Meeting Past/Present DT Members (hypothetical dinner)

[Tyrannosaurus Chicken]

Thought this might be fun. I chose to include Charlie (RIP), out of respect, as well since this is purely hypothetical.

I chose John Myung. He's such a quiet guy, and a bit of an enigma, so I guess that's why. I'd like to pick his brain on a few things, actually. First, I'd like to know what all his practice routine consists of. Secondly, I'd like to know what type of stuff he plays for fun at home, when he's just jamming or noodling. Third, I'd like to ask him about the writing/recording sessions with the guys, and what it's like to work with them. Fourth, I'd like to ask him which album is most sentimental or dear to him, and which album/tour he has the most fond memories of. And lastly, I'd like to ask him if there's a certain type of thing, stylistically, that he'd like to try, that the band hasn't yet tried.

Funny story; when I first met Myung at the very first Meet & Greet that I did, it was right after he had stopped playing Yamaha basses, and had switched to Music Man. So, when I got to him, I asked "Hey John, how do you like your new bongo bass?" He replied "I love it".

[wolfking]

Has to be JP for me.

[Tyrannosaurus Chicken]

Has to be JP for me.

As a guitarist primarily, and bassist secondly, it was really hard for me to not go with JP.

[Priest of Syrinx]

I chose MP, but honestly I'd be delighted have dinner with any of them.

[YngVai]

Kevin Moore by a long shot.

 I'm a guitarist primarily and, as much as I love his music, JP for the most part just isn't particularly musically or artistically insightful in interviews/masterclasses.

That's not to say that I haven't learned anything from him, but if you listen to a talk with, say, Scott Henderson, Alex Scolnic, Pat Metheny, or Steve Vai (for a more direct comparison) you're going to hear music talked about on a much deeper level.

I think the wide variety of mediums he's worked in, that he hasn't been interviewed to death, and his whole interesting set of post-music experiences would make for a compelling chat. I get the feeling that he's not a guy that does shit for the sake of doing shit.

[bosk1]

I chose John Myung. He's such a quiet guy, and a bit of an enigma, so I guess that's why.

Yeah, he is.  But I can tell you from personal experience that once he gets going, and it's a topic he is interested in, there's no stopping him.  He just goes, and goes, and goes.   


I haven't sat and had dinner with any of them, but I've had conversations with JP, Jordan, JM, James, Mike Mangini, and Mike Portnoy.  They are all really down to earth guys and fun to talk to.  James and John P in particular just talk to you like everyday people who care about whatever you are talking to them about. 

I guess in answer to your question, I would pick Mike Portnoy, as he's the one I have not really had much conversation with, and have a lot that I'd like to talk to him about.  I'm sure it'll happen some day.

[TAC]

What questions would you guys come armed with for your guest?

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I'd probably just ask them about their upbringings and what they do outside of music. Of course I'd ask about music but nearly everything they would answer has been covered!

[Jamesman42]

They all seem like mellow people to chill with, maybe not Portnoy but he seems like you'd get along with him and never run out of things to talk about. 

[WilliamMunny]

Kevin Moore, if for no other reason, than he has remained the most 'private' over the years, giving little in the way of interviews.

While he seems to have left music behind, his post-DT output (Chroma Key, OSI, Fates) made a massive impact on me as both a listener and an artist.

I love to LISTEN to most of the DT catalog, but OSI's Free and Blood literally changed my path as a musician.

[Adami]

Kevin Moore. Though who knows what he's like now?

I think he's a psychiatrist? So similar(ish) field as me. That could be a good talk.

I'd imagine talking guitars/drums would just get boring and I haven't seen anything to indicate I have much to talk to the John's about. I guess Portnoy and I could talk movies and shows? But I think I'd get annoyed after a while.

Maybe Jordan? Dude seems like he has interesting perspectives in general. Just wouldn't want to talk shop.

And sorry James, I don't speak or understand Canadian. 

[Tyrannosaurus Chicken]

Yeah, he is.  But I can tell you from personal experience that once he gets going, and it's a topic he is interested in, there's no stopping him.  He just goes, and goes, and goes.   

James and John P in particular just talk to you like everyday people who care about whatever you are talking to them about. 

