JLB: "We Will Never let Portnoy come back in our band" (Brazil Interview)

[Cable]

Well, to be honest, you can. He never went over that line for me, but if he did, I would blame him. Because, you know, if someone punches you, it's sure as hell satisfying to punch back, but in verbal fights silence is often the most powerful response.

It is, and JLB has been mostly silent for the past two years, outside of this and a couple other comments, so it is not like he rips Portnoy left and right.  He was asked a direct question, and while he didn't have to elaborate and be as blunt as he was, I understand why.  Like I said, you can only take so much, and again, JLB has kept mostly quiet about it since September 2010.

...and those comments JLB made about the band post MP live were fitting and correct, whether hard to take or not. MP was being too much the front man live at the end, for better or for worse. Who always had the last word at a live show, or at least the recorded ones?

JLB was right in saying each member is doing their specific role live. Yes, I miss having all live backing vocals. I do not miss MP vocal solos (ANTR) either though.
MP both during, and especially post ("Liking" JLB sux live comments on FBook) DT warranted retorts from the band, but as others said, they have almost entirely always taken the rightful high-road.

This is again JLB being correctly candid and supporting the band. While I hope MP would play songs with them at some point, I like the direction of ADTOE way too much for this to stop with this band.

I also agree that I am awaiting MP's comments after Blabbermouth picks this up. He will play the victim, and say his door is open, he tried but his wife left him. And I will get sucked into reading the drama I'm sure! 

[MondayMorningLunatic]

This is old news. Rudess, Petrucci, and Mangini have all said that Portnoy's not coming back, at least not for a very long time.

The MP bashing has gotten tiresome. We all know he did some dickish things two years ago, but there's no sense in beating him over the head with those things at every mention of his name.

[Madman Shepherd]

I am eagerly awaiting MP's response, which I am sure we will get.

I doubt we will.  He has finally addressed things tactfully and vaguely the last several times it was brought up.  Typically is stock answer is now, "When the time is right." 

That time, I doubt will be any time soon.  Maybe in 5-10 years if they are having some huge celebration but even then I'm sure DT would be hesitant to include him in anything, lest it fuels "reunion" rumors, and I'm sure they much prefer the band the way it is now. 

[theseoafs]

I'd be very reluctant to comment on the "bluntness" of JLB's comment.  Not only has the interview been translated into Brazilian and back, but it's typical in conversations with non-Anglophones to word your responses as simply as possible.

[Orbert]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview

Alice, you are awesome.

[nikatapi]

While i'm sure that the tone and phrasing has been lost because of the translation, James has a valid point.
It was clear from the beginning that MM is a permanent member, and it has been mentioned in other interviews that the band is very happy with their current status, with Mike being on the same mindset about practicing and improving on their instruments.

I wouldn't say they are a better band now, this seems like a slightly different version of DT, which reminds me a bit of the early DT, before MP took the leader role, it seems more like a team now. As far as the sound of the band, i also wouldn't say that MM is improving it, he is a different type of drummer and for sure he will give us some interesting stuff in the future.

[MoraWintersoul]

The MP bashing has gotten tiresome. We all know he did some dickish things two years ago, but there's no sense in beating him over the head with those things at every mention of his name.

Yes. These threads just remind me of the way things were back then, and how I'd wake up every morning expecting to find something plastered all over the internet that would make me feel awful about what is happening with some of my favorite musicians. Mike, thank god, doesn't say things like that anymore (much) and I'd like to give myself a chance to be curious about his career and be his fan again, because following news about him won't be a source of frustration anymore. At least not until he starts behaving like that all over again, which I hope he won't.

And what are we talking about here, again? JLB said MP won't be back into the band. New info? No. The way it was delivered was new, but it's been translated back and forth. And even if it were this blunt in the original interview, it is not anything over the top, and it is probably necessary to respond in that fashion when after two years of having a band without MP and finding a new, permanent band member you're asked about MP getting back in the band. If it went anywhere further than this, I'd be first in the "yo, JLB, not cool!"-camp, but this is fine.

And as ali said, there are probably other far more interesting things about the interview.

[alirocker08]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview

Alice, you are awesome.

I know I am.

