DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: pgf on March 21, 2014, 06:15:51 PM
-
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llAkozqrxwI
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzSlHHqkDjs
-
Sigh of relief when I saw FaceCulture.
No echoey boomy room or buzzing microphones :P :P
-
I think John likes moving forward ;D
-
I like that John played his first riff at Kevin Moore's house. :)
-
Best interview I've seen in a while. Not totally filled with stock questions that have been asked 2039489230 times.
-
Very cool interview. Thanks for sharing, man! I enjoyed hearing his answers to those interesting questions.
-
What? He doesn't speak Italian? That kinda makes me feel a little better. I'm Vietnamese and I barley (if at all) can speak Vietnamese.
So far so good, I'm more intrigued of this interview than ones with the standard stock questions that everyone seems to give to bands when they are touring a new album.
-
FaceCulture's interviews are always great and this is no exception :tup
-
Very good interview, I love the way John looked when asked some slightly awkward questions :D
-
Very nice, thanks for sharing!
Very classy answers by JP on MP.
-
Good interview! I really think he seems sincere when he talks about how rewarding his career has been. That bodes well for the bands future I'd think.
-
Cool interview!
I definitely like how some questions were asked that you normally don't hear asked.
I never would have guessed that the first riff JP played was a Neil Young one (and I am guessing most are with me on that one :lol).
He handled it really well, but I am guessing the Portnoy departure still stings a little bit, as going 3 1/2 years now without seeing the guy who used to be a close band member and a best friend has to be a major bummer, especially on a personal level. Classy way for JP to handle it, though. :tup :tup
-
I'm not sure JP not seeing MP is a sign of bad relationship, I mean it could be, but not necesarily. When I lived far from my hometown there were friends whom I haven't seen in years just because there simply wasn't time for me or them when I was in town, these guys tour a lot, I would say it has to be extremely difficult to even find the time to hang out I believe.
Good interview by the way, JP is my favourite member when it comes to these, he doesn't drift from the question, he stays on topic but elaborates the right amount in each answer, and is very classy in how he handles difficult questions. He really is an example on and off the stage.
-
Damn, that was a good interview! I just wish it would have been longer :D
-
Cool interview!
I definitely like how some questions were asked that you normally don't hear asked.
I never would have guessed that the first riff JP played was a Neil Young one (and I am guessing most are with me on that one :lol).
He handled it really well, but I am guessing the Portnoy departure still stings a little bit, as going 3 1/2 years now without seeing the guy who used to be a close band member and a best friend has to be a major bummer, especially on a personal level. Classy way for JP to handle it, though. :tup :tup
JP proves time and time again in these interviews that he is nothing but class. "How do I look back? I don't.....I look forward..." That is awesome and I don't think he's saying that just to say it.
Great interview. Thanks for posting it pgf
-
What? He doesn't speak Italian? That kinda makes me feel a little better. I'm Vietnamese and I barley (if at all) can speak Vietnamese.
So far so good, I'm more intrigued of this interview than ones with the standard stock questions that everyone seems to give to bands when they are touring a new album.
My great-great=great grandparents came from Ireland and I have a horrible Irish accent so I can relate.
But yes, this interview is the best I've seen in a while.
-
Cool interview!
I definitely like how some questions were asked that you normally don't hear asked.
I never would have guessed that the first riff JP played was a Neil Young one (and I am guessing most are with me on that one :lol).
He handled it really well, but I am guessing the Portnoy departure still stings a little bit, as going 3 1/2 years now without seeing the guy who used to be a close band member and a best friend has to be a major bummer, especially on a personal level. Classy way for JP to handle it, though. :tup :tup
JP proves time and time again in these interviews that he is nothing but class. "How do I look back? I don't.....I look forward..." That is awesome and I don't think he's saying that just to say it.
Great interview. Thanks for posting it pgf
I guess it's class, but still I hate how everyone in the band clams up and talks about how "excited they are about the future" the second someone mentions Portnoy. I've always suspected there was so much more to this story, but at the same time I guess it becomes a matter of not airing your dirty laundry. I just wish JP was a bit more candid once in awhile.
-
Really cool interview :tup It's interesting how JP looks back at WDaDU and I certainly hope there's one or another nod to it later on the tour, or perhaps on the next. I'd like to listen to JMX talk about WDaDU as well.
-
I guess it's class, but still I hate how everyone in the band clams up and talks about how "excited they are about the future" the second someone mentions Portnoy. I've always suspected there was so much more to this story, but at the same time I guess it becomes a matter of not airing your dirty laundry. I just wish JP was a bit more candid once in awhile.
There is no point since the last thing they need is to get into a social media and internet war with Portnoy (and it would become one if they said anything negative about him, since there is no way he wouldn't respond, and then it would become a huge pissing contest), especially when things are going so good for them right now. I love that all of the remaining members of the band have handled the split was class. The only one who has said anything that could be construed as negative is JLB, and even his comments were innocuous enough to where you'd have to be a diehard Portnoy fan to have found them offensive. Staying out of the fray is the way to go. :tup :tup
-
I understand what you're saying Shmev, but it's evident that JP's stock answer of only looking forward was going to be all he would say about the matter, until he was pressed further by the interviewer to divulge something more.
And what JP can say about the matter doesn't have to be negative. It could be something as simple as "we had a great run together, and there are times that I think about what we accomplished as a band" - he doesn't even need to say "I miss my old friend occasionally" which I understand could start rumors of "JP WANTS MP BACK IN DT!!!!!". But he doesn't even make the former statement or something to that effect, which I think is a shame, and I agree with Volante that it would be nice for him to be a bit more candid than he is.
-
"we had a great run together, and there are times that I think about what we accomplished as a band"
DREAM THEATER'S PETRUCCI CLOSES DOOR ON PORTNOY RETURN
Says,"We had a great run together"
-
@MikePortnoy
Just read my old "friend"'s remarks... Seems that door is closed forever.