This is awesome, bosk. Really warms my heart to hear this. From the times I've met them at meet & greets, they've always seemed like real humble, personable and down to earth guys. It's nice to have you confirm that

[HOF]

Voted Kevin Moore because he's the most black box of the guys and it would be interesting to know what he really thinks about the band, music, life, etc. if he would open up. Unfortunately, he'll never be open again.

[HOF]

*Me at dinner with Kevin Moore*

"You remember when you wrote, 'Falling through pages of Martins on angels feeling my heart pull west'? . . . Is that true?"

[Dedalus]

Voted Kevin Moore because he's the most black box of the guys and it would be interesting to know what he really thinks about the band, music, life, etc. if he would open up. Unfortunately, he'll never be open again.

[Zydar]

I'd choose MP. We would talk about classic rock for hours on end. Then we'd end the night with a Beatles trivia game. 

[emtee]

The question I would ask revolves around getting adequate sleep while touring. I have always had sleep problems but I can't imagine how long it takes to wind down after a loud metal performance to a state of mind where you can sleep. For me this would be the hardest part of touring.

Oh..and I would pick MP.

[TheCountOfNYC]

I chose John Myung. He's generally very quiet, but he seems to open up more when talking about bass or music, and as a bass player, that's exactly what I'd want to talk to him about.

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, he is.  But I can tell you from personal experience that once he gets going, and it's a topic he is interested in, there's no stopping him.  He just goes, and goes, and goes.   

That's basically most introverts. Which are not total and complete introverts, they're just very selective extroverts 

[Stadler]

*Me at dinner with Kevin Moore*

"You remember when you wrote, 'Falling through pages of Martins on angels feeling my heart pull west'? . . . Is that true?"

"That's awesome.   IDIOT!  I'm so STUPID. What a dumb question!"

https://youtu.be/d5CkMfKsEiE?si=AUp5TcNk1TM7KeYT

(HOF, not making fun of you; the "do you remember" just made me think of one of my favorite skits ever, with one of my favorite musicians ever.)

[Xaves]

As a drummer myself, I HAVE to choose MP. Not only because he's my favorite drummer of all time, but because he seems like a fun dude to hang with. Id probably ask him what his drumming routine is and also how to learn some faster double bass beats (I can play some but I'm not proficient yet.) Then we could hopefully have a jam sesh or something.

[hefdaddy42]

MP.  I have met and had conversations (although not a dinner) with all of the other current members and MM.

No interest in any of the other former members.

[Zydar]

Maybe a seance with Charlie to know how it is in the Afterlife. 

[pg1067]

Well...the original four were all born in the same year as I was so they're the starting point.  Rudess and especially Mangini seem like they'd be a bit too "Rain Man," and I can't think of any reason to choose Dominici.

Moore seems like he'd be way too weird, and the only thing he might have to offer that the others don't might be some Fates Warning tidbits.

I'd love to get some bass knowledge from Myung, but I'm not sure we'd otherwise have anything in common.

Both Portnoy and Petrucci seem like fairly garrulous fellows, so they'd probably be the best choices, and I think I'd have more in common with either of them than with Labrie.  Portnoy has sort of the exhaustive historical knowledge of lots of things (many of which hold no interest for me).  Petrucci can talk about cooking meat, so he probably gets the nod by an eyelash.

[Stadler]

My analysis isn't exactly the same, but close enough to Paul's that I'll reference his. 

[pg1067]

Yeah, he is.  But I can tell you from personal experience that once he gets going, and it's a topic he is interested in, there's no stopping him.  He just goes, and goes, and goes.   

When I met the band back in November 1992, I gave him a variation of the David St. Hubbins line about using my bass as a coffee table ( https://youtu.be/0sHaQxEMM_g?si=YbZJl-amARU39VoV&t=1436 ).  He sort of smiled meekly and said, "well...I've been playing a long time."

What questions would you guys come armed with for your guest?

I don't know about a particular question.  There isn't really anything I don't know that wouldn't be really inappropriate to ask.  I'd maybe ask Petrucci about favorite cuts of meat and preparation techniques.  We'd definitely talk about what it was like growing up in the '70s and being a teenager in the '80s with the explosion of metal.

