Mike Portnoy's Modern Drummer interview

[Jaq]

Speaking as a recovering alcoholic myself, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that you don't have alcoholism without also having a personality that is prone to obsession, but that doesn't mean you have OCD. I know a lot of recovering alcoholics-it runs in my family-and every single one of them will obsess over something, but none of them have OCD. In my particular case, if something goes wrong in my life, I will obsess over it going wrong again, which is why I've spent the last week or so obsessively checking the thermostat in my house in the wake of my air conditioning breaking down. My father is a recovering alcoholic and goes through much the same thing. Addiction and obsession are two sides of the same coin, and you tend to can't have one without the other.

It does seem like a convenient defense sometimes ("yeah, I'm a pain to deal with sometimes, but I have OCD!") rather than just admitting "hey, I'm a bit of a control freak" with MP sometimes, with a side dose of using the name of the condition as most people SEE it, not as it really is. 99% of people who say they're schizophrenic don't even know what the word means.

[ariich]

MP has described himself as a control-freak as well before, so that argument doesn't really make sense.

[Jaq]

That doesn't exactly help his cause here, now does it? Indeed, it just makes it worse.

[rumborak]

I don't think alcoholism and obsessive behavior are linked in the slightest. Jaq, you might have both, but I think that's more incidental than the rule.

[Jaq]

Given how many alcoholics I know, and how many of them have obsessive personalities, if it isn't a rule, it's certainly something that occurs regularly enough for me to wonder if it is connected. It may not have been studied or even connected yet, but it does APPEAR to be there.

[Dark Castle]

I could see a relation in that, without alcohol, alcoholics will turn to other things to become obsessed(addicted) to. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm treating it negatively, because any of us who give up something that we obsess over always seem to find something new to obsess over

[theseoafs]

Well, you certainly don't have to be diagnosed to know you have a mental disorder. I know I have synesthesia. However, even if you are diagnosed with something doesn't mean you actually have it. I've been diagnosed with ADD, but I don't have it.

At the same time, you can't generally trust the general public to diagnose something like OCD.  It's a widely misunderstood disorder.  I don't think most people would be able to properly diagnose a case based on the formal criteria unless they actually had training (unlike, say, the flu, whose symptoms everyone on the planet is familiar with).  I would trust a doctor's opinion more (though, as you say, they do make mistakes themselves).

Anyway, I'm the one who started all this talk about Mike's OCD, so sorry about that.  Of course, I don't mean to be disrespectful by doubting what he says about it, and I actually really want to believe him because I think he's a great guy.  However, he is an incredibly public person, and he talks about OCD a lot, and yet the examples he brings up in interviews of his obsessive behavior are less than convincing (as a few people in this discussion have been less-than-convinced).  You could chalk it up to a boundary that Mike's set up between his public and private life, but his struggles with alcoholism are pretty well-documented in interviews (and I don't doubt him on that issue).

Anyway, it looks like my question -- "has Mike been diagnosed by a doctor to have OCD?" -- can't be answered by anyone on this board so I'm just gonna drop it.

[kirksnosehair]

Eh, I believe him. I mean, he was is an alcoholic and from what we can see, he's obsessive about some things. And we don't know everything that happens in his personal life, so we're in no place to doubt his word.

Just clearing up a small error in your post, Ħ

There is no such thing as "was" when it comes to alcoholism.  Once you cross that Rubicon there's no going back.


As far as the whole "OCD" thing goes with respect to Mr. Portnoy, speaking as a fellow friend of Bill W., I can tell you that it's quite common among addicts and alcoholics for us to refer to ourselves as obsessive/compulsive and really it's not a very big leap after that to just sort of abbreviate that tendency as "OCD."  I think it's probably time for him to be cut some slack on this and not pick apart everything he says and does looking for a way to criticize him.  I mean, admittedly his behavior around his departure from Dream Theater was pretty crass and tactless, but maybe we should not judge someone until or unless we've walked a few miles in and/or puked on his shoes, ya know?

[Bertielee]

Talk about derailing a thread. From MP's interview to his supposed OCD?!? I know DTF is like that, but Geez!

On topic, I found MP's answer very tactful and honest and God knows I've been very critical of the man.

B.Lee

[Orbert]

Talk about derailing a thread. From MP's interview to his supposed OCD?!? I know DTF is like that, but Geez!

