New Mike Mangini interview

[Big Crouton]

I've gotta say, through the interviews and videos we've seen through this whole process, I'm starting to really like Mangini as a person.  He seems like a really classy guy, and like he's very personally invested in being the new drummer.  You get the impression that it couldn't have gone to a nicer guy (except maybe marco, but that's just cause I was pulling for him from the start).

Anyways, I'm looking forward to hearing what he does in the band, and the persona that he will bring to his position as well.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Mangini is great. And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care. He's an incredible drummer, and if that's all he ever does, then we will still be spoiled.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I seriously need a taste of this album. This is going to be fantastic.

[jamhet]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

I'm disapppointed also because I thought there would be a new, fresh element in the writing process, being Mangini. But now it turns out the writing process simply consisted of Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy.

[RandalGraves]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

I'm disapppointed also because I thought there would be a new, fresh element in the writing process, being Mangini. But now it turns out the writing process simply consisted of Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy.

But that, in itself, is something new.  The way I look at it, is that they'll have plenty of albums down the road to write with Mangini.  But this is the only album that just the three of them (and LaBrie I suppose) would have a chance to write.  It was a unique opportunity, and I'm excited to hear the outcome of that.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

I'm disapppointed also because I thought there would be a new, fresh element in the writing process, being Mangini. But now it turns out the writing process simply consisted of Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy.

Well, we now have a James LaBrie/John Petrucci/Jordan Rudess/John Myung writing dynamic instead of a Mike Portnoy/John Petrucci/Jordan Rudess dynamic. I'd say there's a change there.

[tobleronethree]

God, family, career. He's gonna fit in just fine with this band.

I was surprised to read that sequence actually, given that he played drums on an Extreme tune called "There is no God".

rumborak

I don't think there's any reason to believe that the members of a band necessarily agree with the content of the lyrics of the band.  I'd be surprised to hear that sequence from Gary or Nuno, but not from Mike Pat or Paul.

Also, from what I remember about the interview (I read it a couple hours ago) he gave a pretty generic answer for what 'God' is in that sequence, which could have been spoken by pretty much anyone regardless of a believe in God.

Just to point out, the song was more questioning peoples beliefs in God and also Mike didn't play on that track.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

Why do you think this? At the end of the day, he has to do the same thing Portnoy did: Hear a riff, and make a drum part for it. Only difference is he didn't help make the riff.

[xeper]

Thoroughly enjoying these interviews w/ Mangini, his enthusiasm is contagious.

[bosk1]

I read it and 'd

[TAC]

I read it and 'd

Me too! I love the guy guy more each day.

[2Timer]

Fall... so depressing.

And even more depressing would be a winter tour. 

[Phantasmatron]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

I'm disapppointed also because I thought there would be a new, fresh element in the writing process, being Mangini. But now it turns out the writing process simply consisted of Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy.

Well, we now have a James LaBrie/John Petrucci/Jordan Rudess/John Myung writing dynamic instead of a Mike Portnoy/John Petrucci/Jordan Rudess dynamic. I'd say there's a change there.

LaBrie?  Do we have any idea what LaBrie's writing involvement has been, other than the occasional lyric/melody contribution?

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I'm just assuming JLB was more involved with the sessions this time around, considering he's been with them since day 1. It's wishful thinking, though. We actually don't know how the compositions went down.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Awesome interviews, It seems MM has no problem sharing his thoughts and feelings    I love that...gives us great insight and allows us to see the inner workings of the band.  I'm OK with him not being involved in the writing for this album, but I do hope they let his creativity in on future records. Like someone else mentioned, I hope he's changed his technique enough to take it easy on that knee.

[tri.ad]

Great interview again, and my thoughts of MM being a really cool and classy guy are solidified even more. Can't wait to hear his drumming on the album!

[dongringo]

Great interview again, and my thoughts of MM being a really cool and classy guy are solidified even more. Can't wait to hear his drumming on the album!

Same here. And by the sounds of it, there are some drum parts on the new album that will be so complex it will take some real time to digest and understand, if that's even possible for most of us. This guy is a monster. And his kit is just ridiculous...and not just for show like so many drummers set ups. Each and every piece of it has a purpose. They couldn't have picked more of a drummer than MM. Can not wait to here it.