-
I understand what you're saying Shmev, but it's evident that JP's stock answer of only looking forward was going to be all he would say about the matter, until he was pressed further by the interviewer to divulge something more.
And what JP can say about the matter doesn't have to be negative. It could be something as simple as "we had a great run together, and there are times that I think about what we accomplished as a band" - he doesn't even need to say "I miss my old friend occasionally" which I understand could start rumors of "JP WANTS MP BACK IN DT!!!!!". But he doesn't even make the former statement or something to that effect, which I think is a shame, and I agree with Volante that it would be nice for him to be a bit more candid than he is.
I think you answered why he can't. The same reason why we haven't heard MP compliment or say anything 'nice' about DT post break. It'll be misconstrued into "MP misses DT and wishes he never left"
I liked seeing that pic of MP and JR a month or so back. All those guys spent so much time and life together it'd be a shame for any of the solid relationships to be lost.
I only mention JP having 'class' because it's been consistent from day one. MP had a rough start post break up with the way he presented himself and some of the comments he made.....they were not 'classy' at all and in fact were a bit hostile IMO considering he's the one who bolted on them.
It's apparent though that time has helped calm the waters and I'd be willing to bet that one day, eventually they will share the stage again....maybe not MP as a full time back in the band drummer but definitely playing a song or two with them.
-
I feel like JP wasn't answering his questions in the 2nd half.
-
I feel like JP wasn't answering his questions in the 2nd half.
" So what can you tell us about the next album ? "
" My new Majesty guitar ? Sure i'd love to tell you about it..."
" Now John - just to go a little deeper - have you spoken to Mike Portnoy since he left the group ? "
" Rotating setlists ? Sure maybe one day in the future ! "
-
Well MP (Winery Dogs) and DT are both playing Sonisphere in July so I'm sure they'll cross paths if they want to.
-
I feel like JP wasn't answering his questions in the 2nd half.
Yeah I kind of started tuning out by the second video. His thoughts on WDaDU and his Italian roots were interesting, but beyond that I didn't get much out of the interview besides how much he loves Rush and Yes, which he talks about in every interview I've seem him in haha
-
Well MP (Winery Dogs) and DT are both playing Sonisphere in July so I'm sure they'll cross paths if they want to.
If they were playing on the same day, I'd imagine that would be a possibility. But since they're there on separate days, I doubt it. Whether it was specifically planned that way or not (considering that they are both playing the same stage) is a mystery I doubt will get answered.
-
Why are people so interested in what JP thinks about MP?! Isn't the bands action and when MP asked again to join the band answer that enough? They were hurt, betrayed and that's it. Publicly they will say what JP said to not fan the flames in public. I don't get why you folks deem it so important to know?
-
@MikePortnoy
Just read my old "friend"'s remarks... Seems that door is closed forever.
Is this legit? If so, was it deleted? I don't see it on his recent tweets.
If not, I don't see how that is helpful.
-
@MikePortnoy
Just read my old "friend"'s remarks... Seems that door is closed forever.
Is this legit? If so, was it deleted? I don't see it on his recent tweets.
If not, I don't see how that is helpful.
I think Kotow was just joking, in line with the fake headline ReaPsTA posted.
-
Why are people so interested in what JP thinks about MP?! Isn't the bands action and when MP asked again to join the band answer that enough? They were hurt, betrayed and that's it. Publicly they will say what JP said to not fan the flames in public. I don't get why you folks deem it so important to know?
The interviewer could be just trying to get a quote, but considering the amount of time that's passed now (3.5 years) some people (myself included) are curious to know what happened and where things are at today. Time allows them to look back and reflect on what happened with a (hopefully) more balanced viewpoint. And face it, it is the elephant that will continue to be in the room for at least a few more years.
-
I look at it as personal between ex bandmates and it is obvious by JP's answers in the interview he thinks the same. Plus why even stir up that nest? The band wants to move on and fans need to as well.
Am I curious as well? Yeah sure I am but after 3.5 years it's time to move on.
-
I feel like JP wasn't answering his questions in the 2nd half.
How??? :huh: :huh: I actually rewatched the whole thing to find one question he didn't answer and he did all of them perfectly.
I simply don't understand what some of you expect of him, it's a public interview, of course he's going to measure his words. His answers about Mike were perfect: "I don't look back, I look forward" which is I think (I bold the text, because it's my very personal read on the answer) a very polite and classy way of saying "I'm tired of this question, Mike's gone, get over it". I understand that since this is Mangini first album in the writing process to make the comparison between them, I'm hoping the next album this question doesn't come up ever again, but asking AGAIN about A Dramatic Turn Of Events seems tiring, it's been asked every time on the last tour, there's nothing new you're going to get with that, it hasn't been that long considering what happened. I think the way they are handling it it's the way to go, not taking away Portnoy's credit for the past, but moving on to the future and not looking back, it's a perfect answer, and they should stick to it.
-
@MikePortnoy
Just read my old "friend"'s remarks... Seems that door is closed forever.
Is this legit? If so, was it deleted? I don't see it on his recent tweets.
If not, I don't see how that is helpful.
I think Kotow was just joking, in line with the fake headline ReaPsTA posted.
-
The interviewer could be just trying to get a quote, but considering the amount of time that's passed now (3.5 years) some people (myself included) are curious to know what happened and where things are at today. Time allows them to look back and reflect on what happened with a (hopefully) more balanced viewpoint. And face it, it is the elephant that will continue to be in the room for at least a few more years.
I thought it was funny when JP said no hard feelings because, to me, it was one of the most blatant lies I've ever seen in an interview. When MP first left DT, JP talked about how they were friends and hoped they could play together again in the future. Now he won't even talk about him in an interview without giving obvious stock answers.
There's no rational conversation to be had here. There'a a zero percent chance MP could talk about it publicly in a composed, non-passive aggresive manner. And there's a one hundred percent chance that any substantive comment about the situation from the band would invite a response from either MP or his fans.
There's no upside to talking about it, and tons of downside.
