DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY

[ReaPsTA]

and blabbermouth is already running the headline with the quote

https://blabbermouth.net/news/mike-mangini-on-dream-theaters-reunion-with-mike-portnoy-a-decision-was-made-that-i-understood

I... can't believe Blabbermouth actually turned the quote into a reasonable article. Even added the part after about how he thought being in the band was great.

But anyway yeah. There always could be behind the scenes stuff we don't know about, but that's been put out so far is pretty clear.

So Mike just uploaded the DT drumkits and thanking Tama for his support.

I wish he could bring back the Purple Monster.

Which kit would you like to make a comeback?

The Siamese monster was the coolest aesthetically, musically speaking the albino was the best because it had the wood shells/different kit philosophies.

I'm just not sure the money's there these days to ship something that large around the world.

Something kinda makes me feel like Portnoy won't play a minimalist kit with DT again (like Mangini even has been lately), but the glory days are unfortunately past us.

[devieira73]

[...]
Exactly. The first sentence in Mangini's official statement is " I understand Dream Theater's decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time."  There ya go.  You can call it assuming or going out on a limb all you want. They wanted Portnoy in, and so Mangini had to go. There are a hundred reasons why they wanted MP back, but I guarantee that there was only 1 reason to let MM go. And that's because MP was back. I don't think anyone is assuming there was bad blood between MM and the rest of the band. Anyway, this dead horse has been beat enough.

Excellent summary of the situation, exactly my understanding since I read the news.

About the new Monster kit... it's cool as hell, no doubt, but it can fit in Dream Thetarer HQ for recording purposes?

[gzarruk]

Without trying to state things as "facts", I'll just say that this new interview seems to back things some of us have been saying since the announcement.

On the kit thing, I'm interested to see what he comes up with. According to MM he had been asked for a while now to scale things down a bit, so It'll be interesting to see if MP brings a double kit again or just his "regular" metal kit like for SOA/Shattered Fortress, etc.

This clearly won't happen, but since the original concept for Mike's double kit was to bring something different as side B to play some old songs with a different approach, it'd be cool to see a MM inspired side B. Won't happen at all, though.

[emtee]

Would love to see a super custom painted kit like Alex Van Halen had that would be instantly recognizable and would forever be linked to MP's legacy. Maybe tied to the artwork for DT16.

The reunion kit.

[red barchetta]

Well, The Astonishing probably started a chain of events that has led us to this point.

I believe the samething and I don't think they were as popular. 

[Kocak]

.

[Kocak]

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[Kocak]

[...]
About the new Monster kit... it's cool as hell, no doubt, but it can fit in Dream Thetarer HQ for recording purposes?

As it is basically two drum kits, they could get them in separately.

[Trav]

https://youtu.be/wYMPrb-avJ8?feature=shared

A very good video that really says everything I've been thinking, in a better way than I can. His way of explaining what's been lacking without Portnoy is on point I think.

[lucasembarbosa]

[...]
Exactly. The first sentence in Mangini's official statement is " I understand Dream Theater's decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time."  There ya go.  You can call it assuming or going out on a limb all you want. They wanted Portnoy in, and so Mangini had to go. There are a hundred reasons why they wanted MP back, but I guarantee that there was only 1 reason to let MM go. And that's because MP was back. I don't think anyone is assuming there was bad blood between MM and the rest of the band. Anyway, this dead horse has been beat enough.

Excellent summary of the situation, exactly my understanding since I read the news.

About the new Monster kit... it's cool as hell, no doubt, but it can fit in Dream Thetarer HQ for recording purposes?

I remember reading/watching somewhere (Digging for a Spark documentary or some live during pandemic??)  that they were going to expand the studio, not sur if it really happened... If they managed to do it, a monster kit would fit there for sure

[OptionalPlayer]

I'm friends with someone who knows Mangini through working at drum camps over the years. I've heard tales on how dramatic Mike can be. There's an inappropriate nickname he was given at those camps based on his behavior. I will not repeat it here.

