The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[bosk1]

Pretty sure I've stated time and time again that MP's a truly talented showman.....incredible to watch live....and one of the best drummers alive today. I'm not disputing his shows and he aren't fun to watch and attend. Any and every chance I get to see him live I go see him live.

You may recall those live shows as him nailing his parts....that's fine. But there are countless youtube videos of those shows where it's pretty easily heard that he's altered the parts from their original beats/fills etc. Still sounds fine.....good show(s).....that's not what my point is.

My point is he's comfortable with doing that....ok. But, he's going to face criticism in the wake of that choice when his peers are still practicing and improving and able to maintain themselves 'better'. That's all.

The (2) TNMB concerts I've seen live were incredible! MP was incredible....I'm not arguing he can't perform. It's just we're watching a late career Nolan Ryan striking guys out with sliders in the dirt rather than early career Nolan Ryan who just pumped fastballs by you without a care in the world. Still the same incredible pitcher.....just different approaches.

I might quibble a bit over some of the details of your post, but let's just go with it for argument's sake.  All that being the case, that still isn't grounds to criticize or deem him lazy, etc.  The Nolan Ryan analogy isn't too far off (although I think it would be a better analogy to go with something more like:  Instead of throwing 40 fastballs a game, he's throwing 25, to make sure that the ones he throws count). 

[gmillerdrake]

deem him lazy

Yeah.....that's not a fair statement on my part. Wrong word to describe they way I see or feel about it. It's more along the lines of 'status quo' or uninspired. His recent output just seems too simple for a man of his talent. Even the SOA output is 'supposed' to be proggy or whatever and it's just unimaginative to me. Anyway......

[gmillerdrake]

I totally get that. And some of it might be a difference in values.

DT might be a band that very much values playing as close to the record as humanly possible. While MP might be someone who values playing the spirit of the record and changing things up. I get the feeling from MP that playing identical to the record isn't terribly important to him.

I think you're on to something. My preference is to hear what they've released.....that song.....so when I hear The Glass Prison played I expect the cool bass drum beats and what not.....not an altered version that is 'close enough'.

With MP stating in the past that he typically doesn't spend too much time figuring out what he's going to lay down for the album tracks it wouldn't surprise me that he isn't really hitting the songs note for note. He has a certain style and flair and it works....he's an incredible showman.

[Dedalus]

Judging him as lazy is the wrong way to approach the issue, in my view. But criticizing him is entirely thinkable. MP is not beyond criticism.

And as I mentioned before, some of the criticisms are entirely fair.

[KevShmev]

I think it is also fair to point out that he hasn't been just a drummer for a long time now.  We can critique his singing, or his producing, or whatever, till the cows come home, but the reality is that he has been wearing many different hats for a lot of years now, and that is clearly far more important to him than improving his drumming. 

Neal Morse joked in an interview last year I think that Portnoy's mind is a steel trap, that once he has played a song, he knows it and it's never getting out.  He can not play a song for years and then just bust it out on a whim and still pretty much know it.  And I think Portnoy even joked in the same interview that he he less notes to remember than, say, a guitar or keyboard player, but my guess is that translates to his on-the-spot playing as well when recording a new album.  He can just sit down and play and get a take that is more than good enough to go on record (even if a few bits here and there need to be worked on a bit more later). 

[Skeever]

I think it is also fair to point out that he hasn't been just a drummer for a long time now.  We can critique his singing, or his producing, or whatever, till the cows come home, but the reality is that he has been wearing many different hats for a lot of years now, and that is clearly far more important to him than improving his drumming. 

I think that's it really. He won all the important drummer awards in the late 90s and early 00s. He could have just kept improving his chops as a drummer, but I think he preferred his career on tour and as a producer, manager, and spokesman. He's still a solid drummer, but guys who practice 4-5 hours a day don't have time to do things like orchestrate Prog Nation at Sea and a dozen or so side-projects. And frankly despite all he does extra, his approach toward his instrument does not really seem all that different than any of the players he plays with or any of the current DT lineup.

[Setlist Scotty]

I think you're on to something. My preference is to hear what they've released.....that song.....so when I hear The Glass Prison played I expect the cool bass drum beats and what not.....not an altered version that is 'close enough'.

With MP stating in the past that he typically doesn't spend too much time figuring out what he's going to lay down for the album tracks it wouldn't surprise me that he isn't really hitting the songs note for note. He has a certain style and flair and it works....he's an incredible showman.

This is the key right here - you're expecting something from MP that he doesn't do: play the parts exactly as they are on the album. In fact, I know he's said as much repeatedly in interviews long before he left DT. He does not meticulously work out drums parts over a long period of time and then try to play them exactly the same at each show - that's Neil Peart, not MP. MP has always been a spontaneous drummer and I remember him even joking in an interview that he will purposefully change up certain drums parts just to throw off the fans who are air-drumming along (all meant in good fun). I think if you keep this in mind whenever you go see him live, you'll probably enjoy his performance more.