If nothing was off limits, I'd probably ask about legal agreements governing the band (they may have limited of how that stuff works, though).  I'd ask Portnoy questions about how he handled things in late 2010 and late 2011.  I recall posting comments at mp.com about how he would have been well-served to hire a publicist because just about everything he said publicly, even if well-intentioned, was causing friction among the fans.

[bosk1]

What questions would you guys come armed with for your guest?

Well, first of all, I would consider myself to be the guest and them to be the host, and I would act accordingly. 

As far as questions/topics I would want to discuss with MP, some of it is just private stuff that I wouldn't really share on the forum.  But I think we would also have some good laughs and conversation over some stories where we have some common ground and mutual interests.  For instance, first time I met him was after the Transatlantic show in So. Cal. in 2010.  What he doesn't know is the story about me sneaking backstage before the show and watching a little bit of their soundcheck/rehearsal.  Also some stuff about Jeff Scott Soto that I wanted to mention, and how I had tried to catch Mike at several shows since then (a Neal Morse show, a Sons of Apollo show, and two JP solo shows) to try to chat him up, but always managed to miss him.

[Dedalus]

This topic got me thinking about something. How sometimes having too much contact with musicians (or other artists) that you like can eventually be "a problem".

I've never had contact with any artist that I admire.

I recently read the entire biography that Martin Popoff wrote about Rush (Anthem, Limelight, Driven). Popoff has a style in this work that I think has both positive and negative points at the same time: he gives a LOT of space to quotes from various actors involved in Rush's life, with special emphasis on Geddy, Alex and Neil (obviously). In a certain twisted way, it's as if they were "talking" to you.

The positive side is that you get to read what the guys have to say by telling their own story. The negative side is that it can be tiring and somewhat discouraging at times. Halfway through the book I couldn't stand reading what Neil Peart had to say anymore (I swear, it got to the point where I thought "oh no, there goes Neil Peart again") and by the end of the book I was even tired of Geddy Lee. It's worth mentioning that Alex seemed like a nice and interesting guy throughout the book.

It was the first time I read a band biography and I ended up feeling a bit bored with some of the members. And I've read biographies of artists who are much more unpleasant people than the nice and easy-going Canadians.

[Stadler]

Sort of a tangent to what Dedalus is saying; I'm a fan of a couple bands - DT, Rush, Fish - where it seems like a segment of the fanbase is or feels like they are "friends" with the artist (I'm not talking about the people here that ACTUALLY ARE friends with the artist, I'm talking people that might have only met them in passing or something like that; I'd include anyone that HAS TO (not "wants to" to support the artist, or has to because of the venue, but HAS TO pay for a Meet and Greet to get in front of the bandmember).  I don't get that.  I like their music, and with DT I'd like to think I have things in common (since we're the same age) but I'm not under any illusions I'm friends with them.

Rush and Fish seem to be the worst for this.  I would never walk up to Alex Lifeon and call him "Lerxst" or something like that (a name that I guess the band members call each other).  There are people that show up at Fish's house in Scotland like they belong there. I've seen it, they try to talk with him, call him "Big Man", like he's their best bud. I know some artists blur that line, but even then... I suppose I wish I was friends with some of them; backstage would be cool, but I'm not.  And even then, I don't know that I would even use that. I'm friends with... let's just say someone VERY high up in a position that he could, if he wanted, get me audience with basically any artist that plays in CT with maybe the exception of the very biggest names (Bruce, Prince). I have never and will never ask for that. EVER.  I've only even asked him for tickets to the venue he has access to I think twice in 40 years.  If he offered, I'd take him up on it, which he has on occasion, but that's different.

[Dedalus]

Sort of a tangent to what Dedalus is saying; I'm a fan of a couple bands - DT, Rush, Fish - where it seems like a segment of the fanbase is or feels like they are "friends" with the artist (I'm not talking about the people here that ACTUALLY ARE friends with the artist, I'm talking people that might have only met them in passing or something like that; I'd include anyone that HAS TO (not "wants to" to support the artist, or has to because of the venue, but HAS TO pay for a Meet and Greet to get in front of the bandmember).  I don't get that.  I like their music, and with DT I'd like to think I have things in common (since we're the same age) but I'm not under any illusions I'm friends with them.