My initial reaction to Mangini leaving was that personality clashes finally caught up with the band.

I could absolutely be wrong about that, and as many of you mentioned, it could be something as simple as wanting Portnoy back.

Maybe we'll know the truth. . . SOME DAY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooon!

[devieira73]

I remember reading/watching somewhere (Digging for a Spark documentary or some live during pandemic??)  that they were going to expand the studio, not sur if it really happened... If they managed to do it, a monster kit would fit there for sure

I didn't know that.
I know, while recording, Portnoy "only" maintened the main part of the monster kit totally assembled (is that the right word?) in studio, which still seems to me too much for DT HQ, even if we consider the Purple Monster size.

[Trav]

I'm friends with someone who knows Mangini through working at drum camps over the years. I've heard tales on how dramatic Mike can be. There's an inappropriate nickname he was given at those camps based on his behavior. I will not repeat it here.

My initial reaction to Mangini leaving was that personality clashes finally caught up with the band.

I could absolutely be wrong about that, and as many of you mentioned, it could be something as simple as wanting Portnoy back.

Maybe we'll know the truth. . . SOME DAY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooon!

You can't even give some kind of example?

[Lonk]

https://youtu.be/wYMPrb-avJ8?feature=shared

A very good video that really says everything I've been thinking, in a better way than I can. His way of explaining what's been lacking without Portnoy is on point I think.

Ah, mike. I haven't watch his videos in a while. He can be kind of annoying, but every so often he puts out good videos.

[bosk1]

Victor posted this in the MM Thread.

New interview with MM.

https://youtu.be/Swj2fYmiQHw?si=VZr0ueqLydFVpzGy&t=420

I rest my case.

I mean....it can't be any more clear than him once again saying "A decision was made that I understood"  He was fired/let go/asked to leave/sent packing/canned/.....however you want to put it. This WAS NOT his choice. That's not speculation or interpreting something to fit a narrative.....that is what happened.

No, actually he doesn't say anything at all about whose ultimate decision his departure was. 

[Trav]

Victor posted this in the MM Thread.

New interview with MM.

https://youtu.be/Swj2fYmiQHw?si=VZr0ueqLydFVpzGy&t=420

I rest my case.

I mean....it can't be any more clear than him once again saying "A decision was made that I understood"  He was fired/let go/asked to leave/sent packing/canned/.....however you want to put it. This WAS NOT his choice. That's not speculation or interpreting something to fit a narrative.....that is what happened.

No, actually he doesn't say anything at all about whose ultimate decision his departure was.

[ReaPsTA]

https://youtu.be/wYMPrb-avJ8?feature=shared

A very good video that really says everything I've been thinking, in a better way than I can. His way of explaining what's been lacking without Portnoy is on point I think.

One thing he said he was totally right about, even if I like Mangini-era DT more than he seems to, is they played it too safe. Portnoy provides a certain level of push.

[ReaPsTA]

Victor posted this in the MM Thread.

New interview with MM.

https://youtu.be/Swj2fYmiQHw?si=VZr0ueqLydFVpzGy&t=420

I rest my case.

I mean....it can't be any more clear than him once again saying "A decision was made that I understood"  He was fired/let go/asked to leave/sent packing/canned/.....however you want to put it. This WAS NOT his choice. That's not speculation or interpreting something to fit a narrative.....that is what happened.

No, actually he doesn't say anything at all about whose ultimate decision his departure was.

If you have some science to drop here I'm interested. Words can have lots of meanings! But.............

[bosk1]

Not sure what "science" you are looking for.  I'm just looking at the plain meanings of the words that were said, and just as before, there is a LOT that is vague and unsaid.  All we know is "a decision was made" and that "he understood it."  Which decision?  Who made it?  When?  We still don't know.  Presumably, from the context, he is talking about the decision to bring Mike Portnoy back into the band.  Because that's what he talks about next.  But was it all part of the same decision?  Were the decisions for Mangini to leave and Portnoy to come in all part of the same decision?  Were they separate decisions?  If so, who were the decision makers?  Again, we still don't know. 