[MinistroRaven]

3rd EPISODE  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hop3Kjm7DkM&feature=youtu.be

[HOF]

3rd EPISODE  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hop3Kjm7DkM&feature=youtu.be

Just finished watching this. He sounded like me trying to settle on a favorite Genesis album.

[DTA]

Not too shocking that Mike would be into The Elder. This series is great and I'd love to hear him just talk about music even after episode 8 is done. He should start a youtube series and just discuss his entire music collection with the occasional guest.

[KevShmev]

I wasn't too surprised to see no Judas Priest (classic metal) or Kansas (classic prog), since he never really talked either up a ton, but to see no Iron Maiden was pretty surprising, although I am sure he has a crap load of them in his older collection to which he has alluded.

[Dream Team]

Couldn’t help but notice he went the objective vs subjective route, stating one of the albums was their masterpiece but not his favorite.

[SoundscapeMN]

great to see THUD in his collection, and he mentioned what I suspected many years ago about if Kevin Gilbert not died, Mike and him and likely Neal Morse would have been in a band like Transatlantic. It's all what if's, but one can only imagine.

[HOF]

great to see THUD in his collection, and he mentioned what I suspected many years ago about if Kevin Gilbert not died, Mike and him and likely Neal Morse would have been in a band like Transatlantic. It's all what if's, but one can only imagine.

Kevin was originally supposed to produce FII, right?

[SoundscapeMN]

great to see THUD in his collection, and he mentioned what I suspected many years ago about if Kevin Gilbert not died, Mike and him and likely Neal Morse would have been in a band like Transatlantic. It's all what if's, but one can only imagine.

Kevin was originally supposed to produce FII, right?

as Mike said in the video, he was in contact with Kevin to produce the record they were making, and he likely would have.

[Stadler]

Other than a few details (Hotter Than Hell not Dressed To Kill, Ozzy not Motorhead, and I didn't see the Love Gun tour) I could have written that entire Kiss segment. 

(By the way, the first album cover was intended to be an homage to "With The Beatles").

[Mladen]

I was also shocked that there wasn't a single Iron Maiden album in the new vinyl collection. They've pretty much released everything on LP over the last ten years.

Nice to see Ghost getting a shout out from MP, even though he's not crazy about the band overall. Also, I enjoyed his rambling regarding Kiss, Genesis and King Crimson. These videos are really fun. 

[pg1067]

Couldn’t help but notice he went the objective vs subjective route, stating one of the albums was their masterpiece but not his favorite.

That's the WildRanger influence.

[Stadler]

The "influence", or is he really "WildRanger"?!?!?! 

[pg1067]

The "influence", or is he really "WildRanger"?!?!?!

MP is WildRanger?!

Ahhh...now it all makes sense.

 

[ytserush]

Not too shocking that Mike would be into The Elder. This series is great and I'd love to hear him just talk about music even after episode 8 is done. He should start a youtube series and just discuss his entire music collection with the occasional guest.

I sure wouldn't mind something like this.   I've been hooked on Fish's weekly show for months now and now Rothery is starting his own show next week.   Don't know how much revenue this kind of thing generates, but in my case these guys are building quite a bit of good will. I don't follow these guys on social media, but taking the time to do these "talks" means a lot more to me as a fan.

[nobloodyname]

I was also shocked that there wasn't a single Iron Maiden album in the new vinyl collection. They've pretty much released everything on LP over the last ten years.

True. It also sounds dreadful.

[tofee35]

Since this is a MP Appreciation topic, I simply would like to say how much I have appreciated his playing, dedication to his craft(s) and even more so, his dedication to his family. As a fairly new father, I’ve been inspired by him over the past few years since Max and Melody have gotten older. It’s clear how close he is with his kids and wife, and the involvement his has in their lives. That must be incredibly difficult considering his job. I find parenting difficult working a 9 to 5. Equal praise should go to his wife for essentially leaving music behind to raise the kids and support MP. Lately, I find myself more impressed with people’s decisions in life over their talents and abilities. But, I will say I’ve always been a huge fan of his drumming style, drum sound and the other ways he contributes to the bands he has been in.

-Tof

[cramx3]

Looks like MP is playing drums on the new JP solo album, that's pretty cool

[Learning2Live]

So glad to see them working together again. I would have hated to see the way MP left and all of the drama that followed (self-inflicted, I know...) with that being the last memory of the 2 of them working together after all of the wonderful music the 2 of them made over the years. This is enough 'closure' for me for the whole MP/DT split. Anything more at this point is just the cherry on the top. Thrilled to see this news just on a personal level for the 2 of them let alone professionally.