-
The interviewer could be just trying to get a quote, but considering the amount of time that's passed now (3.5 years) some people (myself included) are curious to know what happened and where things are at today. Time allows them to look back and reflect on what happened with a (hopefully) more balanced viewpoint. And face it, it is the elephant that will continue to be in the room for at least a few more years.
I thought it was funny when JP said no hard feelings because, to me, it was one of the most blatant lies I've ever seen in an interview. When MP first left DT, JP talked about how they were friends and hoped they could play together again in the future. Now he won't even talk about him in an interview without giving obvious stock answers.
There's no rational conversation to be had here. There'a a zero percent chance MP could talk about it publicly in a composed, non-passive aggresive manner. And there's a one hundred percent chance that any substantive comment about the situation from the band would invite a response from either MP or his fans.
There's no upside to talking about it, and tons of downside.
Wise words. Although on your first paragraph, I think we all know(unless there's info I don't know) the problem wasn't Mike leaving, but his wanting to come back and get rejected and blow it in public what caused the rupture and the bridges burned. And that won't be fixed in a few years, it needs more time and only way there's only a slight chance of reconciliation is for both parts to avoid the issue in public and not throwing more gas to the flame, that's why I think the stock answer is the best way to go. Once the media fight starts, nobody wins and the only thing they could get is alienating and dividing the fans, while remaining polite to each other is a win win for both parts.
-
Also, let's not forget the notice with summons MP's lawyers filed. It wasn't a lawsuit, but it was a signed, sealed, and delivered legal threat against the band. To Dream Theater, a group that clearly hates extra-musical drama of any form, I have to imagine this was tough to swallow.
EDIT: Don't think for a second that legal threat wasn't serious. When Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, he sued to stop Gilmour and Mason from using the Pink Floyd name. He obviously didn't get this, but he did get the rights to The Wall.
Guess who once said he thought Waters was on the right side of that battle?
-
It is impossible to gather how JP 'really feels' about MP from that interview. He gave a standard political answer as he always does to almost everything. He just isn't the type of guy to bring this type of thing out into the public sphere anymore than it has to be.
I have no idea -- and unless you know JP personally and talk to him about this, you don't either -- how JP really feels deep down about MP. And I don't even see why people care about this sorta thing unless they're hoping for a project with those two.
-
Also, let's not forget the notice with summons MP's lawyers filed. It wasn't a lawsuit, but it was a signed, sealed, and delivered legal threat against the band. To Dream Theater, a group that clearly hates extra-musical drama of any form, I have to imagine this was tough to swallow.
What notice was this? I've never heard of this before
-
Also, let's not forget the notice with summons MP's lawyers filed. It wasn't a lawsuit, but it was a signed, sealed, and delivered legal threat against the band. To Dream Theater, a group that clearly hates extra-musical drama of any form, I have to imagine this was tough to swallow.
What notice was this? I've never heard of this before
I can't find the PDF, but, essentially it was a document written by MP's lawyers alleging that DT was continuing on in an improper manner without MP. The worst part was it specifically argued that the band's usage of the Dream Theater name should not be allowed.
This document came out long after it was relevant, but the contents were weird and fucked up.
-
I thought it was funny when JP said no hard feelings because, to me, it was one of the most blatant lies I've ever seen in an interview. When MP first left DT, JP talked about how they were friends and hoped they could play together again in the future. Now he won't even talk about him in an interview without giving obvious stock answers.
There's no rational conversation to be had here. There'a a zero percent chance MP could talk about it publicly in a composed, non-passive aggresive manner. And there's a one hundred percent chance that any substantive comment about the situation from the band would invite a response from either MP or his fans.
There's no upside to talking about it, and tons of downside.
*golf clap*
We often disagree, ReaP, but on this occasion, I could not agree with you any more! :tup :tup
It is impossible to gather how JP 'really feels' about MP from that interview. He gave a standard political answer as he always does to almost everything. He just isn't the type of guy to bring this type of thing out into the public sphere anymore than it has to be.
I have no idea -- and unless you know JP personally and talk to him about this, you don't either -- how JP really feels deep down about MP. And I don't even see why people care about this sorta thing unless they're hoping for a project with those two.
I don't think it's that unusual for fans of a band they love to want to know as much as they can about the band, even if some of it is drama. Fortunately, at this point there is nothing really to discuss regarding the Portnoy departure, and JP's "looking forward" answer ensured that it stays that way.
EDIT: Don't think for a second that legal threat wasn't serious. When Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, he sued to stop Gilmour and Mason from using the Pink Floyd name. He obviously didn't get this, but he did get the rights to The Wall.
Guess who once said he thought Waters was on the right side of that battle?
Waters lost that battle badly and quickly, legally and financially (his solo tours in the later 80s did terrible, while Floyd didn't miss a beat), and even in recent years, Waters has expressed the sentiment that he probably didn't handle it in the best manner possible. The last three decades have proven that Pink Floyd won that battle decisively.
-
Also, let's not forget the notice with summons MP's lawyers filed. It wasn't a lawsuit, but it was a signed, sealed, and delivered legal threat against the band. To Dream Theater, a group that clearly hates extra-musical drama of any form, I have to imagine this was tough to swallow.
What notice was this? I've never heard of this before
I can't find the PDF, but, essentially it was a document written by MP's lawyers alleging that DT was continuing on in an improper manner without MP. The worst part was it specifically argued that the band's usage of the Dream Theater name should not be allowed.
This document came out long after it was relevant, but the contents were weird and fucked up.
Which is extra weird considering MP quit the band . Maybe if he was fired - he'd be able to sue them for loss of earnings.
But actively retiring from the band and suing them for carrying on without him ?
I seem to remember JP brushing off the idea that MP would get the DT name like " no - we own the name. "
-
I can't find the PDF, but, essentially it was a document written by MP's lawyers alleging that DT was continuing on in an improper manner without MP. The worst part was it specifically argued that the band's usage of the Dream Theater name should not be allowed.