Interestingly, this quote, either own its own or when taken together with the original press release statements, completely fits the hypothetical situations I mentioned above.  For all we know, it could have happened something like this:
-Mangini to the band:  This has been wonderful, and I'm deeply appreciative of our time together, but I have decided to move on because ____.
-the band:  We don't want to go through the audition process again, and the time seems right to ask Portnoy if he wants to come back.  OK, we are decided then.
-Mangini to the public:  "A decision [to bring Mike Portnoy back after I left] was made that I understand.  ...  'Oh, that's an original bandmember going back to a band. Oh, I get that. Okay, I get it.'"

Again, I'm NOT saying that that's what happened either.  But it's equally possible and equally plausible, and unless and until we know the details, I think it's foolish to guess.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

yeah, the new interview definitely doesn't add any more clarity. he even mentions his todo list was tremendous, which give credence to the "he is moving on because __" theory

[OpenYourEyes311]

Very exciting news! I never thought it would happen, and I was never clamoring for it as I really loved Mangini in his role.

But YES I AM EXCITED FOR THIS!!!

After a week of thinking about this... I dunno, I've started to feel conflicted about this. I will say that I LOVE Mike Portnoy. He is the reason DT was ever my favorite band. From 2003-2010 they could do no wrong for me. The shows, setlists, bootlegs (official and otherwise), the albums.... everything was eaten up by me and I could not get enough. Since the release of ADTOE, there's been less excitement regarding everything. Setlists were static (moreso than the last few years with MP, which were also heading that way - people often overlook that fact), official bootlegs were non-existent for a time, shows were less often (no shows in '13,'18, '21, US skipped in '15), and the albums, while quite good, were often not as listened to as in years past. Note that none of this has anything to do with MM, nor anyone else other than me.

So you would think that this would be the most exciting news I could ever get. And during the initial shock, that's how I felt. But I dunno... does anyone else feel like this is a step backwards?

I feel like they've been building this momentum up with MM and they have 5 albums and 13 years with this lineup, and now they've pulled the rug out on this buildup, just to go back to the previous line-up. It's weird and unsettling.

I assume that once things get going, I will quickly go back into fanboy mode. But, what if things don't get going? What if the LNF Archives stall out? What if the album is mediocre? I honestly doubt any of these thoughts will matter come next year when they start album release and performing again, but who knows?

I guess they know better than I do. And I'm hoping this is just my weird brain being weird. I'm certainly not conveying every thought I want to here, but needed to get some things out of my head.



In regards to Mangini... I'm not a fan of the way he speaks in interviews. It feels like he's all over the place and he hardly makes any sense. Nothing personal against him. I've met him and he's extremely kind and insanely awesome at the drums. But yeah, as JSS said, "He talks funny."

[Orbert]

"A decision was made"

Who made the decision?  Yes, it absolutely can be more clear.

[OptionalPlayer]

I'm friends with someone who knows Mangini through working at drum camps over the years. I've heard tales on how dramatic Mike can be. There's an inappropriate nickname he was given at those camps based on his behavior. I will not repeat it here.

My initial reaction to Mangini leaving was that personality clashes finally caught up with the band.

I could absolutely be wrong about that, and as many of you mentioned, it could be something as simple as wanting Portnoy back.

Maybe we'll know the truth. . . SOME DAY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooon!

You can't even give some kind of example?

Sure. I should also add this was after joining DT. It was almost as if fame got to his head. I won't go into detail because it's not my story to tell and I don't want it getting back to my friend.

After joining DT, he began talking down to other students and teachers, scolding students for bathroom breaks and not playing well. Again, this was at a drum camp.

At previous camps, he was living on-site. Post joining DT, he stayed at higher-end chateaus off-site with specific meal requirements. And I don't mean dietary restrictions. It was more, "It must be this steak with this wine with this cigar."

