things might be skewed because of his viewpoint, it doesn't mean that there isn't some significant truth to what he's saying. The man has always been far more forthcoming about things inside and outside of DT than any of the other guys, at all stages of the band's career.

MP just can't keep his mouth shut and/or just get over it.  It's quite sad, actually.

For the most part these days, MP does keep his mouth shut, but unfortunately there are times when fans bring up the topic, and he occasionally feels the need to say stuff like this again. I agree that it's annoying and I wish he'd stop.

But... but... they've done "irrefutable" damage!  He's daring us to refute!

Well, if he meant what he said (irrefutable, and not irreversible), that could be the case, considering that many (such as the majority of this forum) doubt that the guys in DT could ever do anything wrong. Keep in mind that MP is obsessive compulsive, and I know for a fact that he keeps everything. For example, many years ago when DaveH (original MP.com webmaster) visited him, MP showed him the original floppy(?) disc the Dave had sent MP that had Dave's DT-modified version of the game Doom (or level of Doom) on it. Mind you, Dave created that probably 4 or 5 years before, and MP never knew that Dave would one day visit him. Yet MP kept the original disc.

Now, if MP would hold on to such trivial things as a disc that a fan sent him years ago, don't you think the man is going to hold on to every piece of information that has something remotely to do with his leaving the band he helped found 25 years ago? I'd bet he does. And I'd wager that within that information, there are things that show that the other guys in the band did something(s) that helped damage that relationship. Whether it's as damaging as he leads us to believe or not remains a mystery.

I think the irrefutable damage are the drum parts on ADTOE. As in, "crap, I'll never be able to play this stuff. No way can I rejoin now".

Ha! Not like he would bother playing MM's parts anyway. He never plays his own parts exactly the same, so why do it for another drummer? 

Yes ! like accusing the band of sounding like their influences on their first album without him - when he was the sole instigator of that behaviour when he was in the band.

The Red/IAW copying was a pretty frustrating thing to read, true (actually I might be underrating it a bit by using "frustrating"), but the part in bold is just plain wrong, man.

Ok - maybe not the sole instigator but he definitely encouraged it.

And right here shows how much you, Kotowboy, are just looking for a reason to hate him. MP may have encouraged it, but how do you know that he was the only one, as your comment implies? The fact that those influences are still there shows that JP and perhaps the other guys *also* were involved in mimicking the sound/style of other bands, and they still are, just as they have from the first album onward when the band was much more democratic.

[Orbert]

Ah, the voice of reason!

Everything you say is true, of course, even if a lot of it is just pointing out other things that are probably true.  The problem has always been that, since the split, Mike has been very vocal and the remaining members of Dream Theater have been very quiet.  With Mike saying so much, and most of it from the hip and clearly not well thought out, it was/is easy to see him in the worst possible light.  With DT keeping so tight-lipped, it was/is easy to see them as taking the high road and not wanting to air their laundry in public.

And from there, it's easy to end up seeing Mike as "bad guy" and DT as the "good guys" in the breakup, when the truth is that we just don't know, and never will know.

But... but... they've done "irrefutable" damage!  He's daring us to refute!

Well, if he meant what he said (irrefutable, and not irreversible), that could be the case, considering that many (such as the majority of this forum) doubt that the guys in DT could ever do anything wrong. Keep in mind that MP is obsessive compulsive, and I know for a fact that he keeps everything. For example, many years ago when DaveH (original MP.com webmaster) visited him, MP showed him the original floppy(?) disc the Dave had sent MP that had Dave's DT-modified version of the game Doom (or level of Doom) on it. Mind you, Dave created that probably 4 or 5 years before, and MP never knew that Dave would one day visit him. Yet MP kept the original disc.

Now, if MP would hold on to such trivial things as a disc that a fan sent him years ago, don't you think the man is going to hold on to every piece of information that has something remotely to do with his leaving the band he helped found 25 years ago? I'd bet he does. And I'd wager that within that information, there are things that show that the other guys in the band did something(s) that helped damage that relationship. Whether it's as damaging as he leads us to believe or not remains a mystery.

I think the irrefutable damage are the drum parts on ADTOE. As in, "crap, I'll never be able to play this stuff. No way can I rejoin now".

Ha! Not like he would bother playing MM's parts anyway. He never plays his own parts exactly the same, so why do it for another drummer? 