This document came out long after it was relevant, but the contents were weird and fucked up.
Which is extra weird considering MP quit the band . Maybe if he was fired - he'd be able to sue them for loss of earnings.
But actively retiring from the band and suing them for carrying on without him ?
I seem to remember JP brushing off the idea that MP would get the DT name like " no - we own the name. "
Huh, yeah I agree, that seems very weird. I've never heard of such a document existing, that would certainly be interesting to see. Definitely weird though, I know nothing about law but it really doesn't make sense that after he quit, MP would have any legal right to the name... because he quit. Wouldn't that forfeit his legal right?
-
I can't find the PDF, but, essentially it was a document written by MP's lawyers alleging that DT was continuing on in an improper manner without MP. The worst part was it specifically argued that the band's usage of the Dream Theater name should not be allowed.
This document came out long after it was relevant, but the contents were weird and fucked up.
Which is extra weird considering MP quit the band . Maybe if he was fired - he'd be able to sue them for loss of earnings.
But actively retiring from the band and suing them for carrying on without him ?
I seem to remember JP brushing off the idea that MP would get the DT name like " no - we own the name. "
Huh, yeah I agree, that seems very weird. I've never heard of such a document existing, that would certainly be interesting to see. Definitely weird though, I know nothing about law but it really doesn't make sense that after he quit, MP would have any legal right to the name... because he quit. Wouldn't that forfeit his legal right?
That's what I'm thinking as well from a business point of view.
-
In essence, yes, and him doing it as publicly as he did didn't help his cause (releasing his statement right away). To compare it to the Floyd situation again, David Gilmour, years later, said that Waters leaving the band officially allowed them to resurrect it on their own, as opposed to him staying and the band dying (since the others had no interest in working with Waters anymore, and vice versa). The big difference, of course, being that Waters never thought the others would carry on with the Floyd name without him*, while DT made it clear to Portnoy that they were carrying on without him.
*Had he, it's doubtful Waters would have left the band and let them do so, given what a bastard he was.
-
It is impossible to gather how JP 'really feels' about MP from that interview. He gave a standard political answer as he always does to almost everything. He just isn't the type of guy to bring this type of thing out into the public sphere anymore than it has to be.
I have no idea -- and unless you know JP personally and talk to him about this, you don't either -- how JP really feels deep down about MP. And I don't even see why people care about this sorta thing unless they're hoping for a project with those two.
Well, I don't think anyone here is implying that they know what JP is thinking, it's just pointless guessing and analysing for fun, the same as any discussion in this forum.
I didn't know that the lawsuit was that bad, all I read was MP filing something on court but he didn't say what it was and from his way of speaking I thought it was just regular bussiness. Kind of naive of me I guess. I don't think how MP could think it could have worked though, first he's the one who quit, second there are still two original members left, one almost original from the first succesful record and another with music credits of more than half the catalog. Roger Waters at least had sole music and lyrics credit for a number of songs and he was the main lyric writer, still not enough to claim "I'm Pink Floyd" but a lot more than Portnoy. MP not only doesn't have a single alone music credit on the entire catalog, but isn't even the main lyrics writer, he simply doesn't have a case unless the law in the US is really weird in that aspect.
Well, if that was the case, I'm actually surprised how nice JP is, and 3.5 years isn't nearly enough time to heal that sort of wound.
-
*golf clap*
We often disagree, ReaP, but on this occasion, I could not agree with you any more! :tup :tup
Thank you sir.
Waters lost that battle badly and quickly, legally and financially (his solo tours in the later 80s did terrible, while Floyd didn't miss a beat), and even in recent years, Waters has expressed the sentiment that he probably didn't handle it in the best manner possible. The last three decades have proven that Pink Floyd won that battle decisively.
I agree that the lawsuit would have failed spectacularly, but it would have been an awful, ugly moment in the band's career. Unlike Floyd, DT isn't so wildly successful that it wouldn't have mattered. Who knows what could have been said that would have alienated the fan base in some way. How fun is it right now to be a Queensryche fan?
EDIT: It's easy to forget now that, when Portnoy left the band, Portnoy vs. Dream Theater was a real debate. Who was right? Who was wrong? What would the future of the band be like?
Dream Theater's decisively won that argument now because they've released two excellent albums and Portnoy said a lot of bad things in public. But, when the tensions of Portnoy leaving were at their peak, none of that had really happened.
It's ridiculous in hindsight, but Portnoy was once considered the heart and soul of the band. In a lawsuit, how much does DT's image suffer?
Which is extra weird considering MP quit the band . Maybe if he was fired - he'd be able to sue them for loss of earnings.
But actively retiring from the band and suing them for carrying on without him ?
I seem to remember JP brushing off the idea that MP would get the DT name like " no - we own the name. "
All true.
-
Here's Ultimate-Guitar's entry on it (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/mike_portnoy_sues_dream_theater.html) since I couldn't find the .pdf either (the title is misleading, but that's not unusual on UG). This was what made me the most upset about MP's departure from DT, and perhaps the main reason I absolutely always say that I wouldn't want MP back in DT. It was quite a cynical move from him, in my opinion, considering he was the one who chose to leave the band (or rather saw that as the only alternative to the other guys not wanting the hiatus).
-
Conspiracy Theory: The filing was about money.
Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong about this, but if I understand correctly the way DT works financially is that all the money generated by the band gets put into a giant pot that is then used to pay the salaries of the band members.
So normally, if MP leaves, he gets royalty checks from the band's music for whatever he did before he left. But in this situation, he doesn't get any money because it's all signed over to the DT money pot.
So at some point, he threatened a lawsuit to get a share of the money pot. I don't think it's out of line to assume he got some of it in exchange for calling off the lawyers.
-
Conspiracy Theory: The filing was about money.
Somebody can correct me if I'm wrong about this, but if I understand correctly the way DT works financially is that all the money generated by the band gets put into a giant pot that is then used to pay the salaries of the band members.