Mike mentions it twice in his first three sentences.  Certainly, if he brings it up, we're allowed to discuss it.

[CodyWanKenobi]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP. I'm pretty sure what the OP was trying to say is, if MP says he doesn't relate to the material, then why has he said numerous times that he'd rejoin DT in a heartbeat? Why would you want to rejoin a band if you don't relate to it anymore?

[Dacling]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP. I'm pretty sure what the OP was trying to say is, if MP says he doesn't relate to the material, then why has he said numerous times that he'd rejoin DT in a heartbeat? Why would you want to rejoin a band if you don't relate to it anymore?

He'd probably find it more relateable if say. He was in the band and had creative input on the final project.

[JohnR]

C'mon guys, give Mike a break. Even an interview where he says that he cant talk about Dream Theater because it gets torn to shreds gets torn to shreds!

Just respect what the guy says and stop overinterpreting everything.

He changed, he left Dream Theater, he doest relate to the new material but says it good, he still has OCD.

My respect for Mike hasnt changed.
My musical taste hasnt changed. I still like Dream Theater and its very much my cup of tea. Mikes new projects arent. They're good but just not what I listen to. Except Transatlantic

[Setlist Scotty]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP. I'm pretty sure what the OP was trying to say is, if MP says he doesn't relate to the material, then why has he said numerous times that he'd rejoin DT in a heartbeat? Why would you want to rejoin a band if you don't relate to it anymore?

He'd probably find it more relateable if say. He was in the band and had creative input on the final project.

Pretty much agree with the above statement. I don't think it's a matter of MP not being interested in prog-metal - if that were the case, why is he doing the Progressive Nation at Sea thing? I think what it really boils down to is that he's not interested in the direction that DT has taken since he left the band. Although this is purely speculation on my part, I wouldn't be surprised if to some degree he thinks that they have regressed to some degree, falling back on what made them popular, as opposed to pushing the extremes, especially in the metal direction, which MP seems to be far more interested in (in general) than the other guys. So that's why I don't think it is confusing or hypocritical of him to say that he wouldn't mind rejoining DT if the band welcomed him back.

[CodyWanKenobi]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP. I'm pretty sure what the OP was trying to say is, if MP says he doesn't relate to the material, then why has he said numerous times that he'd rejoin DT in a heartbeat? Why would you want to rejoin a band if you don't relate to it anymore?

He'd probably find it more relateable if say. He was in the band and had creative input on the final project.

Pretty much agree with the above statement. I don't think it's a matter of MP not being interested in prog-metal - if that were the case, why is he doing the Progressive Nation at Sea thing? I think what it really boils down to is that he's not interested in the direction that DT has taken since he left the band. Although this is purely speculation on my part, I wouldn't be surprised if to some degree he thinks that they have regressed to some degree, falling back on what made them popular, as opposed to pushing the extremes, especially in the metal direction, which MP seems to be far more interested in (in general) than the other guys. So that's why I don't think it is confusing or hypocritical of him to say that he wouldn't mind rejoining DT if the band welcomed him back.

Well I took it as, he wasn't relating to the last bit of material before he left, like BC&SL or even SC as well.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't think it's a matter of MP not being interested in prog-metal - if that were the case, why is he doing the Progressive Nation at Sea thing?

In fairness, there is quite a bit of difference between prog metal and the prog rock that Progressive Nation is loaded up with.

He may still like prog, and like metal, but not like them together anymore.  Or whatever.  Who knows?

[Setlist Scotty]

Perhaps. But even when he initially left the band, he said it was never about the music that they created together (in fact he went as far as to say that he was quite proud of all of their material), but rather the relationships within the band and the write-record-tour cycle that they had been in for numerous years. Had it been that he had lost interest in prog-metal, there's no reason to believe that he wouldn't have stated it as such.

And BTW Hef, there's plenty of bands on the Progressive Nation at Sea bill that would definitely fit the definition of "prog-metal" much more so than "prog-rock".

[hefdaddy42]

Perhaps. But even when he initially left the band, he said it was never about the music that they created together (in fact he went as far as to say that he was quite proud of all of their material), but rather the relationships within the band and the write-record-tour cycle that they had been in for numerous years. Had it been that he had lost interest in prog-metal, there's no reason to believe that he wouldn't have stated it as such.

And BTW Hef, there's plenty of bands on the Progressive Nation at Sea bill that would definitely fit the definition of "prog-metal" much more so than "prog-rock".