[IdoSC]

And what are we talking about here, again? JLB said MP won't be back into the band. New info? No. The way it was delivered was new, but it's been translated back and forth. And even if it were this blunt in the original interview, it is not anything over the top, and it is probably necessary to respond in that fashion when after two years of having a band without MP and finding a new, permanent band member you're asked about MP getting back in the band. If it went anywhere further than this, I'd be first in the "yo, JLB, not cool!"-camp, but this is fine.

This so much. It seems like both sides of the "breakup" already sort of embraced it. Of course, the band itself has been saying it over and over for two years now, occasionally commenting on MP's shenanigans over the internet. But at this point, MP is barely even talking about DT, and DT has nothing left to say other than "he most likely won't come back ever".

It will get interesting again once this story is not just a few weeks or months away so they won't talk about it as if it's the biggest occurrence of that time period, and it won't be a few years away either so they won't try to sugarcoat it and remain silent about it in order to protect their current careers and reputation.

When it gets old enough, it's going to be interesting to see how each of them feels "looking back". For now, the only side of the party who still considers this saga relevant - are either the interviewers, or a very limited percent of the fans.

[Sketchy]

I'm sure eventually people will get bored of asking the question over and over and over.

[nestcmartin]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview- Translation please!

There you go 

In several interviews you've said that someday you'd like to be part of a Broadway show. Is it an ambition of yours, still?
Yes, indeed. I still have the big desire of doing it. Unfortunately, but fortunately at the same time, I'm busy with Dream Theater. Our band requires a lot of time, and we're always playing, so when this tour is over, I'm going to finish the writing of my new solo album and record it. So, you know, I need to find that time, maybe 6 months or even a year, to leave aside every single occupation and do a Broadway show. But it's definitely something that I have in mind. Maybe in the near future there's no room for it, but I'm sure I'll do it before I retire.

Is there any Broadway show in particular you'd like to work in?
Well, I'd love to work in Jekkil & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of The Opera, Les Misérables... But let me tell you about a specific musical that has singularly amazed me today. It's called Once. If you have the opportunity, rent the movie, 'cause I can guarantee you'd be very surprised. It's so incredible. The music, the landscape, the story, everything. And the movie has just been premiered as a Broadway show. I'd love to sing something out of that musical, because the vocal parts are very deep, the heart and the soul need to be interpreted. If you have the opportunity, go check it out. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Sorry if there's any mistakes 

[alirocker08]

Oh my...

Oh my oh my oh my

Oh god.

Wow.

[RuRoRul]

Just in regards to the "What's interesting about this, we knew MP was gone for good and MM is a permanent member" etc. posts - there is a bit of a difference between having no plans or intentions of bringing Mike Portnoy back and saying "We will never let Mike Portnoy back in the band". I don't believe John Petrucci has said anything like that, for example, even though we know he has no intentions to ask MP to come back. Discussing the remote possibility of MP being back at some point in the future isn't questioning the legitimacy of MM's position in the band or implying he's just a hired gun (Mike Portnoy was a permanent member of the band before he left too - it's a bit of an oxymoron but just because you're a "permanent member" doesn't mean you will always be in the band), and it's not the same as saying "MP will definitely be coming back, he is Dream Theater!!" or whatever people that are in denial about it might say. Even though it's clear that the current plan is to continue with MM indefinitely, I think it's still notable that JLB is so adamant about Portnoy never coming back (though not exactly surprising, since he's always been the most outspoken about being happy MP is gone).

[KevShmev]

Notable, too, is how JLB refers to Dream Theater as "our" band, which is in stark contrast to the times Portnoy has referred to it as "his" or "my" baby.

[emindead]

The first question Portnoy-related:

Dream Theater has experimented an important formation change in 2010, when drummer Mike Portnoy, one of its founders, decided to left the band. How do you face that?
When Mike said he wanted to leave the band, we told him: "don't do it, it's a big mistake, you'll regret it". And of course, after 6-8 weeks, it happened: he had regretted his decision and asked to come back. However, by that time we had already done the auditions with seven world-class drummers and we had chosen Mike Mangini as our new drummer. In my opinion, Mike (Portnoy) made a huge mistake, but on the other hand, I think there's a reason for everything in this life. I guess he did it because he wanted to carry on with his projects, he wanted to discover other possibilities in the music industry, and that's something he's doing right now. I think he regrets his decision, but at the same time, Dream Theater, as a band, sounds better, and we all are feeling good in a way we've not experienced in many years. Mike Mangini is a phenomenal drummer; he brought a completely new spirit to the band. We feel much better, playing and doing what we love to do. Too bad for Mike Portnoy, but, ironically, all of this made us realize that we are a much better band without him.