So normally, if MP leaves, he gets royalty checks from the band's music for whatever he did before he left. But in this situation, he doesn't get any money because it's all signed over to the DT money pot.
So at some point, he threatened a lawsuit to get a share of the money pot. I don't think it's out of line to assume he got some of it in exchange for calling off the lawyers.
That's not really a conspiracy. That's all I always assumed the lawsuit was about, rather than anything else (which was all explained at the time this was actually relevant). And as it was part of money he would have earned, I think it's fair that he should have gotten his cut, especially no longer having that "full time" gig to fall back on.
It's not a conspiracy until it involves Illuminati or a president. :P
-
I'm trying to make sense of this whole "lawsuit" thing by reading the thread of it. This comment is pretty golden though.
I guess this really has been a dramatic turn of events. Mike Portnoy is really breaking all remaining illusions of respect that anyone really had for him anymore. At first I didn't think there was that much beneath the surface of the lawsuit besides spite, but now I think it's really an outcry to be back in the band. But with the lawsuit he's really burning all the bridges in the sky. Mike left the band and this is the life that he chose. It's his fault he's so far from the heaven that DT is to him. But we all just have to keep in mind that the good, ol' Mike Portnoy era of DT is lost, not forgotten. MP needs to focus on building himself up again without breaking DT down in the process.
On The Backs Of Angels is a pretty good song too.
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=27998.msg1064930#msg1064930
That's all I got.
Anywho, as for the actual topic, it still is pretty decent interview that goes into hearing about JP's background and stuff like that although the 2nd part of it kinda suffered from the stock questions that everyone seems to ask which leads to these guys giving the same answers.
-
Anywho, as for the actual topic, it still is pretty decent interview that goes into hearing about JP's background and stuff like that although the 2nd part of it kinda suffered from the stock questions that everyone seems to ask which leads to these guys giving the same answers.
This is what's frustrating to me about interviewers in general.
I think that a lot of interviewers phone it in on purpose. If they ask basic stock questions and get basic stock answers, they can write a basic stock story.
If the interviewer wants to write a good story, then they'll ask good questions.
Most public figures, I think, want to take part in engaging interviews. In this (https://youtu.be/38TdifdAyIw) interview, JP gives a lot of very in-depth, engaged, thoughtful, non-stock answers. The interviewer asks him a lot of questions about guitars (a subject about which JP readily talks at length) and about how the tour is put together (JP likes to talk about the band's big picture creative decisions).
If you ask a question that's been asked a bunch of times before, you're going to get a rehearsed, non-unique answer. If you ask a question that's inappropriately prying, you're going to be justifiably stonewalled. If you actually engage the interviewee, you'll get genuine answers.
-
Stop making sense, Reap.
-
I don't understand WHY interviewers all ask the same questions.
• You could find out the answers yourself by watching any other interview.
• You're not getting any kind of "exclusive" by asking the same old questions.
• You're gonna get tired - rehashed - rehearsed answers to the questions and a lack of enthusiasm from the interviewee.
• The people watching the interview won't garner anything interesting or insightful. If they're fans - they'll already know the answers.
???
-
Loved hearing JP discuss the early days of DT. I could've listened to him go on for an hour reflecting about past albums and the band's creation, etc. Good stuff.
-
Loved hearing JP discuss the early days of DT. I could've listened to him go on for an hour reflecting about past albums and the band's creation, etc. Good stuff.
Agreed. It was a cool interview.
-
I don't understand WHY interviewers all ask the same questions.
• You could find out the answers yourself by watching any other interview.
• You're not getting any kind of "exclusive" by asking the same old questions.
• You're gonna get tired - rehashed - rehearsed answers to the questions and a lack of enthusiasm from the interviewee.
• The people watching the interview won't garner anything interesting or insightful. If they're fans - they'll already know the answers.
???
They ask the same questions for a number of reasons.
They are trying to sell their product and their product is not "The Exclusive One Stop for All Dream Theater Info".
Most people that read the interview or watch it are casual fans. Some non-fans might watch it out of curiosity and all hardcore fans will seek it out in case JP announces a reunion tour with Kevin Muhr.
Part of them getting to interview DT is also Dream Theater's opportunity to promote whatever product they are trying to sell, which in this case is their latest self titled album and the Along for the Ride tour. So if they don't ask them about that at all, DT might get pissed and think "Ok, these guys are only catering to the hardcore fanbase that already bought the $8000 meet and greet package complete with signed LaBrie eye patch"
With that said, DT have always been cool about appealing to the hardcore fan base that want to know things like what brand of tennis shoes John Myung wears and us hardcore fans obviously will seek out publications that ask those, so knowing the interviewer has to play the game, why not devote half the interview to the standard crap their boss is expecting them to get and the other half to deeper stuff?
-
"Ok, these guys are only catering to the hardcore fanbase that already bought the $8000 meet and greet package complete with signed LaBrie eye patch"
:rollin I had to signature that!
-
Time is such a funny thing. The reflection about how WDaDU sounds is how JP will feel about DT12 in 20 years. It always
seems to happen along with the clothes we are all wearing now. 20 years from now we look back and say...man we looked
like dorks. I happen to love WDaDU and I love how those songs are put together. Does it feel dated...yep, but I still love it.
-
Time is such a funny thing. The reflection about how WDaDU sounds is how JP will feel about DT12 in 20 years. It always
seems to happen along with the clothes we are all wearing now. 20 years from now we look back and say...man we looked
like dorks. I happen to love WDaDU and I love how those songs are put together. Does it feel dated...yep, but I still love it.
I disagree. If that was the case, he would feel the same way about I&W and Awake, and he clearly doesn't. I think his description of WDADU is perfect, I actaully like the album, and so does JP, he's just saying there were a lot of things to be improved and I definetely agree. That's a difference between a classic and a dated album, a classic stands the test of time, the other doesn't. I&W sounds '80s, actually screams '80s, but the songwriting makes it stands the test of time in spite of that.
And I agree with Madman Shepherd, you need some standard questions since you don't know if the person watching already did the same with other interviews, I think the mix of new questions and old was very good.
