Mike Portnoy leaves Dream Theater

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

 
Once again, a classy answer by James.

[SystematicThought]

MP just kind of disgusts me right now. Give it time and maybe my respect for him will go back up, but right now it's very low I hope that's in the lines of respect....

MP can say all he wants about any band member in the media, but MP misinterprets an interview question and it's 'How dare them'

[Super Dude]

Not to mention JLB went the extra mile to DEFEND Mike. The dude has earned some brownie points in my book.

[NecessaryPain]

I've got a feeling JP, JLB, JM and JR have wanted this for a long, long, time.

[j]

LaBrie's always seemed like a pretty classy dude from what I can gather.  He didn't have to respond to something like this, but he cleared things up and hopefully that will put this shit to rest.

-J

[antigoon]

Way to go, James. Wise words.

[emindead]

I've got a feeling JP, JLB, JM and JR have wanted this for a long, long, time.

With him? I couldn't say. For instance, it was basically JR, MP and JP who were handling all the music creation. I saw it as JR and MP having a strong bond... JM looks like he is free at last to do things as he pleased, but JR seemed that he was as of late writing the bass-lines for JM. JR seemed like the guy who followed MP orders on this...

I dunno, I'm gonna tweet him about it.

[ReaPsTA]

MP should to write this on his forum:

"Hey everybody.

First off, I'd like to apologize to James. After reading his clarification, I now understand what he meant about feeling happy with the current situation. Is it depressing to hear personally? Yes. But we've all made our choices, and the band's choosing to move on in their own way. If you guys on the boards want to talk about his solo tour, knock yourselves out.

Without belaboring the point, leaving Dream Theater is maybe the most devastating thing to ever happen in my life aside from the deaths of my parents. Almost every waking moment of my life for the last twenty-five years has been devoted to the band's success.

A lot of posters on the internet have said I should get over this and move on. I can't do that right now. But, lately I've been lashing out in anger at various comments and news stories that upset me. Too many fans of me and Dream Theater feel caught up in a storm of negativity. And now I'm creating bad blood between me and my former band mates. While we find ourselves on separate paths, I don't want to sully what we created personally and professionally.

So, aside from any project related announcements, I'm going to take a sabbatical from internet interaction. I know for a lot of fans this will be a bummer, but I need to find my center and sense of self again before I try to get back to business as usual. I'm sorry this process will take so long, but it has to be this way. It seems everyone has accepted this but me. And since I can't make anyone else feel the way I do, I guess I'll have to see if time really does heal all wounds."

And then do it.

[abydos]

I am sure this reply from James makes MP even more angry or frustrated or however he is feeling right now.

[TAC]

Right on Reap!

I was thinking the same thing myself.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

I doubt he'll apologize, but it'd be nice to hear it

[bosk1]

This thread is temporarily closed just for a short cooling off period and will reopen soon.  Please read this in the mean time:  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=17311.0

[skydivingninja]

So now its no longer closed?  Shortest lock ever.

[LCArenas]

Well... Uh... Yeah, MP left.

[Gorille85]

This is not looking good...The drama and everything

[skydivingninja]

Well... Uh... Yeah, MP left.

Did he?  THOSE A7X BASTARDS THEY STOLE OUR DRUMMER.  WHY MIKE WHY?

[Ħ]

So, what happens now?  All eyes are on MP...

[Stoneyman]

Dream Theater makes it sound like he left the band. Mike makes it sound like the band kicked him out. I don't think anyone is actually 100% sure on what really went down in the final days. Regardless, everyone else seems to have moved on and are trying to be as optimistic as possible. I mean, is Mike trying to burn his bridges? Until this point the majority of the fans have been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, despite all his whining and looking for people to feel sorry for him. I don't get why he's acting like this.

Mikey got outvoted in DT for the first time and he took his ball and left.  Simple as that.

"I think WE should take a break."

"Uh, we want to hit the studio and continue."

(Band votes.....4 to 1 in favor of moving forward)

"MP - No fair, you give me no choice but to quit"

This is what happened folks.  He made a terrible decision that Im sure he regrets already in some way, but realizes he cant go back without looking like a total tithead.

MP wanted the fans to be utterly outraged and follow him on this.  However most MP & DT fans see this latest development as completely the wrong move and arent lining up with him like he thought (wanted).

Maybe the next time he goes golfing with Zakky, Jimmy Stinknuts, and Milky the clown he can ask them if they will still call him the mighty MP.  Cause I think the overwhelming majority of us DT fans arent buying into this seemingly downward spiral he seems to be taking with his fans.

[hefdaddy42]

tithead.

Just wanted to quote that.  Love it.

[emindead]

I wanted to post this but bösk1 had it closed for a while. It belongs here.

Dream Theater wanted to move on:

[SystematicThought]

 

It honestly looks like he doesn't have eyebrows in that pic

[Perpetual Change]

I'm guessing the "Open Letter" thread at MP.com is being left up so Mike can make some kinda response when he comes back from his concert.  I'm very curious as to what the poster means by "The Thing at the Drum Pad."

https://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/m2599647.aspx

[SystematicThought]

I agree, the drum pad thing was so confusing

[Stoneyman]

I think if MP doesnt make some rational comment or apology the MP faithful will be losing a lot of respect.

If he has the "Open Letter" thread deleted then it will likely be a mass exodus over there.