Keeping in mind that this has been translated into Brazilian and back...

Portuguese.

And the translation and "feeling" in these translations are accurate.

[robwebster]

Hahahaha - whoops! I knew that. A brazilian is, er, something else entirely. q:

And I'm sure they are accurate translations of what the magazine printed, but we have no way of knowing how accurate the magazine's original translation is. Again, presumably fairly accurate, but with each layer you're going to get further and further away from James LaBrie's actual words. If you're lucky, it'll just be little things - the difference between "phenomenal" and "amazing," say, might make a huge difference to a sentence's feeling but a negligible difference to its meaning - and it's nobody's fault, but it's like converting an MP3 again and again. No matter how high the fidelity, at some point along the line you're inevitably gonna lose some data.

[rumborak]

I think the message is pretty clear, even if you take into account the double translation. I don't think JLB was trying to stick it to MP in any way,  but without question was he laying down the facts to put the speculation to rest.

Besides, it's a pretty damn safe thing to say for James anyway. The vast majority of people doesn't want MP back in DT.

rumborak

[SeRoX]

I think James' intention is just to be completely clear about the matter of MP's somehow/somewhat returning to the band. Many DT fans here and out there don't want to accept the truth there is no way returning back for Portnoy. Sure, DT must know all these speculations. James just wanted to make it end.

I, for myself, never think they will united someday in the future because of some reasons. Bridges were burnt. And to be completely honest I doubt there will be even any guest show with MP.

[Orbert]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview

Alice, you are awesome.

I know I am.

Cool, just makin' sure.

[bosk1]

Many DT fans here and out there don't want to accept the truth there is no way returning back for Portnoy.

I know, and this baffles me.  I can see why interviewers feel they have to ask the question, and that's fine.  And I get that a lot of fans don't read every interview and aren't on the message boards, so they may not really understand that Portnoy is truly out and Mangini is truly in.  But it makes zero sense to me that some people on this board and on Mike's board still tend to think Portnoy is going to come back some day.  I mean, sure, there is a small possibility down the road if circumstances played out exactly the right way.  But given what the band has quite clearly said from day one, it is such a remote possibility that I just don't get how some people think he may come back.

[KevShmev]

I think it's more hope with some people than anything.  The people who love DT and worship the ground Portnoy walks on, want that DT back, somehow, someday.  And the sad thing is, you just know they are letting his absence affect their views on ADTOE and the live shows since.  It reminds me of the Floyd fans who thought the post-Roger Waters albums were crap, except that Waters was a significantly much bigger loss to Floyd than Portnoy was to DT.

[alirocker08]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview

Alice, you are awesome.

I know I am.

Cool, just makin' sure.

I just need the occasional reminder every now and then, so thank you

In all seriousness, I would love to see James do Broadway, yet another reason why I need to improve my singing

[BlobVanDam]

I think it's more hope with some people than anything.  The people who love DT and worship the ground Portnoy walks on, want that DT back, somehow, someday.  And the sad thing is, you just know they are letting his absence affect their views on ADTOE and the live shows since.  It reminds me of the Floyd fans who thought the post-Roger Waters albums were crap, except that Waters was a significantly much bigger loss to Floyd than Portnoy was to DT.

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy. I know there are plenty of people (say, on MP's site) who have shut themselves off to DT since MP's departure out of loyalty to MP, but that is definitely not the case for everyone, or even the majority.

You may not have been implying that at all, and I'm not accusing you of doing so, so I'm not trying to put words in your mouth here, I'm just trying to clarify that point.

[bosk1]

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

No.  No, actually, it's not.

[BlobVanDam]

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

No.  No, actually, it's not.

I know (or at least hope) you're joking, but yeah, it is.

[ResultsMayVary]

I think it's more hope with some people than anything.  The people who love DT and worship the ground Portnoy walks on, want that DT back, somehow, someday.  And the sad thing is, you just know they are letting his absence affect their views on ADTOE and the live shows since.  It reminds me of the Floyd fans who thought the post-Roger Waters albums were crap, except that Waters was a significantly much bigger loss to Floyd than Portnoy was to DT.