I was mostly making a joke at Mike's expense, as most people believe that he used the wrong word.  But you make some good points, things that others probably haven't thought of.

I'm pretty sure Rumby was making a joke as well, but again you make a good point.

[rumborak]

i don't know, Scotty, I think it's nonetheless clear that MP had at least a >50% involvement in those "inspiration corners" (if people remember those), which seemed to be the source for many of the a-bit-too-close-for-comfort homages. Either way, his clear involvement in it really made him ineligible to levy any criticism regarding the practice on ADTOE.

Regarding the breakup, I have no illusions that DT played hardball too. I think there was a good amount of latent animosity going on (otherwise I'm pretty sure an amicable solution to the hiatus would have been found), so when breakup time came maybe two or three DT members didn't go out of their way to keep things smooth or nice but rather let the chips fall where they may. Especially JLB I would think didn't shed a single tear over this.

[Perpetual Change]

While I'm sympathetic to MP, and dislike the beatings he gets for every misstep, apologizing for him doesn't help either. Implying someone else has done wrong without any evidence or backup is just not cool, and a pretty questionable way of rallying a fanbase. I don't care if "The Man" is a straight shooter, or cares too much, or has OCD, or whatever else it is his diehards throw out to make all his flaws seem like virtues; it's just not right. It's really destructive for Mike to do these things and fans should stop bashing him for it and just start ignoring him altogether.

[rumborak]

Part of the problem is that he still operates as if his audience took his words as gospel, like they did when he was in DT. These days when he puts out a "take my word for it, you shouldn't like them" statement, I think the majority of people take a step back and say, "hold on, why should I trust you on this?".

[emtee]

First off thanks Scotty. Some balance is appreciated.

Second, the fact that other members of DT had Muse in their top 10 of 2012 certifies that it was not just MP. I don't think it's fair
that MP takes the majority hit for the inspiration corner and it's outcomes on DT albums. Obviously I could be wrong as I have no
inside knowledge but I'm guessing there was equal input from the main song writters.

[?]

At least Jordan has said the rest of the band weren't completely happy with the idea of an inspiration corner: https://theytsetimes.com/?p=1378

SS: In your last albums there were some influences from bands like Metallica and Muse. How beneficial do you think this obsession of Mike's was for the band, considering he was the one who brought all these influences into the band?

JR: The truth is that Mike was thinking a lot like this. Me and the rest of the guys in the band had a different point of view. The easy thing is to try to copy Metallica. This is the reason I consider our new album something special since we used all our creative freedom in the creation of the album.

[emtee]

And there you have it. Not the first time my 'guess' has been wrong and I'm sure it won't be the last.

[KevShmev]

Second, the fact that other members of DT had Muse in their top 10 of 2012 certifies that it was not just MP. 

Why?  Because they liked Muse's latest CD?  Come on.  Now, if the next DT album is ripe with Muse influences, then maybe you'll have something, but for now, all those lists prove is that various DT members really like The 2nd Law.

Also, the big difference between some of DT's other 2000 albums and ADTOE was that those other albums had heavy influences from other bands, while ADTOE, at the very worst, borrowed from themselves (and even that is still highly debatable, and still not true to the extent that a few thought).

[emtee]

I can't argue with that Kev. When you're right you're right. Though I will say that all of us to a degree are influenced by what we
hear and it's natural to incorporate it into the music even if it's at a subconscious level. I aslo agree that ADToE did borrow more
from early DT as it's primary influence.

[Setlist Scotty]

The problem has always been that, since the split, Mike has been very vocal and the remaining members of Dream Theater have been very quiet.  With Mike saying so much, and most of it from the hip and clearly not well thought out, it was/is easy to see him in the worst possible light.  With DT keeping so tight-lipped, it was/is easy to see them as taking the high road and not wanting to air their laundry in public.

And from there, it's easy to end up seeing Mike as "bad guy" and DT as the "good guys" in the breakup, when the truth is that we just don't know, and never will know.