-
After all the talk about WDADU on this board - I finally gave it a listen not too long ago and was expecting it to sound dreadful but it was actually a lot better than I was
expecting.
-
Well I think if WDaDU had JLB on vocals and had the same production as I&W it would stand the test of time better. But as
far as how the songs themselves have aged I love them. Obviously the vocals and production qualities are subpar.
-
Well I think if WDaDU had JLB on vocals and had the same production as I&W it would stand the test of time better. But as
far as how the songs themselves have aged I love them. Obviously the vocals and production qualities are subpar.
CD is what really kills the album for me. His vocals just don't work.
-
Time is such a funny thing. The reflection about how WDaDU sounds is how JP will feel about DT12 in 20 years.
I don't think so. He speaks glowingly of Images and Words, which was only three years later, and his opinion of WDADU isn't new since 2011. WDADU isn't a glimmering capsule of 1989ness, it's just a slightly primordial DT album with a lot of cool songs that they didn't have the kit nor money to record properly.
-
I guess we'll find out in 20 years :laugh:
It really is amazing though how much things change in 20-25 years. Fashion, apparel, attitude, tastes in music, percentage of hair
on our skull. When I listen back to music I made in the 80's and how I looked it's impossible not to chuckle. But man oh man, back
then it all seemed normal and natural.
-
"Ok, these guys are only catering to the hardcore fanbase that already bought the $8000 meet and greet package complete with signed LaBrie eye patch"
:rollin I had to signature that!
Wow...this has never happened to me! :metal
-
Well I think if WDaDU had JLB on vocals and had the same production as I&W it would stand the test of time better. But as
far as how the songs themselves have aged I love them. Obviously the vocals and production qualities are subpar.
Obviously the album would've been better with JLB and good production, but that's not the entire point. The songs themselves are very hit or miss, sometimes in the same song. I enjoy the songs, Myung is on fire and there are lots of cool ideas, but DT clearly needed to grow and evolve, some melodies are impossible to sing because of the words, JPs riff sometimes are repetitive and some songs are unpredictable in a bad way. I'll say it again, it's a good album, but nowhere near anything else they've done since.
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy4Vu8w8ypU&feature=youtu.be
Here's another new interview.
-
After all the talk about WDADU on this board - I finally gave it a listen not too long ago and was expecting it to sound dreadful but it was actually a lot better than I was
expecting.
Is this the first time you listened to it...EVER?
As far as my opinion goes, I still love WDADU INCLUDING Charlie's vocals. Am I glad James is the vocalist now? Hell yes, but CD is not nearly as bad as people make him out to be. Some songs I think would have been better with James but others I think Charlie is actually a better fit than James.
As far as the production goes, it is pretty shitty. Long before I listened to Dream Theater I listened to a lot of underground recordings of European black metal so I can tolerate bad recordings and it will not affect me listening to it but still, comparatively it is pretty crappy.
The writing on the other hand is definitely their most amateurish but that is not a bad thing. Most of it sounds professional but there are a few parts where I feel like they just though in some odd time signatures to be edgy and proggy. Overall it doesn't detract too much. I still think its a great album.
-
As far as the production goes, it is pretty shitty. Long before I listened to Dream Theater I listened to a lot of underground recordings of European black metal so I can tolerate bad recordings and it will not affect me listening to it but still, comparatively it is pretty crappy.
Once you've listened to Ildjarn, you're immune to bad production. :lol I totally love When Dream And Day Unite, its better than most Dream Theater albums including Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
-
As far as the production goes, it is pretty shitty. Long before I listened to Dream Theater I listened to a lot of underground recordings of European black metal so I can tolerate bad recordings and it will not affect me listening to it but still, comparatively it is pretty crappy.
Once you've listened to Ildjarn, you're immune to bad production. :lol I totally love When Dream And Day Unite, its better than most Dream Theater albums including Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Holy crap I had never heard that so I looked it up. Wow. The worst i had heard before that was Ulver or the Mayhem semi-official live recording of Live in Leipzig.
-
I love black metal, but Ildjarn is just too fucking much. :lol I don't think Live In Leipzig sounds bad at all, maybe that's why When Dream And Day Unite sounds great to me. :laugh:
-
I still don´t understand the Kevin Moore novel!
JP says in the interview that they started the band (JP, KM, JM...), that they were obsessive with playing and then became the top guys in the neighborhood and all that... And today Kevin Moore is like "I got nothing to do with these guys", "forget about me"... Can anyone tell me what actually happened?
-
Kevin Moore became disinterested with the DT style of music, didn't seem to like it when the band got popular, and he grew apart from the others. It happens. Very few friendships are for life.
-
You would be probably right if his behavior were not so weird towards it. Rich Wilson, the guy that wrote the band's biography, tried to interview him in order to bring more material to the book, but the guy shut the door!
Something else might have happened!
If I just got out of a band because I was no longer interested in its style, it would still be a pleasure to say something for a biography!
KM's behavior is too intense and negative towards the band. Something else might have happened.
-
Most of the bands I was in or seen other friends in bands leave because they were not happy with the progression in the band and they did not have enough input into it. Sen it too many times. They write music the band is not fond of and they become disenchanted with the music and bandmates.
-
Something else might have happened!
It didn't. He's just a weird dude who wants to make his music.
-
Kevin Moore became disinterested with the DT style of music, didn't seem to like it when the band got popular, and he grew apart from the others. It happens. Very few friendships are for life.
I think what's off putting about KM is how he basically shuns DT from his life.
DS has never gone out of his way to be remembered as a DT keyboardist (they fired him after all), but he played the WDARU show and does some DT/LTE stuff with the PSMS project.
-
Who says he shuns DT from his life? Just because he doesn't bring up DT as often as MP does, it doesn't mean that his own opinion on the split isn't out there, if you look for it. He had no problem collaborating with MP on the OSI project ten years ago, either (even though it turned out MP did have a big problem with that). And why would he play on DT's anniversary performances? For us, DT is a big deal; for him, it's likely just a band he played in in his twenties before he even figured out what he actually wanted to do in his life.