I know there are plenty of people (say, on MP's site) who have shut themselves off to DT since MP's departure out of loyalty to MP, but that is definitely not the case for everyone, or even the majority.

You may not have been implying that at all, and I'm not accusing you of doing so, so I'm not trying to put words in your mouth here, I'm just trying to clarify that point.

From what I have seen on this board and especially MP's board (plus a few other boards here and there), is that the people who are MP fanboys ended up being a vast majority of people who said very publicly, that they didn't really like/care for ADTOE or for the live show (even when a few people admitted to having not gone to a show since MP's departure; isn't that you, Blob? ). I know that doesn't take into account people who aren't members of these music boards, but that is an overwhelming trend when it comes to these particular boards.

And in addition to that, I know at least five people (rl friends) who didn't get the album in the first week based on the fact Portnoy didn't play on the CD. Their minds were eventually changed when they saw DT in October a month after the CD came out, when they were essentially forced to listen to the CD and see Mangini play the songs live. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way to MP, but when people don't listen to a CD or bash their new CD/live show based on a fact that the drummer left the band and didn't play on the record is ridiculous, even though MP never wrote any music for Dream Theater. Sure, he played a 'producer' type role in the studio, but that was still JP, JR, and JMX coming up with the actual music.

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

Blob, you are one of the very few people I know that actually has this view on the new album. I know there are a few others on this board, but it is literally a handful of people, and that is being generous.

EDIT: Split up a quote to make the post flow better.

[Orbert]

...I'm more interested in the mention of Broadway that's apparently in the interview

Alice, you are awesome.

I know I am.

Cool, just makin' sure.

I just need the occasional reminder every now and then, so thank you

In all seriousness, I would love to see James do Broadway, yet another reason why I need to improve my singing

I grew up playing in pit orchestras, and my sister was usually on stage somewhere, so I probably have a deeper appreciation for musical theater than the average rocker.  People always seem surprised, anyway.  Like just yesterday, I accompanied a guy singing a bunch of show tunes.  It was cool.  Always great stuff to play.

I thought it was great that you focused on that while everyone else was jumping on the MP or MP/JLB thing.  I just thought "Ah yes... Alice, our theater major."

Keep practicing.  Maybe someday you'll get to do a duet with him on stage.

[BlobVanDam]

I think it's more hope with some people than anything.  The people who love DT and worship the ground Portnoy walks on, want that DT back, somehow, someday.  And the sad thing is, you just know they are letting his absence affect their views on ADTOE and the live shows since.  It reminds me of the Floyd fans who thought the post-Roger Waters albums were crap, except that Waters was a significantly much bigger loss to Floyd than Portnoy was to DT.

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy. I know there are plenty of people (say, on MP's site) who have shut themselves off to DT since MP's departure out of loyalty to MP, but that is definitely not the case for everyone, or even the majority.

You may not have been implying that at all, and I'm not accusing you of doing so, so I'm not trying to put words in your mouth here, I'm just trying to clarify that point.

From what I have seen on this board and especially MP's board (plus a few other boards here and there), is that the people who are MP fanboys ended up being a vast majority of people who said very publicly, that they didn't really like/care for ADTOE or for the live show (even when a few people admitted to having not gone to a show since MP's departure). I know that doesn't take into account people who aren't members of these music boards, but that is an overwhelming trend when it comes to these particular boards.

And in addition to that, I know at least five people who didn't get the album in the first week based on the fact Portnoy didn't play on the CD. Their minds were eventually changed when they saw DT in October a month after the CD came out, when they were essentially forced to listen to the CD and see Mangini play the songs live. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way to MP, but when people don't listen to a CD or bash their new CD/live show based on a fact that the drummer left the band and didn't play on the record is ridiculous, even though MP never wrote any music for Dream Theater. Sure, he played a 'producer' type role in the studio, but that was still JP, JR, and JMX coming up with the actual music.

Obviously MP's forum is going to be a higher percentage of the fanboys, so let's just ignore them.
Out of the DT fans I know, I actually don't know many at all who like ADTOE, and these aren't diehard DT fans who care about lineup changes, or MP, and had no reason to be biased against the album. However, I'd say they're more metal fans than prog ones, which may be a factor here.