Many thanx for your post Orbert! I think what you posted, specifically what I've quoted above should be kept in mind by everyone here that is quick to jump on the bash-MP bandwagon. I'm not saying that MP is perfect - I've found fault with a number of things he's said/did (in particular when he made that post about BMUBMD plagerizing RED) - all I'm saying is be reasonable and fair.

i don't know, Scotty, I think it's nonetheless clear that MP had at least a >50% involvement in those "inspiration corners" (if people remember those), which seemed to be the source for many of the a-bit-too-close-for-comfort homages. Either way, his clear involvement in it really made him ineligible to levy any criticism regarding the practice on ADTOE.

Aside from perhaps Jordan (who came into the band much later after they had been well established and were an internationally known entity), I think all the guys were involved. Like I said, going all the way back, there are those influences showing thru. Just because within the last 10 years, it *appears* that MP was the one who made all the choices of "inspiration corner" doesn't mean that he did. We don't know to what extent JP or the others brought in CDs to reference. In fact, I do remember reading an old Guitar for the Practicing Musician interview with JP (94) where JP wanted to get some guitar sounds like Alex Lifeson from Rush's Hold Your Fire album - was it part of "inspiration corner"? Perhaps. And if it was, you can be sure it was JP who would have brought it in, since MP wasn't much of a fan of Rush's "keyboard era". The quote from that interview with Jordan is interesting, and MP may have been more involved in pushing the influences on later albums, but I'd still wager the rest of the band was more into those influences on earlier albums when DT was much more democratic.

As for MP criticizing BMUBMD, I agree. Regarding how the *structures* of several of the songs on ADToE are eerily similar to songs on IaW, I'm not so sure.

While I'm sympathetic to MP, and dislike the beatings he gets for every misstep, apologizing for him doesn't help either. Implying someone else has done wrong without any evidence or backup is just not cool, and a pretty questionable way of rallying a fanbase. I don't care if "The Man" is a straight shooter, or cares too much, or has OCD, or whatever else it is his diehards throw out to make all his flaws seem like virtues; it's just not right. It's really destructive for Mike to do these things and fans should stop bashing him for it and just start ignoring him altogether.

Believe me when I say that I'm not trying to defend all of MP's actions. Far from it. However, when there is blind bashing going on, as happens here quite often, then I feel the need to say something.

One thing I will say, because I know how it feels, is that when you are accused of something that is not true and puts you in a bad light, chances are, you're gonna speak up for yourself to try to correct the matter. I know I've done it, and I'd bet the majority of you all have too. To some extent, I think this is exactly what MP's been doing with some of his posts, altho his posts are made compulsively (not well thought out). That said, some of his comments are inexcusable, such as the one about BMUBMD/RED which was just infantile.

Also, the big difference between some of DT's other 2000 albums and ADTOE was that those other albums had heavy influences from other bands, while ADTOE, at the very worst, borrowed from themselves (and even that is still highly debatable, and still not true to the extent that a few thought).

While the influences may not have been as prominent as in the past, it would be ignorant to believe that they were non-existent. BMUBMD does sound an awful lot like that RED song, just as Prophets of War and Never Enough sound a lot like Muse. And while that may be one blatant example, there probably are other influences more hidden within other songs on ADToE, just as they may not be as evident on IaW or Awake.

[bosk1]

I aslo agree that ADToE did borrow more from early DT as it's primary influence.

At risk of going off topic, this is a great quote and I want to comment on it.  This, to me, is the great success of ADTOE.  Many, many bands have tried late in their careers to "go back to basics" and recapture the magic of their early "classic" albums that defined their sound in an effort to try to rekindle what it was that drew fans to them in the beginning and combine that with the greater maturity, insight, and musicianship that only comes with years of experience.  In theory, it should produce great results.  I mean, on paper, it sounds great for a band to say "We're much better, more talented musicians in just about every way 20 years later than we were when we were 20-something, so if we take all we've learned since Classic Album X and try to apply that to the headspace we were in when we Created Classic Album X, we should have a winner."  But for some reason, it seems like it falls flat for a lot of bands.  But DT didn't fail.  IMO, they accomplished exactly what they set out to do.  They successfully tapped into the best things about I&W and applied all the things they have gained in the 20 years since then to write a more mature, better rounded album.  And they succeeded in spades by producing one of their most consistently good albums ever. 

[SeRoX]

Everything we've seen points to DT being classy and mature and handling the situation very respectuflly. 

Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that they have been behind the scenes - only those involved truly know. But, MP's always been very honest.