And no surprise that he didn't have any part in the writing process on this album as far as musically / lyrically speaking. But writing the drum parts is writing nontheless and must have been a daunting task in itself.

[Quarter_Cask]

Funny how before the MP thing happened everyone was like "I so hope they take their time to record and release their next album...maybe 1 year?" And now everyone's like "WANT NEW DT NOW!"


It's nice.  

Not only that, but many people here who criticize Dt's recent output were suggesting "the band should just take a long break and focus in other projects, that would help DT's material a lot", but when MP suggested exactly that, everybody was saying "he's so selfish" etc.

SO TRUE.

[Wildoer]

Wow, two very inspiring interviews to say the least. Me being a drummer this is great porn.    Can't wait to hear what Mangini has come up with on the new album. He sure is focused on his task and I'm sure the new album will be nothing but amazing.

[?]

In 2009, I was literally lying on the floor of my garage, completely physically and emotionally drained, unsure where my career was going.

^This makes me even happier about Mangini getting the job.

Same for me!

[Vlasto]

...I like this guy more and more...

[jamhet]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

Why do you think this? At the end of the day, he has to do the same thing Portnoy did: Hear a riff, and make a drum part for it. Only difference is he didn't help make the riff.

Not at all!!
The difference is HUUUUUUGE!!
By composing drums you shape the whole picture of the music being created. The interconnection goes both ways, the feedback goes both ways: the music influences the drum beat and the drum beats influence the music.

Imagine Petrucci comes up with a riff in 6/8, which is counted like this:
123123|123123|123123|123123| - a typical triplet grouping

And the drummer adds a pattern which modulates the beat like this:
123412|341234|123412|341234| - an even "4"/quarternote grouping

This creates a cool polyrhythimic relation between the feel of the riff and the drums, which gives a whole new dimension of possibilites for the melody to be put onto it (e.g. by Rudess' keyboards) and a huge amount of new creative potential that would transcend onto the whole piece.

But when the drummer plays cool stuff like this, having added it to the composition only after it has been written, the music will not have explored all those possibilities, it won't be responsive of the drums, it won't be that organic, it wont't be that creative.

Look how they were writing Honor Thy Father (2:10-4:50):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBtIoFh29A
Mike's and John's conversation from 2:58 on explains the whole essence of what I'm talking about.

[RaiseTheKnife]

Aniland, your new avatar is priceless.

[erik16]

Wow, two very inspiring interviews to say the least. Me being a drummer this is great porn.    Can't wait to hear what Mangini has come up with on the new album. He sure is focused on his task and I'm sure the new album will be nothing but amazing.

I'm going to sig this

[hefdaddy42]

And you know what? If he never contributed to the writing of another Dream Theater song, I wouldn't care.

I would, because writing music without a drummer always loses something, always loses some potentiality in the rhytmic departement, ESPECIALLY in such complex music.

Why do you think this? At the end of the day, he has to do the same thing Portnoy did: Hear a riff, and make a drum part for it. Only difference is he didn't help make the riff.

Not at all!!
The difference is HUUUUUUGE!!
By composing drums you shape the whole picture of the music being created. The interconnection goes both ways, the feedback goes both ways: the music influences the drum beat and the drum beats influence the music.

Imagine Petrucci comes up with a riff in 6/8, which is counted like this:
123123|123123|123123|123123| - a typical triplet grouping

And the drummer adds a pattern which modulates the beat like this:
123412|341234|123412|341234| - an even "4"/quarternote grouping

This creates a cool polyrhythimic relation between the feel of the riff and the drums, which gives a whole new dimension of possibilites for the melody to be put onto it (e.g. by Rudess' keyboards) and a huge amount of new creative potential that would transcend onto the whole piece.

But when the drummer plays cool stuff like this, having added it to the composition only after it has been written, the music will not have explored all those possibilities, it won't be responsive of the drums, it won't be that organic, it wont't be that creative.