He really got on everyone's nerves, including some of the other teachers.

I can tell you I did speak with one of those teachers personally as they toured with their band and they corroborated my friend's story.

Don't worry: I hate how vague I'm being too, but naming names isn't wise.

[Dedalus]

"Fired" means the employer unilaterally made the decision, AND it usually implies performance or conduct problems.

But people separate from employment for a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with being fired, including:  They retire; They voluntarily resign; They part ways by mutual agreement, for any number of reasons; They are let go for budgetary reasons; Their contract expires or is not renewed; There is a triggering event under a contract; The employee is no longer capable of doing the job (for medical or other reasons); The employer just changes its mind and moves on for any number of reasons not included in the above.

I confess I didn't know that.

Here in Latin America it's all the same thing: if the employer decides to no longer count on me while I would like to stay (no matter the employer's reasons) = despedido (fired lol).

There are even some companies here that use euphemistic terms to avoid saying "fired". But workers generally reject these terms as hypocritical.

Knowing this makes some sense of some previous discussions that seemed nonsense to me.

[Trav]

I'm friends with someone who knows Mangini through working at drum camps over the years. I've heard tales on how dramatic Mike can be. There's an inappropriate nickname he was given at those camps based on his behavior. I will not repeat it here.

My initial reaction to Mangini leaving was that personality clashes finally caught up with the band.

I could absolutely be wrong about that, and as many of you mentioned, it could be something as simple as wanting Portnoy back.

Maybe we'll know the truth. . . SOME DAY SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooon!

You can't even give some kind of example?

Sure. I should also add this was after joining DT. It was almost as if fame got to his head. I won't go into detail because it's not my story to tell and I don't want it getting back to my friend.

After joining DT, he began talking down to other students and teachers, scolding students for bathroom breaks and not playing well. Again, this was at a drum camp.

At previous camps, he was living on-site. Post joining DT, he stayed at higher-end chateaus off-site with specific meal requirements. And I don't mean dietary restrictions. It was more, "It must be this steak with this wine with this cigar."

He really got on everyone's nerves, including some of the other teachers.

I can tell you I did speak with one of those teachers personally as they toured with their band and they corroborated my friend's story.

Don't worry: I hate how vague I'm being too, but naming names isn't wise.

I totally understand not naming names. I was just curious as to what type of behavior you were referring to. I obviously have never heard anything like this about. I haven't even heard of him doing drum camps after going DT. Just one-off performances here and there. Interesting.

[hefdaddy42]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

[TAC]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

Why is that disappointing? Eddie will ask the pertinent questions I would think.

[gzarruk]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

Why is that disappointing? Eddie will ask the pertinent questions I would think.

He'll try to get some drama out, that's for sure

[Trav]

He'll ask what his take is on Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer wearing the Kiss makeup.

[hefdaddy42]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

Why is that disappointing? Eddie will ask the pertinent questions I would think.

It's disappointing because Trunk is trash.

[TAC]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

Why is that disappointing? Eddie will ask the pertinent questions I would think.

It's disappointing because Trunk is trash.

FFS

[hefdaddy42]

Apparently, Mangini is on Eddie Trunk today.

That's disappointing.

Why is that disappointing? Eddie will ask the pertinent questions I would think.

It's disappointing because Trunk is trash.

FFS

I know, right?

[goo-goo]

In general, the Trunk interviews eventually become more about him, more than the guest. Most of them are not good, others get too cringy.

[cramx3]

Trunk is kind of trash, I agree, but I follow him on social media so I must not be a full on hater 

What's interesting is Trunk is a big Portnoy fan boy like some of us here.  I'd be curious if anything interesting comes out of that interview as he may ask some good questions, but I'm not too interested to listen myself.

[hefdaddy42]

I'm sure that Trunk got permission from Portnoy before agreeing to have Mangini on his show.