I think there is a thin line between being a forthright and known-all. Obliviously MP doesn't know this line. Aside being honest which he barely speaks in a kindly way in public it doesn't mean anything. That's why he loses most of fans respects. I mean let's look at Kevin or Derek. I know the situations of their leaving different but they are still cool guys. Note that, MP can be right in anything he keeps saying about the case but the way he acts makes him completely wrong.

It's been almost 2 years, why the hell you keep answering fan questions about your leaving, about Dream Theater?  Let's move on.

[nikatapi]

It's been almost 2 years, why the hell you keep answering fan questions about your leaving, about Dream Theater?  Let's move on.

Well i expect him to answer those questions when asked, he is one of the founding members and a very big reason the band has the status they have nowdays.

But, it is the way he answers that gets some people annoyed (including me). Most of the times he is trying to imply something bad about his former bandmates, but never adresses anything in a direct way.
And somehow these comments always come up when there is not much in terms of MP news, whether it's a new tour or album. When he is busy he stays pretty cool informing his fans about his activities.

[SeRoX]

Well, like I said. Of course it's so natural those questions are asked to him since he was a big part of DT but the way he answers, he acts makes him wrong even he is right at what he says.

[rumborak]

At least Jordan has said the rest of the band weren't completely happy with the idea of an inspiration corner: https://theytsetimes.com/?p=1378

SS: In your last albums there were some influences from bands like Metallica and Muse. How beneficial do you think this obsession of Mike's was for the band, considering he was the one who brought all these influences into the band?

JR: The truth is that Mike was thinking a lot like this. Me and the rest of the guys in the band had a different point of view. The easy thing is to try to copy Metallica. This is the reason I consider our new album something special since we used all our creative freedom in the creation of the album.

That quote puts an end to the discussion rather definitively.

Besides, if you look at it from a different angle, MP always prided himself with having taken creative control of the band. Well, what avenues of creative control does a drummer have? He's obviously not going to write chord progressions, guitar riffs of bass lines. Creating a "creative corner" that is supposed to guide the other guys' songwriting is exactly the kind of thing a drummer could do. So, I don't think it's too much of a leap of faith to assume that the Creative Corner was MP's thing.

[Madman Shepherd]

It really is exhausting when a MP supporter comes to the forum and accuses everyone of always bashing MP and always defending DT.  First, people have said a lot of supportive things of MP.  Second, he has done nothing that interests me since leaving DT and has done a lot of irrational and victimizing things so I would be hard pressed to find something to praise him for. 

A lot of people here give praise when praise is due.  There are three guarantees in life; taxes, death, and a friend of MP coming into this forum and accusing us all of bashing him constantly and giving DT a pass for everything. 

I have always given him praise for the things that I like such as the official bootlegs.  I never passed up a chance to say how cool they were.  Even the ones that were underwhelming I really can't find fault in because it is such a cool idea overall.

That doesn't mean I am going to give him a pass for the other things he does that I find very tactless.  Show me some tactless things that DT have done and I will likely comment on that or maybe I already have. 

[goo-goo]

I aslo agree that ADToE did borrow more from early DT as it's primary influence.

At risk of going off topic, this is a great quote and I want to comment on it.  This, to me, is the great success of ADTOE.  Many, many bands have tried late in their careers to "go back to basics" and recapture the magic of their early "classic" albums that defined their sound in an effort to try to rekindle what it was that drew fans to them in the beginning and combine that with the greater maturity, insight, and musicianship that only comes with years of experience.  In theory, it should produce great results.  I mean, on paper, it sounds great for a band to say "We're much better, more talented musicians in just about every way 20 years later than we were when we were 20-something, so if we take all we've learned since Classic Album X and try to apply that to the headspace we were in when we Created Classic Album X, we should have a winner."  But for some reason, it seems like it falls flat for a lot of bands.  But DT didn't fail.  IMO, they accomplished exactly what they set out to do.  They successfully tapped into the best things about I&W and applied all the things they have gained in the 20 years since then to write a more mature, better rounded album.  And they succeeded in spades by producing one of their most consistently good albums ever.

Couldn't have said it better.

[ZKX-2099]

Are you all still talking about this shit?