Look how they were writing Honor Thy Father (2:10-4:50):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTBtIoFh29A
Mike's and John's conversation from 2:58 on explains the whole essence of what I'm talking about.

You are unnecessarily pessimistic.

[gibo]

Another interview

https://www.drummagazine.com/features/post/how-i-got-the-gig-mike-mangini/

[?]

One phrase would be: 2/4, 7/16, 3/4, 4/4, 5/8, etc.

Nuggets!

[ReaPsTA]

You are unnecessarily pessimistic.

It's not really pessimism.  His point is right, writing music with a drummer helps you see angles you wouldn't otherwise.

My thing though is that Steve Wilson and Kevin Moore/Jim Matheos have proven you can write music without a drummer but do it in a way that allows the drummer to express himself and elevate the music rather than just backing it.

[drumguy32]

Wow, two very inspiring interviews to say the least. Me being a drummer this is great porn.    Can't wait to hear what Mangini has come up with on the new album. He sure is focused on his task and I'm sure the new album will be nothing but amazing.

Totally agree! 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I don't know if you guys are right or wrong, pessimistic or optimistic; I just feel like many (if not most) bands write songs without a drummer, and if the drummer is good, then the drums will sound good. Maybe this way DT won't see as many angles to the music as they would otherwise, but that doesn't mean the music will be any worse. It's just a different way of album-making.

[j]

I don't know in what ways the drummer's input or lack thereof is thought to affect the music, but if I had to guess I'd say he'll almost definitely be involved in the writing in future albums.

-J

[emindead]

DRUM!: What was one of the biggest challenges?
Mangini: Managing my immediate reaction when I realized that they were not leaving that room for me to work things out on the kit alone or warm up first. Meaning, I had no warm-up whatsoever because they were all in the room, and I was supposed to have 90 minutes in there, but then the band had to work on a soundcheck and I wasn't about to sit there and put on the iPod and just start wailing on the drums and practice the songs, you know? I'm a classically trained musician – you don't do those things.

What did Mangini meant by this? This is one of the few things I didn't understand.

[bosk1]

I think he means that after he got the kit set up, he kind of wanted to be alone and warm up on it, but he felt a little self-conscious about doing a warmup in front of the band he was auditioning for and felt it might look unprofessional.  So they just launched right into the songs.  I think it's just one of those things about being unsure about what you can ask in a job interview (audition) situation without thinking you are looking stupid.  Kind of like the part where Jordan is giving him the time signatures and you can see he is processing it and trying to figure out whether he should ask questions, and then when Jordan asks him if he wants to write it down, the relief on his face is visible.  You can tell that he was almost for sure thinking, "Oh, man.  I so wanted to ask if I could write it down, but didn't want to look stupid.  Thank you for giving me the out!" 

I think part of the issue was just the fact that he went first.  A lot of the other guys sort of warmed up and started jamming right after setting up the kit.  But they came later in the process, so the band was more comfortable with the auditions as a process by that point in time.  Mangini was first up, so even though the band had a structure in mind for the auditions, I'm sure they hadn't thought out every little nuance, such as "what if the drummer doesn't know whether or not he should warm up?," or "what is the best way to communicate the time signatures for the riff test?"  There was clearly some figuring it out as they went.

[jdprsaga]

Wow this quote really impact me:

Mangini: "The waiting part was awful in this Twilight Zone kind of way. I almost threw up between classes at Berklee – probably that was during Marco's audition, as I know I what time he auditioned and that is the time I got ill. And I was really wrecked because I wanted it so badly. I had a lot of heartfelt reasons for wanting to do this, not that the other guys didn't now, it's just that I didn't know where they're coming from."

I guess that speak really well of Marco's playing.. like.. "ok.. this is the guy i should be scared of!" and it was truly between the two of them.

Marco have a great reputation i guess.

[psychdoc]

These interviews are great and loaded with information. Although I'm not a drummer myself, I completely get Peter's "drum porn" post. It is interesting how much of a view we are getting into MM's personality here. I really liked the part of the second interview where he discusses the situation at Berklee and how he was handling it after the auditions. Plus, his take on track 6 of the upcoming album is getting me really pumped for the release of the album and the band's next tour.