[Perpetual Change]

Found it, and it's pretty old:
https://www.houseofdrumming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4501&highlight=

Hello fellow drum fans (?),

I've just come across this message board and I must say I am shocked.
I cannot believe how disliked (borderline hated!) I am amongst most of you.
As much as I'd love to say it doesn't bother me, I have to honestly say it does hurt to read. I am human and my skin is not as thick as you may think.

Contrary to what most of you think, I do not think I'm god's gift to the drum world. In fact, I am actually quite intimidated about my drumming and I'll be the first to tell anybody how overrated I am and that guys like Gadd, Vinnie, Weckl, Chambers, Jo Jo, Donati, Minnemann, Lang, Bozzio, Mangini, etc etc etc can play circles around me.

I don't know why my popularity and acclaim pisses so many of you off. Its not my "fault" I was voted into the MD Hall of Fame and won the Progressive catagory 12 years in a row....(frankly, I was relieved when Gavin Harrison finally won it last year!)

Those polls are not ME claiming to be better or more deserving than anybody else.
I guess my playing and style has somehow struck a chord with a lot of young drummers out there and for that I am hugely grateful and humbled. However, drumming is not a contest.....there are no "best" drummers, just merely "favorites".

I am just another person who loves music and drumming and am thankful that I can do this for a living. If I inspire young drummers to pick up sticks and get into it, then what's so bad about that? Hopefully if they are really inspired by me, they will learn and discover about the hundreds of other drummers, bands and artists I regularly site as huge inspirations on me.

Which leads me to some of the bashing of my tribute bands I've read on this Forum. I am not trying to "prove" anything with these. I am merely "paying tribute" to some of my heroes. To tear me apart for not keeping perfect time with my Beatles tribute at the MD Fest is TOTALLY missing the whole point. Some of the most famous music of all time was made without the perfect groove, the perfect technique, etc.

Believe it or not, my love for drumming and music in general is NOT defined by having the biggest drumset around or being able to play in 19/16 time. THAT is the whole point of my tribue bands (and a lot of the side project work I do outside of Dream Theater - like Neal Morse's solo albums for instance.)

Finally - to the person that tore me apart for my "onstage antics" witnessed at a G3 show in this oh so flattering thread (ever so delicately calling me a "goofball" and "douchebag"):
https://www.houseofdrumming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2631
.....I'm sorry that I like to have fun on stage (even if I was "only a D" on that G tour!)....
I do realize, most everybody in the audience is there to watch the G's play their instruments, but the unfortunate REALITY is that on every G3 tour that I've done, there is a VERY large amount of DT fans that come out to see BOTH me and John. So pardon me for not quietly sitting in the background doing my best Charlie Watts impersonation. In fact, if I were to have done that, I bet there'd be more complaints by people who have come to expect me to "perform" and interact on stage as I usually do.

I'm sorry if my live performance was a distraction to you, but I indeed enjoy ENJOYING playing live and interacting with my band members and the audience while on stage.

One of my biggest drum heroes of all time was Keith Moon who was the type of drummer I could not take my eyes off of when watching perform live. (wow, I can only imagine how some of you must HATE him for his lack of technique and finesse!).
Yet, he inspired thousands (maybe millions?) of drummers to pick up a pair of sticks, get behind the kit and make MUSIC!

And sometimes, that can go a very long way!

Yours humbly,
the incredibly overrated
Mike Portnoy

I actually don't see Mike being out of line there. His onstage antics are the best thing about his playing.

[Ħ]

I've never seen/heard anything with MP so p.o.'d 

I wonder how this can be connected with his DT departure?

[zxlkho]

So... does someone want to explain to me what the hell happened today?

[Ħ]

MP is mad at JLB for not being more sad about his departure, so he started deleting all JLB-related threads on the mikeportnoy.com forums.  JLB responded by saying that MP misunderstood him.  All the rest is just forum speculation and anticipation to MP's response.

On a side note, someone created an account named "portnoy" and pretended to be Mike, elaborating on false conflicts between him and the band.  Said user was baned.

[Quadrochosis]

So... does someone want to explain to me what the hell happened today?

Stuff and then MP went to see the Wall.

[fllnsprrw]

When I first heard the news of MP leaving DT, I became really sad about it...but his behavior lately is really helping me get over it a lot faster!! Mike Portnoy is truly no longer a member of Dream Theater.

Actually with all thats been going on with MP, instead of feeling sad, angry, or disappointed by his actions like most people are, I am more amused and fascinated by the drama he has stirred up. What is he gonna say, do next, what's gonna happen next. this is all very exciting, quite frankly.

[setrataeso]

I really share the same feelings as the OP in that particular thread on Mike's forum. I've had just about enough of Mike for a little while...

[SnakeEyes]

I still think JP, Myung, Jordan and LaBrie are kind of happy that Portnoy is out of the band.  I really do believe Portnoy was controlling.  No proof of that, just speculation and why I said, "I believe."

[RafTen]

Mike posted a reply to the open letter few minutes ago: https://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/m2599647.aspx

[sneakyblueberry]

MP's made the right choice by stepping away from the interweb for a while. 

[Chino]

It sounds like he knows he in the wrong. I'm glad he admited he took the quote out of context without listening to the interview, but I don't see the JLB tour thread back yet.