Don't get me wrong, if I could live in an alternate reality, it would be one where Kevin found a way to do DT and Chroma Key on the side (because it's not like we ended up getting many Chroma Key/KM solo albums since the split, anyway), or the one where he climbed on stage with DT in 2000 or 2004 or 2014 and did Space-Dye Vest with them. But he doesn't want to and there is no bigger argument behind it. Maybe, if he stayed in the band longer, him and MP would have blown up, due to how opposite their personalities are, but up until 2000 or so, out of all DT members, MP was the one that regularly emailed KM and sent him new DT CDs and stuff like that. It's clear he wanted to keep in touch, and his desires to keep in touch included KM performing with DT on anniversaries and such. KM didn't want to do that a couple of times when he was invited (it's all in the Score drummer DVD commentary, and other sources, I'm not speculating), MP didn't have much fun working with him on OSI either and that was it. But there are no confirmations that they were ever in an argument during the time of the split.
-
Who says he shuns DT from his life? Just because he doesn't bring up DT as often as MP does, it doesn't mean that his own opinion on the split isn't out there, if you look for it. He had no problem collaborating with MP on the OSI project ten years ago, either (even though it turned out MP did have a big problem with that). And why would he play on DT's anniversary performances? For us, DT is a big deal; for him, it's likely just a band he played in in his twenties before he even figured out what he actually wanted to do in his life.
Don't get me wrong, if I could live in an alternate reality, it would be one where Kevin found a way to do DT and Chroma Key on the side (because it's not like we ended up getting many Chroma Key/KM solo albums since the split, anyway), or the one where he climbed on stage with DT in 2000 or 2004 or 2014 and did Space-Dye Vest with them. But he doesn't want to and there is no bigger argument behind it. Maybe, if he stayed in the band longer, him and MP would have blown up, due to how opposite their personalities are, but up until 2000 or so, out of all DT members, MP was the one that regularly emailed KM and sent him new DT CDs and stuff like that. It's clear he wanted to keep in touch, and his desires to keep in touch included KM performing with DT on anniversaries and such. KM didn't want to do that a couple of times when he was invited (it's all in the Score drummer DVD commentary, and other sources, I'm not speculating), MP didn't have much fun working with him on OSI either and that was it. But there are no confirmations that they were ever in an argument during the time of the split.
Why am I a noob in the forum but still knew that as soon as KM was mentioned you would've appeared in his defence? :lol I agree with most of what you said, but I still think it's weird how he refuses to appear in everything DT related like The Score So Far, Lifting Shadows or reunion one time performances. Actually, it would've made more sense if he was in "I don't want anything to do with DT anymore" kind of style, but reading his interviews kind of clash with his other attitude towards the band.
I don't think it has anything to do with the band becoming popular, I think it was more simple: he wasn't into DT style anymore. And I don't see the problem with that. He actually acknowledges that without DT he wouldn't have been able to do the other stuff he did bacause everyone knows him from Dream Theater, but I find it weird that he just won't appear for at least a testimony of the band earlier days. I get it if he doesn't want to perform in a concert, but seting aside 30 minutes of his life to talk about the band for a documentary or book doesn't seem a lot of effort I think. That's the only part I find strange about him, all the other things I completely understand. I don't even think he has a problem with the other guys, if anything I only heard Portnoy bash him, not the other way around.
-
Why am I a noob in the forum but still knew that as soon as KM was mentioned you would've appeared in his defence? :lol
Well, there's like three or four of us interested in KM's post-DT stuff that post on the DT side of the forum, and I imagine the other guys have done this often enough in my absence, it's only fair I replaced them this one time :lol
If you think about it, it's really not just a half an hour, he'd have to talk about all the earliest history of the band and go through his reasons for leaving the band for the 100th time. That's at least several phone interviews. And not to say I doubt Rich Wilson's diplomatic skills, but god knows how he was approached, or whether he had preconceptions about Lifting Shadows. Rich posted once on the forum saying he hung up after about 20 seconds, maybe it was just the words "Dream Theater", "book" and "you" appearing in the same sentence that made him hang up :lol
He was never asked about why he refused to talk for the bio, and I'd actually like to hear the precise reason, but based on everything we know about Kevin Moore, spending hours talking about stuff he did 20 years ago is just not something he'd like to do. And yeah, you're right, it's really only MP that ever bashed him, and even that was a long time ago.
-
Long time you mean less than 5 years ago or more? :biggrin: And I'm actually more interested as for why he wouldn't appear on The Score So Far, and I don't think he needs several phone interviews, more like "you have 30 minutes, ask me whatever you like and then use what you can from that, then it's over". You won't expect this guy to provide you every little detail.
-
(even though it turned out MP did have a big problem with that)
What's that about?
-
(even though it turned out MP did have a big problem with that)
What's that about?
Blistering.com: One of the other bands you’ve been involved with OSI, their most recent album Blood is the first not to feature you on drums. Was it just scheduling problems that meant you couldn’t be involved with it?
Portnoy: No it wasn’t a time factor, it was really a chemistry factor that boils down to my experience doing the first two OSI albums. To be honest with you working with Kevin Moore [former Dream Theater, Chroma Key] is just not much fun. He’s really a very… I’ll put it politely, he has his ways of working which aren’t very conducive to collaboration and it was kind of frustrating the first two albums that I did with him that I did not have any reception to collaboration. That’s alright ‘cause I’ve done sessions where I’ve just gone on and played drums, like with Neil Morris or the G3 tour with John Petrucci, I’m fine with that, but as long as it’s still fun. But it’s not even fun with Kevin, he’s just very uptight, serious, so I figured “why would I do this again? It’s not anything I can contribute to artistically.” It’s not even really that much fun. So I passed on doing it. It’s a shame because Jim Matheos [Fates Warning, Gordian Knot] is one of my best friends and I love him and I’d still love to work with him in some sort of project. But it really isn’t a fun situation for me with OSI.