Rush and Fish seem to be the worst for this.  I would never walk up to Alex Lifeon and call him "Lerxst" or something like that (a name that I guess the band members call each other).  There are people that show up at Fish's house in Scotland like they belong there. I've seen it, they try to talk with him, call him "Big Man", like he's their best bud. I know some artists blur that line, but even then... I suppose I wish I was friends with some of them; backstage would be cool, but I'm not.  And even then, I don't know that I would even use that. I'm friends with... let's just say someone VERY high up in a position that he could, if he wanted, get me audience with basically any artist that plays in CT with maybe the exception of the very biggest names (Bruce, Prince). I have never and will never ask for that. EVER.  I've only even asked him for tickets to the venue he has access to I think twice in 40 years.  If he offered, I'd take him up on it, which he has on occasion, but that's different.

I agree with you. I have never even tried to get close to any artist, even the most accessible ones. I don't know, it doesn't seem like something I would do, even if I had the opportunity.

But I believe that for many people this feeling of being close or a friend of the artist is something very important. And this can be a great virtue for artists, because their audience is not only people who like their work, but also people who like them as if they were close (even if they aren't). The other day I mentioned how MP has this ability. It seems to me that it is a natural talent of his, he can communicate and connect with people with extreme ease and this makes them feel this closeness. As if he were a dear friend.

[DTiwbwMP]

Only one I'd be interested to sit down with and discuss music with is MP.

[TAC]

Thinking of the different scenarios of "meeting" any of the members of DT. It's all hypothetical of course, but I was thinking..


I bet MP and JP, and JM, if he was with them, would be cool to hang out waiting in line for concert tickets in 1985.


I would probably say that as adults, I'd still feel like meeting MP and JP would be cool. JP seems like s cool and funny guy, and it would have to be under a circumstance where he's not being a salesman.

What most interests me as a fan of Dream Theater is wondering how the band's business is set up. They seem to have made some good decisions, or recovered from early bad ones, pretty effectively. I'd love to know what their instincts were, or what kind of guidance they appreciated.

I'd want to know a little more about MP's deterioration with the band when he left. At what point did he feel like he had to leave. Was he on tour at some point? I know he's been fairly honest about it in interviews, but I still find it fascinating.

Regarding his return, he did cop to Eddie Trunk that he and JP did have some vague conversations during JP's tour. I'd love to know the timing of when JP knew he'd be presenting MP's return to the band. Was he still on tour with Dream Sonic?


I'd want to know how MM's employment was handled. Was he under a contract and how was that all figured out.
I'd want to know who exactly was on the call to dismiss him. Was it JP and Frank? Was the entire rest of the band on the call?

I'd also want to ask MM who in the band was way cooler than he expected them to be.



I couldn't be any less interested in what Kevin Moore had to say.

[gzarruk]

My pick would be between JP, MP or MM. I guess either of the drummers would be a lot of fun to talk to.

There's just tons and tons of knowledge to extract from Mangini about drumming and whatnot, he seems to be always happy and willing to share some of his insight with other people. He truly was my favorite band member during his tenure with the band.

As for MP, I'd love to just talk to him about all things DT: deep cuts, little known facts, stories from the road or studio, setlists, plans for official bootleg releases, etc. He really is the biggest music fan in the band and would love to geek over DT with him.

[noxon]

My choice is kinda left field, but it's for a practical reason - out of all the members, he's the one I have spoken to the least. All current members I've had hours upon hours or conversations with over the years. Mike Mangini too. Charlie was the first guy I had long conversations with all the way back in 99/2000.  Kevin Moore I've had several shorter conversations with over the years (for the latest batch of songs he posted on his Patreon I consulted on the YouTube versions). But Derek I've only exchanged a very few words with over the years...

[MirrorMask]

I would never walk up to Alex Lifeon and call him "Lerxst" or something like that (a name that I guess the band members call each other).

The real pro move would be walking up to LaBrie and call him Kevin  or address Alice Cooper as "Vinnie" and see his reaction