It does not take an MP fanboy to dislike ADTOE. Simple as that. I'm not much of a fan of ADTOE, and I love MM and think he's a better drummer than MP. And I haven't cared at all about anything MP has done musically since leaving DT, whether it be AM, FC, or whatever. I judged ADTOE for what it is, and have a different opinion to others. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

[bosk1]

It does not take an MP fanboy to dislike ADTOE.

True.  I supposed a deaf person could legitimately say it does nothing for them. 

[ResultsMayVary]

It does not take an MP fanboy to dislike ADTOE. Simple as that. I'm not much of a fan of ADTOE, and I love MM and think he's a better drummer than MP. And I haven't cared at all about anything MP has done musically since leaving DT, whether it be AM, FC, or whatever. I judged ADTOE for what it is, and have a different opinion to others. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I don't think anyone is disputing this. You're living proof of that, right there. And you're right, most metal heads wouldn't like the new album as much as the past few. My point was that more people really do not like the new CD or the new live show because Portnoy is not involved.

[BlobVanDam]

It does not take an MP fanboy to dislike ADTOE. Simple as that. I'm not much of a fan of ADTOE, and I love MM and think he's a better drummer than MP. And I haven't cared at all about anything MP has done musically since leaving DT, whether it be AM, FC, or whatever. I judged ADTOE for what it is, and have a different opinion to others. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I don't think anyone is disputing this. You're living proof of that, right there. And you're right, most metal heads wouldn't like the new album as much as the past few. My point was that more people really do not like the new CD or the new live show because Portnoy is not involved.

I don't think that's a fair statement either. Every online source is skewed in some way or another, including DTF, and when you look at the major pockets of MP fanboys (such as his forum and FB page), it is of course going to look that way.
But we have other people here (although still a minority obviously) who didn't like ADTOE, and aren't fans of MP, but just don't feel strongly enough about it to be all that vocal after its initial release. The internet tends to attract the polar extremes. And as I said before, from real life experience I think the metal vs prog thing plays into it too, and that's not something to be explained away by fanboyism.

[MoraWintersoul]

I don't pine for Portnoy and I adore Mike Mangini, but yet dislike ADTOE, and I've always found people who agree with me among the more casual DT fans. I say the ratio was about 50-50. In fact, I was pretty surprised when I saw the amount of worship for it that's going on here, although I am objective enough to see it warrants reactions like these despite my personal dislike of the album. After ~5 consecutive years of meandering, DT is playing classic Dream Theater music again, in terms of direction and the fact the album is closer to a full-band effort, and that fueled the excitement of many; the actual music on it is also apparently up everyone's alley. Not mine, sadly, but hey.

[Dublagent66]

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

Blob, you are one of the very few people I know that actually has this view on the new album. I know there are a few others on this board, but it is literally a handful of people, and that is being generous.

Well, generally speaking Blob has a legitimate point.  The total members on this board could be considered only a "handful" compared to the total number of DT fans.  He never said anything about less than positive views of ADTOE being limited to just this forum.

[ResultsMayVary]

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

Blob, you are one of the very few people I know that actually has this view on the new album. I know there are a few others on this board, but it is literally a handful of people, and that is being generous.

Well, generally speaking Blob has a legitimate point.  The total members on this board could be considered only a "handful" compared to the total number of DT fans.  He never said anything about less than positive views of ADTOE being limited to just this forum.

I was using this board as a 'for instance' kind of deal. A few posts back I mentioned this board, MP's board, and a few other musical forums I happen to frequent, and they all showed the same trend. Most of the people who disliked the record were people who were essentially MP fanboys. When I said a handful of people on this board in my above post, I meant exactly that, but I was not ruling out any other DT fan.

And it seems to be lost everytime I post something new, but my point is that the majority of people who dislike ADTOE tend to be Portnoy fanboys and thus have disliked before they even heard it. That is a perfectly reasonable conclusion considering the trends I have seen on the forums, as well as from my close friends, who were like that to begin with and have since come around on ADTOE. See my previous posts for further information on this, I don't want to clutter the forum by going over it again.

[Perpetual Change]

It is perfectly legitimate to have a less than positive view of ADTOE or their live shows without being an MP fan boy.

No.  No, actually, it's not.

Indeed.

It does not take an MP fanboy to dislike ADTOE.

True.  I supposed a deaf person could legitimately say it does nothing for them.