That's just the first result I found, there was also a radio interview that went into more detail about it. Basically, Mike's been looking forward to doing something with Jim Matheos for years, and when the opportunity came up, it was also the time when Jim and Kevin were talking about doing stuff together, and both of these things became one band, through Jim. And due to Kevin's specific way of working with songs (sending files back and forth, sometimes totally chopping up ideas and making them into something new, at other times leaving them "unharmed"), Mike ended up having very little creative control even over his own drum parts, let alone the general direction of the music. So he found that very frustrating.
Frankly, I don't think he was in the wrong about being frustrated over that, there's no way he could have known what the project would end up sounding like, but, again frankly, I love OSI and Kevin so I don't particularly care :lol
Long time you mean less than 5 years ago or more? :biggrin: And I'm actually more interested as for why he wouldn't appear on The Score So Far, and I don't think he needs several phone interviews, more like "you have 30 minutes, ask me whatever you like and then use what you can from that, then it's over". You won't expect this guy to provide you every little detail.
My brain might be jamming, but I think the last time MP invited KM to appear for something DT-related was WDADRU - I don't think he was invited for The Score So Far?
-
You found the "nice Portnoy" interview about that, I found this:
“I honestly went in there with an open mind and I was truly excited to work with Kevin again,” he sighs. “I was hoping that it was going to be a great experience. But it ended up being more of the same old shit that it was when he left Dream Theater.”
“Basically when I’m making music with other people, I want it to be fun and I want it to put a smile on my face. At the end of the day, making those records with Kevin wasn’t fun. He’s not a fun person to work with. He’s a very depressing and stubborn personality and there’s no reason in my life or my career that I need to subject myself to that sort of personality.”
“I’d rather work with people who are enjoying the process. And if anything, making those two albums showed me in no uncertain terms that if Kevin hadn’t left Dream Theater, then Dream Theater would have broken up many, many years ago. So him leaving the band was probably the greatest ever thing that ever happened to Dream Theater.”
“There’s no way Dream Theater could exist with that type of personality. As you know they are now doing a third album which they didn’t even bother asking me about as they already know my feelings on the subject.”
https://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/dream-theaters-portnoy-if-kevin-moore-hadnt-left-wed-have-broken-up/
:biggrin:
Oh, and it hadn't ocurred to me that they might not even call him for The Score So Far because he refused on WDADRU, although I have no idea which was the situation then.
-
According to Lifting Shadows, MP asked Kevin to appear at the Score show:
"I remember I asked him out to do the Score show and the performance of When Dream and Day Unite in Los Angeles and he didn't do them," recalls Mike. "But thank God he didn't do them, because if he did, those shows would have been about him. And the Score show wasn't about him. It was about us. That night was about us celebrating doing it for twenty years and not celebrating the people who walked out and left us behind."
Regarding the WDADRU show:
"Well, Kevin's a bit odd," jokes Mike. "I think musically he doesn't want to be associated because he's in such a different place. If you listen to his new Chroma Key album there's nothing on there that has anything to do with playing progressive music. It's all soundscapes and soundtrack-type ambience. So musically he just wants to make his own statement in a whole different genre, and has no interest in playing keyboards in a progressive metal band. I did extend the invite for him to join us in LA for the 15th anniversary When Dream and Day Unite gig, but in retrospect I can't picture him up there playing Metropolis with us. I mean, I don't know if he could or whether his fingers can even move like they used to ten years ago. But I don't think he would even have any interest in it, being up on stage with us playing Metropolis or Learning to Live. That's just not where he's at. So I think that was the musical reason why he wants to be detached from us. And then there's the personal reason. I think he just wasn't interested in the fame and the glory. He had a taste of it when the Images and Words album broke, but that was enough for him to want to escape it. I just can't picture him wanting to go back in and be put back in the spotlight like he would be if he was ever to do anything with us again."
Also, if you look at Kevin's Twitter page, the description says: "Of OSI (with Jim Matheos), Chroma Key (solo project), film soundtracks (as self), hired gun (as others), Dream Theater (former self)" Of course he's not 100% serious, as the "hired gun" bit makes clear, but he just points out that he didn't find his own voice as an artist until he left DT.
I think Mike is right in saying that Kevin doesn't want to be associated with DT's style of music anymore, because it's so different from what he's doing now, but he IS still making progressive metal with OSI (although Jim Matheos has called their music straightforward rock - wtf Jim? :lol) and I'd argue that Chroma Key is progressive as well, albeit not prog (inb4 prog vs progressive debates). I'm also sure that with a bit of practise Kevin could've learned those old songs again (after all, he played a song with Fates Warning in Athens in 2005), but the bottom line is that he didn't have the will or interest in that.
I can understand why some fans find Kevin's reluctance to have anything to do with DT weird or even insulting, but he has just moved on and become a different person. I don't hink he owes anything to DT or DT fans - it's not like DT was a launchpad to superstardom for him! :lol Some people just prefer to look forward instead of back; you shouldn't be forced to take part in a class reunion in your old school if you don't want to go there.
-
You know, what really puzzles me is that Mike gave such a nice and reasonable explanation as to why Kevin wouldn't do the WDADRU show, but he was still offended about it :laugh:
we should really quit with the off-topic discussion though, we've defended Kevin's right to do whatever he wants successfully enough :rollin
-
You know, what really puzzles me is that Mike gave such a nice and reasonable explanation as to why Kevin wouldn't do the WDADRU show, but he was still offended about it :laugh:
we should really quit with the off-topic discussion though, we've defended Kevin's right to do whatever he wants successfully enough :rollin
What puzzles me more is that Jim called OSI straightforward rock :neverusethis:
But yeah, we should stop :lol
-
On his his facebook or twitter or whatever KM posted a link to those kids playing Pull Me Under so he definitely doesn't completely ignore that.
-
Probably coz he gets royalties for it :lol