[TheGreatPretender]

At risk of going off topic, this is a great quote and I want to comment on it.  This, to me, is the great success of ADTOE.  Many, many bands have tried late in their careers to "go back to basics" and recapture the magic of their early "classic" albums that defined their sound in an effort to try to rekindle what it was that drew fans to them in the beginning and combine that with the greater maturity, insight, and musicianship that only comes with years of experience.  In theory, it should produce great results.  I mean, on paper, it sounds great for a band to say "We're much better, more talented musicians in just about every way 20 years later than we were when we were 20-something, so if we take all we've learned since Classic Album X and try to apply that to the headspace we were in when we Created Classic Album X, we should have a winner."  But for some reason, it seems like it falls flat for a lot of bands.  But DT didn't fail.  IMO, they accomplished exactly what they set out to do.  They successfully tapped into the best things about I&W and applied all the things they have gained in the 20 years since then to write a more mature, better rounded album.  And they succeeded in spades by producing one of their most consistently good albums ever.

Well, I think that brings up another point. DT members, time and again said that after MP left they really had something to prove to the world. They had to prove that in spite of one of their key members being gone, they're still the same band, and they're still creating the music that's true to what they've always been about, and I see no better way of doing that than what you just described. So in that respect, ADTOE is exactly what it's supposed to be.

[Setlist Scotty]

At least Jordan has said the rest of the band weren't completely happy with the idea of an inspiration corner: https://theytsetimes.com/?p=1378

SS: In your last albums there were some influences from bands like Metallica and Muse. How beneficial do you think this obsession of Mike's was for the band, considering he was the one who brought all these influences into the band?

JR: The truth is that Mike was thinking a lot like this. Me and the rest of the guys in the band had a different point of view. The easy thing is to try to copy Metallica. This is the reason I consider our new album something special since we used all our creative freedom in the creation of the album.

That quote puts an end to the discussion rather definitively.

No it doesn't, or else BMUBMD wouldn't exist on ADToE. Perhaps they put forth more of an effort to keep those influences from creeping in, but that didn't work completely.

Besides, if you look at it from a different angle, MP always prided himself with having taken creative control of the band. Well, what avenues of creative control does a drummer have? He's obviously not going to write chord progressions, guitar riffs of bass lines. Creating a "creative corner" that is supposed to guide the other guys' songwriting is exactly the kind of thing a drummer could do. So, I don't think it's too much of a leap of faith to assume that the Creative Corner was MP's thing.

What avenues does he have of creative control? He may not write the majority of the music, but he has written some of it, including some guitar riffs and probably other parts. I know this for a fact because I have an audio clip from his answering machine that he recorded of himself of the main guitar riff that ended up in ARoP. Who knows whether Inspiration Corner was MP's thing or not - perhaps it wasn't originally, but became his thing over time (as a habit of doing things). In any case, it still does not prove that none of the other band members still didn't allow other influences to creep into their music - and in the case of BMUBMD, blatantly.

It really is exhausting when a MP supporter comes to the forum and accuses everyone of always bashing MP and always defending DT.  First, people have said a lot of supportive things of MP.  Second, he has done nothing that interests me since leaving DT and has done a lot of irrational and victimizing things so I would be hard pressed to find something to praise him for. 

A lot of people here give praise when praise is due.  There are three guarantees in life; taxes, death, and a friend of MP coming into this forum and accusing us all of bashing him constantly and giving DT a pass for everything.

Since this was clearly directed at me, allow me to answer. I'm not accusing "everyone of always bashing MP and always defending DT". And I'm not denying that some people have been somewhat supportive of MP on here. But this thread (at least the last couple of pages) and other threads do show a bias to just slam MP if he says something in reference to his split with DT. Not that I'm saying it's not deserved in some cases. But I would hope it's not wrong for someone like me (who's been a member here BEFORE the split) to state an opposing view to that of the masses, especially when there might be some rational things to think about.

At risk of going off topic, this is a great quote and I want to comment on it.  This, to me, is the great success of ADTOE.  Many, many bands have tried late in their careers to "go back to basics" and recapture the magic of their early "classic" albums that defined their sound in an effort to try to rekindle what it was that drew fans to them in the beginning and combine that with the greater maturity, insight, and musicianship that only comes with years of experience.  In theory, it should produce great results.  I mean, on paper, it sounds great for a band to say "We're much better, more talented musicians in just about every way 20 years later than we were when we were 20-something, so if we take all we've learned since Classic Album X and try to apply that to the headspace we were in when we Created Classic Album X, we should have a winner."  But for some reason, it seems like it falls flat for a lot of bands.  But DT didn't fail.  IMO, they accomplished exactly what they set out to do.  They successfully tapped into the best things about I&W and applied all the things they have gained in the 20 years since then to write a more mature, better rounded album.  And they succeeded in spades by producing one of their most consistently good albums ever.

