(Now online!) Interviewing Mike Mangini in a few days, give me your questions!

[nikatapi]

EDIT: You can read the interview here: noisefull.com/interviews/mike-mangini-dream-theater

So i'm interviewing Mike Mangini now that he is in Greece (first time meeting him in person), and i wanted to ask him a few questions from DTF members. Feel free to give me your questions.

[Sycsa]

1. If he could elaborate on the click tracks:
- what exactly is he hearing (e.g. straight 8th notes without accent)
- is it challenging? fun? frustrating? can he let loose or does he have to intensely focus all the way through a show?
- how can he recover if he screws up (some stories)?
- will anything change in the future, does he want any changes (dropping the clicks, altering the BPM)?

2. Last tour he thickened up his cymbals. Is he planning to do any alterations to his drum set next year?

3. Is he satisfied with his drum sound on Breaking the Fourth Wall? How does it compare to LALP & DT12? (the consensus among fans being that BTFW featured his best drum sound by far)

4. If he could elaborate on that controversial interview which was translated and posted here a while back.

[sylvinception]

Two simple questions : how does he explain the mess concerning the drums mixing on DT12 ?

Is he really satisfied by how the drums sound on the album ? 

[JiM-Xtreme]

How often does he get to utilize his insane knack for creating bizarre cross-rhythms in DT songs, and what are a couple of his favourite examples?

[sylvinception]

His feelings about being part of the greatest band on earth ?

[hefdaddy42]

Please, God, ask him his favorite brand of cigars.  I've been trying to get this answered for a couple of years now, ever since I discovered that we shared this vice.

[puppyonacid]

His feelings about being part of the greatest band on earth only for them to split up after recording Waiting for the Punchline ?

Fix'd

[TAC]

1. If he could elaborate on the click tracks:
- what exactly is he hearing (e.g. straight 8th notes without accent)
- is it challenging? fun? frustrating? can he let loose or does he have to intensely focus all the way through a show?
- how can he recover if he screws up (some stories)?
- will anything change in the future, does he want any changes (dropping the clicks, altering the BPM)?


3. Is he satisfied with his drum sound on Breaking the Fourth Wall? How does it compare to LALP & DT12? (the consensus among fans being that BTFW featured his best drum sound by far)

Excellent suggestions.

[JediKnight1969]

Assuming he had not participated in the drummers audition... Who do he think that would have been the ideal drummer for DT? Not just one of the other six, but anyone in the world (except MP of course).

[TAC]

How long was it between the audition and when he got the call? How did he celebrate?

[TheGreatPretender]

How does it feel to be nominated for a Grammy?

I'm kidding, please don't ask that.


So given that we've heard through a grapevine that he's been very stressed on this tour, I have a question a little more elaborate, but that can relate to that, although if you could think of a better way to word it, that'd be great:

Has being with DT so far met his expectations as to what it would be like to be a part of this band? What are some aspects of being in DT that he wasn't originally anticipating?

[nikatapi]

Most of the questions (besides the cigars) were already in the line even before posting the thread, so i guess the interview will give you some interesting answers.

[Setlist Scotty]

Now that he's involved in DT's songwriting, how does he contribute? Does he play guitar, bass or keys enough or in some other way come up with melodic ideas, or is it primarily the song structure and time signatures that he's focused on during songwriting?

What things would he personally like to do on the next DT album that he hasn't done yet? What direction would he personally like to see the next album go in?

Considering how challenging it was for him on this last tour, how does he feel about the band performing more Evening With shows in the future?

What songs from the MP-era has he enjoyed playing the most? Of the MP-era songs he hasn't played live yet, which ones is he looking forward to learning the most?

[Knguro]

First of all, lucky bastard! 

Second of, please quote DTF nicknames while doing the questions to him, and record it if possible! Please!

and 3rd. I've done this question to Jordan already and his answer was positive: is there any way or possibility to blend latin rhythms (like latin jazz) with any DT material in a near future?

PS. Jordan's answer was that he loves latin jazz since is an amazing genre and that if he could take a year off to study it he would definitely do it.   

[Madman Shepherd]

Now that he's involved in DT's songwriting, how does he contribute? Does he play guitar, bass or keys enough or in some other way come up with melodic ideas, or is it primarily the song structure and time signatures that he's focused on during songwriting?