*shrugs*

[rumborak]

Scotty, I had the impression that MP was overall in a rut some time before his departure. I think he tried all these different things before (blast beats etc) and after (A7X, Amob) as an attempt to do something fresh. While he may not hate prog metal, I almost could imagine him seeing a return to that genre as a regression to the previous, worn-out stage.

[Podaar]

Scotty, I had the impression that MP was overall in a rut some time before his departure. I think he tried all these different things before (blast beats etc) and after (A7X, Amob) as an attempt to do something fresh. While he may not hate prog metal, I almost could imagine him seeing a return to that genre as a regression to the previous, worn-out stage that he would do in a heart-beat.

FTFY 

[rumborak]

Him wanting to return, IMHO, is just an expression of his latest exploits not taking off as he hoped they would.

[nikatapi]

Him wanting to return, IMHO, is just an expression of his latest exploits not taking off as he hoped they would.

Yeah i guess the most obvious thing of all was that he asked to come back right after A7X told him that they would keep their original plans for just touring until a certain date with him.
And a member of A7X actually told in an interview that Mike made it obvious that he wanted to go to A7X full time. So i think him burning out was true for sure, but his various statements are contradictory.

[BlobVanDam]

Him wanting to return, IMHO, is just an expression of his latest exploits not taking off as he hoped they would.

He's wanted to return basically ever since leaving DT, so that has very little to do with it. I think he probably regretted the decision from day 1.

[gmillerdrake]

Him wanting to return, IMHO, is just an expression of his latest exploits not taking off as he hoped they would.

He's wanted to return basically ever since leaving DT, so that has very little to do with it. I think he probably regretted the decision from day 1.

John, James, Jordan and John called his bluff. Plain and simple IMHO. I dont think in MP's wildest dreams that he ever thought (1) that they'd not beg him to stay and (2) after leaving that they'd carry on Without him. I believe that after all the years of him 'wearing different hats' for DT that he believed there was no way they could survive without him. That he was the absolute vital cog that made the DT machine thrive....when in fact, if there is a vital cog his name is John Petrucci.

MP all but gave JMX wedgies and stole his lunch money on all DTs behind the scenes vids and what not in the couple years leading up to him leaving them....always digging him for not being around and always practicing and what not and its no secret as to how JLB felt about  MP trying to take them hostage with the hiatus declaration and how JLB reacted to MP's handling of the departure. .  I'd be willing to bet those two men held the door open for him as he walked out.

[rumborak]

Him wanting to return, IMHO, is just an expression of his latest exploits not taking off as he hoped they would.

He's wanted to return basically ever since leaving DT, so that has very little to do with it. I think he probably regretted the decision from day 1.

Yeah, but like when you break up with a girl, you only find yourself reminiscing about it when you don't have anything new going on. One you got some new girl you're truly excited about you couldn't care less about your ex.

[BlobVanDam]

[Zook]

Eh, I believe him. I mean, he was is an alcoholic and from what we can see, he's obsessive about some things. And we don't know everything that happens in his personal life, so we're in no place to doubt his word.

Just clearing up a small error in your post, Ħ

There is no such thing as "was" when it comes to alcoholism.  Once you cross that Rubicon there's no going back.

If someone stops masturbating, are they still a wankaholic?

[TheSilentHam]

If someone stops masturbating, are they still a wankaholic?

What is this "stops masturbating" you speak of?

[jsbru]

I don't think this is bashing, but I think everybody is aware of MP's flair for drama. He isn't just somebody who can't handle his liquor, he's an alcoholic and drug addict who writes about it for 5 albums straight. He doesn't just enjoy a memorabilia connection and keeps it in order, no, it's all because he has OCD. I have long learned that MP will describe everything in large and dramatic words.

This is exactly what I was going to say.  Being highly organized and/or anal is far from actual OCD.

And yeah.  I don't want to get too personal here, but MP seems to wear his past alcoholism as a badge.  12-part songs interspersed over 5 albums about being an alcoholic?  I can understand a song or two about getting over a major hurdle in your life, but MP seems to be using it to draw attention to himself more than anything else.

There's some people out there that are just drama queens, that flout their "disorders" just to get attention/sympathy and for "coolness" factor.  I know more than one of these types of people in real life.  I obviously don't know MP personally, but he strikes me as very similar to these people.

