New Interview With Mike Portnoy!

[rumborak]

I think what side one comes down to really depends on whether you like MP's current drumming output or not.

And just to clarify, MP used to be my top-1 drummer for a looooong time. I can air-drum just about every beat and drum fill up to 8V, probably better than 95% of people on this board. I used to obsess to no end over the 7/8 inversions he would play under a 4/4, and it was probably *the* single thing I was looking forward to with any new DT record. Every time I would put the new CD in and think "let's see what he pulls off this time!". The stuff he plays at 0:18 on HTF still blows my mind to this day.

It's from that viewpoint that I'm just bummed this is a thing of the past. If that's "trolling", I'll conclude the same as PC, then I'll just stay out of MP threads.

[KevShmev]

I agree that his drumming is pretty predictable now, but I still enjoy it, especially on the prog rock stuff like Neal Morse's albums, and I am sure his playing on the upcoming Transatlantic album will be to my liking.  But again, while he still does the occasional fill that is really cool (those drum fills around 11:47 of World Without End, while probably easy to play, just sound killer), a lot of them you can usually air drum to on a first listen of a song, because you can see them coming a mile away.  I think that is what some mean when they say he usually plays his usual bag of tricks.  Whether or not you can think that is good all depends on the listener, I suppose.

[bobs23]

For the most part I have found that MP's drumming has been better in his later years outside of DT. Particularly with Neal Morse. I have watched him build his drum parts many times, I find that most times it fits very well with what's going on. There are many instances where the complex takes end up not being used. Rumbo, I get where you are coming from about him progressing his skills, but if he is happy where he is who are we to say it should be different. I know most of us are pretty passionate, but sometimes what you expect is not what you get.

[ZirconBlue]

I think what side one comes down to really depends on whether you like MP's current drumming output or not.

And just to clarify, MP used to be my top-1 drummer for a looooong time. I can air-drum just about every beat and drum fill up to 8V, probably better than 95% of people on this board. I used to obsess to no end over the 7/8 inversions he would play under a 4/4, and it was probably *the* single thing I was looking forward to with any new DT record. Every time I would put the new CD in and think "let's see what he pulls off this time!". The stuff he plays at 0:18 on HTF still blows my mind to this day.

It's from that viewpoint that I'm just bummed this is a thing of the past. If that's "trolling", I'll conclude the same as PC, then I'll just stay out of MP threads.

MP has been saying he doesn't really practice for many years.  Those things you liked on 8V and ToT were also created in an era of no practicing.  So, I don't think that's the cause of your disappointment with his more recent drumming.

[TAC]

I have NEVER listened to SC and BC&SL and thought the drumming was bad or on a decline.

[hefdaddy42]

For the most part I have found that MP's drumming has been better in his later years outside of DT.

I agree 100%.  Not sure why, but during the time span of, say, his last four or five albums with DT, I thought his drumming in outside projects during that span was much more creative and interesting than the stuff he did with DT.

[theseoafs]

I'm not sure I would call SC's or BCSL's drumming bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is (generally) pretty predictable.  I happened to listen to the DT 3-4-93 bootleg last night, where they performed an early version of A Change of Seasons, and I was struck by how incredible and interesting the drumming is during the introduction.  There's a really cool thing going on with the hi-hat, and the beats that MP chose to accent are unconventional but suit the melody/rhythm very well.  20 years later, the drum parts MP writes should be 20 years better, but not much of what he puts on record these days is really all that innovative.

I'm still a fan of MP, of course.  He's an excellent drummer and the projects he's been touring with are putting out some fantastic music.  But I still can't help but feel that MP is doing himself a disservice by not keeping up his chops.