Well, I think that brings up another point. DT members, time and again said that after MP left they really had something to prove to the world. They had to prove that in spite of one of their key members being gone, they're still the same band, and they're still creating the music that's true to what they've always been about, and I see no better way of doing that than what you just described. So in that respect, ADTOE is exactly what it's supposed to be.

Agreed.

[Perpetual Change]

I'm not sure inspiration corner is necessarily a bad thing in theory. Some of the guys in DT seem to have pretty... stagnant... musical tastes, and could maybe use some new inspiration. The lists this year show a lot of the same stuff that you see on their lists every single year.  I get "liking what you like" but DT is a prog band and it's interesting how none of them seem to listen to any other good, recent progressive bands. Usually MP's tastes seemed to be slightly more open-minded and more up-to-date  than the other guys in DT, but even MP's top 10 list this year is really lousy. Slash... Stone Sour... BtBaM... the same stuff as always. Oh and Van Halen as the AOTY? lol.

[bosk1]

other good, recent progressive bands

[wasteland]

other good, recent progressive bands

Oh, come on, there is plenty of them! 

[Zydar]

other good, recent progressive bands

Oh, come on, there is plenty of them! 

Haken

[Dream Team]

I'm not sure inspiration corner is necessarily a bad thing in theory. Some of the guys in DT seem to have pretty... stagnant... musical tastes, and could maybe use some new inspiration. The lists this year show a lot of the same stuff that you see on their lists every single year.  I get "liking what you like" but DT is a prog band and it's interesting how none of them seem to listen to any other good, recent progressive bands. Usually MP's tastes seemed to be slightly more open-minded and more up-to-date  than the other guys in DT, but even MP's top 10 list this year is really lousy. Slash... Stone Sour... BtBaM... the same stuff as always. Oh and Van Halen as the AOTY? lol.

Have you listened to the new records by Van Halen and Slash? Guitarmageddon. 

[El JoNNo]

I love how being in a progressive metal band is supposed to go against they're humanity. By humanity I mean that for the most part the vast majority of people discover what they like and stick to it. Yet for some reason because the members of DT are in a prog metal band they have to like different things every year. I bet you if you did a poll asking people what they listen to. You would have near 100% of the results be first the same genre of music they have been listening to since they were 18 and second their favourite band would be the one they grew up with.

Expecting different from DT is plain silly.

[TheGreatPretender]

I never defined Progressive as such anyway. To me, Progressive means music that grows as you listen to it. Both in structure and in discovery. When you hear a song, and that song is constantly changes into something new and different, that's how I define progressive. Not by how "experimental" it is.

[King Postwhore]

Why does everybody get upset about someone's opinion about Mike.  The only person that should protect Mike is Mike but he did the deed and he only hurting himself.  I will by bands of his and DT as well.  No big whoop.

[Miyazaki74]

Why does everybody get upset about someone's opinion about Mike.  The only person that should protect Mike is Mike but he did the deed and he only hurting himself.  I will by bands of his and DT as well.  No big whoop.

More importantly, why does everyone get upset about Mike's comments on DT? People act like he just dissed their mama.

[King Postwhore]

Because of his obsessive behavior.  He can't let it go and says things that contradict but I understand because it was his life.  Problem is, he wanted the break up and that scarred people.

[TheGreatPretender]

Because of his obsessive behavior.  He can't let it go and says things that contradict but I understand because it was his life.  Problem is, he wanted the break up and that scarred people.

Well, more to the point, because when you grow up with a band, and you watch constant interviews, backstage footage, etc, not to mention experience their awesome music, they start becoming sort of like family. So I think it's pretty normal to care about what they say to that degree.
If you just sort of casually listen to their music, or if you're the type of person who has 100 favorite bands, and listens to everything at once, you might not get it. But some people have that one band they hold near and dear, and on a forum like this, for many people it's gonna be DT, so when their former member says something questionable about them, I think it's perfectly normal to get upset.