[SoundscapeMN]

for those who don't follow him on Instagram, he posted a short New Vinyl clip
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCM0oUljvJ-/

[Learning2Live]

MP posted a story about the making of the I&W album on its 28th birthday today, and noticed that he tagged JLB in it as well. That has to be the first thing in YEARS (if anything) since the DT split where I've seen him include JLB publicly in a nice/cordial way. Maybe there are other examples out there that I've missed, but this feels like the first thing he's done like this in a long time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCWvhnjDnhy/?igshid=1imrqvwg7lup1

[DTA]

Great message from MP. I love that era of DT history and I can't imagine being in a band for 7 years without any kind of real success...that's an insane amount of dedication they all had.

I'm wondering if he's slowly building the bridge towards reconciling with James in hopes of a future return to the band. I don't want MM to leave by any means, but something as small as this could be the beginning of mending that relationship.

[MinistroRaven]

MP posted a story about the making of the I&W album on its 28th birthday today, and noticed that he tagged JLB in it as well. That has to be the first thing in YEARS (if anything) since the DT split where I've seen him include JLB publicly in a nice/cordial way. Maybe there are other examples out there that I've missed, but this feels like the first thing he's done like this in a long time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCWvhnjDnhy/?igshid=1imrqvwg7lup1

In one of the videos he's posting about his viny discography, he also mentioned JLB and did it cordially. But, yes, it was good to read him that way.

He's paving thee way to return to DT LOL kidding kidding.

[Madman Shepherd]

MP posted a story about the making of the I&W album on its 28th birthday today, and noticed that he tagged JLB in it as well. That has to be the first thing in YEARS (if anything) since the DT split where I've seen him include JLB publicly in a nice/cordial way. Maybe there are other examples out there that I've missed, but this feels like the first thing he's done like this in a long time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCWvhnjDnhy/?igshid=1imrqvwg7lup1

In one of the videos he's posting about his viny discography, he also mentioned JLB and did it cordially. But, yes, it was good to read him that way.

He's paving thee way to return to DT LOL kidding kidding.

Kind of sad that Mike simply referring to James by name and not "the vocalist" or "the canadian" is newsworthy but alas, that how bad things have been up to this point. He's got a long way to go to make up for the garbage he was spewing a few years back but even just these last few years not saying anything has been a huge improvement. Not that I try to let stupid drama get in the way of my enjoyment of music, but I bet my enjoyment of SOA's MMXX had a bit to do with two of the members finally not acting like they had a chip on their shoulder and just seemed like they enjoyed performing.

[MirrorMask]

Kind of sad that Mike simply referring to James by name and not "the vocalist" or "the canadian" is newsworthy but alas, that how bad things have been up to this point.

Yeah, I was scrolling through his post and noticed the line "we were at our third singer" and I feared for a moment that it was the way he labeled James, then I reread with more attention and saw that he indeed mentioned him by name.

Well, you can't tell anyway the history of Images and Words without talking about the godsend that was James at that time!

[Max Kuehnau]

Kind of sad that Mike simply referring to James by name and not "the vocalist" or "the canadian" is newsworthy but alas, that how bad things have been up to this point.

Yeah, I was scrolling through his post and noticed the line "we were at our third singer" and I feared for a moment that it was the way he labeled James, then I reread with more attention and saw that he indeed mentioned him by name.

Well, you can't tell anyway the history of Images and Words without talking about the godsend that was James at that time!

yes, JP was and is more open to seeing James' "arrival" (as it were) as a "blessed reward" or something like that. Tells you a lot IMHO.

[pg1067]

MP posted a story about the making of the I&W album on its 28th birthday today, and noticed that he tagged JLB in it as well. That has to be the first thing in YEARS (if anything) since the DT split where I've seen him include JLB publicly in a nice/cordial way. Maybe there are other examples out there that I've missed, but this feels like the first thing he's done like this in a long time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCWvhnjDnhy/?igshid=1imrqvwg7lup1

I found this comment interesting:  "We started writing songs for it in 1988/1989 when Charlie Dominici was still in the band (even performing Live versions of Metropolis and To Live Forever with him). . . ."

According to the tourography section at MP's website (and assuming its accuracy, which I always have), Majesty/DT played 12 shows with Charlie as the lead singer (the first being 9/3/88, and the last being ).  TLF showed up in several of the shows, but Metropolis only showed up in the set list for the last show with Charlie officially in the band (10/14/89).  Can this be found online anywhere?  I'd be quite interested to hear it.

[Setlist Scotty]

Can this be found online anywhere?  I'd be quite interested to hear it.

https://youtu.be/YZ3t3_Zrjig?t=790

And here's the performance of Metropolis for the very last time with CD, one month later. They had already kicked him out of the band when Marillion came calling and wanted DT to open for them. So they asked him to come back to perform with them. This performance is from that show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3_fh7E3xdg

[Stadler]

Who's that filling in for Myung at the Bay Shore show?       I don't think I've ever seen him move that much in a SHOW let alone one song. 

I'm assuming that's debris on the stage.  Like a war zone.  Those were the days; I've been to Toad's in New Haven where shows were like that.