[jsbru]

Also, I don't buy the "MP isn't responsible for DT's movement towards thrashy metal."  If there were any songs where he had influence, it would be the ones in his 12-step suite...and they're part and parcel of DT's change in style over the years.

[BlobVanDam]

Also, I don't buy the "MP isn't responsible for DT's movement towards thrashy metal."  If there were any songs where he had influence, it would be the ones in his 12-step suite...and they're part and parcel of DT's change in style over the years.

Two of the 12SS songs aren't thrashy at all, and they've continued to do that style of metal even without him, including BITS, LNF and TEI (and we've yet to fully hear DT12).
Whether you "buy" it or not, JP ie. a main songwriter and the guy who writes and plays the riffs, is just as responsible for DT's direction on recent albums in regards to thrashy riffing.

[jsbru]

Two of the 12SS songs aren't thrashy at all, and they've continued to do that style of metal even without him, including BITS, LNF and TEI (and we've yet to fully hear DT12).
Whether you "buy" it or not, JP ie. a main songwriter and the guy who writes and plays the riffs, is just as responsible for DT's direction on recent albums in regards to thrashy riffing.

I'm sure JP had some influence too, but the first two and the last songs in the 12SS are some of their thrashy/heaviest ever released.  And the third is also pretty far in this direction at times.

I don't think MP was the only one, but he certainly had some influence in these songs, and they all are pretty much in line with the direction DT went in.

MP should just make the phrase "no comment" part of his vocabulary when asked these questions.  He's better off just not saying anything.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I can´t remember an ex-member of ANY BAND being more criticized by the fans than Mike Portnoy. Cut him some slack, guys...he did what he thought was right at the time. And who´s to say it wasn´t the right decision? We´re all aware of the friction in the band at the time BCSL came out, and isn´t it SO much better now? I certainly didn´t want him to leave, but since he did, I will appreciate DT for what it is today, and will listen to every project Mike does. The ONLY criticism I could have of Mike is that he was too vocal about it when he left, and that cost him a lot, and even drifted the attention of some of the projects he had in mind - joining Avenged Sevenfold for example. But hey, like I said in another thread here, Kevin Moore left years ago, wants to erase DT from his past completely, and still gets more respect in DTF than Mike. I struggle to understand that.

Anyway, it seems Mike is finally moving on. Here´s an excerpt of an interview he posted on his Twitter page 02 days ago:

Daniel/HRM: Some readers are going to want to hear about all that Dream Theater drama. But I'm not going to humor them. No one moves forward if they stay in the past. All I'll ask is if you all are on good terms now or at least "forgive and forget" about it.

Mike Portnoy/TWD: You just said you weren't gonna ask about it. (laughs) I'd rather not even talk about it. I'd rather talk about all the good positive things in my life, all the things I'm doing right now.

The past is the past, and I spent 25 years with it as the most important thing in my life. I devoted more than half of my life to that band and that legacy will be around forever, but I'd rather discuss the new things I'm doing.

Link to the whole interview: https://www.hiprockmagazine.com/#!the-winery-dogs/c1ahf

[eviljust]

So, this is the first time he answers that way, and I really appreciate that. In the recent past he used to say something "I really don't wanna talk about it anymore, BUT ..... " and so on.
This is just mature and actually it reflects much more his personality, IMHO. We forget one important thing, at least to me: they are/were friends before band mates.

[Lowdz]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of the OP. I'm pretty sure what the OP was trying to say is, if MP says he doesn't relate to the material, then why has he said numerous times that he'd rejoin DT in a heartbeat? Why would you want to rejoin a band if you don't relate to it anymore?

He'd probably find it more relateable if say. He was in the band and had creative input on the final project.

Pretty much agree with the above statement. I don't think it's a matter of MP not being interested in prog-metal - if that were the case, why is he doing the Progressive Nation at Sea thing? I think what it really boils down to is that he's not interested in the direction that DT has taken since he left the band. Although this is purely speculation on my part, I wouldn't be surprised if to some degree he thinks that they have regressed to some degree, falling back on what made them popular, as opposed to pushing the extremes, especially in the metal direction, which MP seems to be far more interested in (in general) than the other guys. So that's why I don't think it is confusing or hypocritical of him to say that he wouldn't mind rejoining DT if the band welcomed him back.

And yet if that's the case he hasn't pushed any metal boundaries since being a solo artist. AMob were as close as he's got to metal and he pushed those boundaries all the way to 1999.