Good question.  In one of those DT skype chats a while back, JP was going through his laptop and had some of the song ideas for DT12 and said something like, "Oops, don't want to accidentally click that one.  That was one of MM's ideas...we didn't use.  Sorry Mike."  Mike shruggedMade me wonder if he actually came to them with a riff or something. 

What songs from the MP-era has he enjoyed playing the most? Of the MP-era songs he hasn't played live yet, which ones is he looking forward to learning the most?

At a clinic in 2012(ish), he stated he liked The Dark Eternal Night the best.  Would be interesting to hear if that has changed and also what his favorite one of his era is too. 

[ToT-147]

This is the only one I'd ask to him (and every other member): he goes to see live bands? which ones in that case?

And I ask for this too:

Please quote DTF nicknames while doing the questions to him, and record it if possible! Please!

[TheAtliator]

-Is playing live to click tracks something you are intending to make a standard for Dream Theater in the foreseeable future, or do you view as just one approach to explore for a few tours or some temporary amount of time?

-What are your favorite 70's classic rock bands and drummers from those bands?

[TheCountOfNYC]

What has been the most challenging MP era song to play/learn so far?

[TheGreatPretender]

For the record, every interview I've seen of MM, he refers to those songs as DT's "Back Catalog," so maybe when asking these questions, you should use this term instead of "Mike Portnoy Era Song".

[chaossystem]

Will he ever be writing/contributing any lyrics, especially for the next album?

[adamack]

1. If he could elaborate on the click tracks:
- what exactly is he hearing (e.g. straight 8th notes without accent)
- is it challenging? fun? frustrating? can he let loose or does he have to intensely focus all the way through a show?
- how can he recover if he screws up (some stories)?
- will anything change in the future, does he want any changes (dropping the clicks, altering the BPM)?


3. Is he satisfied with his drum sound on Breaking the Fourth Wall? How does it compare to LALP & DT12? (the consensus among fans being that BTFW featured his best drum sound by far)

Excellent suggestions.

I third this. Especially the questions about the click tracks. Very interested to know!

[bl5150]

Did he feel like the odd man out in Annihilator ?   

[adamack]

Did he feel like the odd man out in Annihilator ?   

HAAAAAAAAAA!! This is amazing.

[Moor]

Did he feel like the odd man out in Annihilator ?   

HAAAAAAAAAA!! This is amazing.

winner 

[hefdaddy42]

Do you prefer the term "soul patch" or "flavor saver"?

[the_silent_man]

I'm sure you'll probably ask this anyway, but just in case it'd be nice to have an ideas of DT 's plans for 2015.

Will they be doing futher touring? When will then enter the studio to start the next album? Are they gonna take time off to record solo projects such as JPs 2nd solo album and JLB's EP as we previously heard about?

[TheGreatPretender]

Just wondering, is this gonna be a video interview, audio interview, or just text? I much prefer video/audio interviews to anything else, so it would be great if you could make that format available. 

[AngelBack]

Might night be the kind of question he would like to answer but I am curious why when playing live he chooses to scale it back on the outro to Finally Free as opposed to MP's fill selection.

[BlobVanDam]

Just wondering, is this gonna be a video interview, audio interview, or just text? I much prefer video/audio interviews to anything else, so it would be great if you could make that format available. 

Preferably video with transcript! It's nice to have both.

[TheGreatPretender]

Just wondering, is this gonna be a video interview, audio interview, or just text? I much prefer video/audio interviews to anything else, so it would be great if you could make that format available. 

Preferably video with transcript! It's nice to have both.

Well, yes, I'm not saying there shouldn't be a transcript. Video would be nice, but even if he can't find a camera operator, journalists always record audio of the interview anyway, so since that kind of automatically exists by default, I don't see why it shouldn't be made available alongside the transcript.

[sylvinception]

"Interviewing Mike Mangini in a few days..."

In a few weeks ? Months ?

[Octavarious]

Just one left.
Mike, can you sing? If so, plan to make some backing vocals here and there, as needed, in future shows?

[TheGreatPretender]

Just one left.
Mike, can you sing? If so, plan to make some backing vocals here and there, as needed, in future shows?

As long as he doesn't sound like MP.

[BlobVanDam]

 

[TheGreatPretender]

I'm just saying! If they do AROP next tour, I don't want to hear MM screaming, "Brothahood!" during the first verse.