The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[MirrorMask]

As someone who never really cared about politics until I realized what a utter  was a politician here in Italy, I can imagine it's the same for him... not really wanting to talk about politics but when someone gets on your nerves so much, it's hard to keep quiet. I'd assume he'll be back to the usual musical discussions once the election is done with.

[Ben_Jamin]

He's been too busy blocking people on twitter.

I actually find it hilarious that people are like "stop posting your political opinions" and he's like "nah, but i'll block you do you dont have to see them." 

That's the funny part about twitter, and people don't get that it's the concept of a bird being a messenger. Hearing something and Tweeting it out to all the other birds who then fly and tweet to the other birds. So, if you're tired of band members speaking their minds (they are human), then why are you on Twitter.

[ytserush]

He's been too busy blocking people on twitter.

I actually find it hilarious that people are like "stop posting your political opinions" and he's like "nah, but i'll block you do you dont have to see them." 

That's great. I love it! It's been about a month since I checked his twitter feed. Good time to check it again I guess.

[Madman Shepherd]

It's almost like Mike reads this forum and adheres to our wishes!

New episode is 47 minutes. I gotta do some stuff around the house and I'm gonna play it while I do that, otherwise, I'm sense that I'm not going to get it done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2lVtIkb0M&feature=youtu.be

[hefdaddy42]

It's almost like Mike reads this forum and adheres to our wishes!

Part of this is true (or was at one time).

[nobloodyname]

It's almost like Mike reads this forum and adheres to our wishes!

New episode is 47 minutes. I gotta do some stuff around the house and I'm gonna play it while I do that, otherwise, I'm sense that I'm not going to get it done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2lVtIkb0M&feature=youtu.be

Thanks for reminding me. That was a really good watch.

Now checking out some Pantera as a result.

[ytserush]

It's almost like Mike reads this forum and adheres to our wishes!

New episode is 47 minutes. I gotta do some stuff around the house and I'm gonna play it while I do that, otherwise, I'm sense that I'm not going to get it done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2lVtIkb0M&feature=youtu.be

I love that have him continue with the other parts of his collection, but I have a feeling that just isn't going to happen.

[ReaperKK]

Yea it would be cool. He mentioned having some reel to reel and I'd love to get some stories behind what he has on tape.

[ytserush]

Yea it would be cool. He mentioned having some reel to reel and I'd love to get some stories behind what he has on tape.

Or even his movies... I'm much more interested in the music, but a lot could be learned from his movies also. He's enough of an authority that he could probably generate a little revenue off of it.

[Mladen]

It's almost like Mike reads this forum and adheres to our wishes!

New episode is 47 minutes. I gotta do some stuff around the house and I'm gonna play it while I do that, otherwise, I'm sense that I'm not going to get it done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2lVtIkb0M&feature=youtu.be

Has there been the seventh episode? I have a felling I missed it but I cannot find it.

[MinistroRaven]

From MP FB page:
Just added on my YouTube channel: my Drum & Vox Cam for Transatlantic’s Overture / Reaching For The Sky. Just from watching this video, you can see how this album was constantly growing and evolving as it contains footage from at least two different drum and vocal sessions! Enjoy... 🚀

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEoEPMEsztY&feature=youtu.be

 

[The Letter M]

From MP on Facebook just now:

Totally shocked and sad to hear of Sean Malone’s passing...he was a tremendous bass and stick player that I had the pleasure of working with many times through the years. He was my Geddy in Cygnus & The Sea Monsters, he played on the 1st OSI album w me and we last toured together in 2014 when he was playing Bass in John Wesley’s band opening for Flying Colors. This is just another shocking loss in 2020...sadly the same year we also lost Sean Reinert, his rhythm section partner in Cynic. #RIPSeanMalone 😥

https://www.facebook.com/116713035013014/posts/5183779271639673/

-Marc.

[HOF]

From MP on Facebook just now:

Totally shocked and sad to hear of Sean Malone’s passing...he was a tremendous bass and stick player that I had the pleasure of working with many times through the years. He was my Geddy in Cygnus & The Sea Monsters, he played on the 1st OSI album w me and we last toured together in 2014 when he was playing Bass in John Wesley’s band opening for Flying Colors. This is just another shocking loss in 2020...sadly the same year we also lost Sean Reinert, his rhythm section partner in Cynic. #RIPSeanMalone 😥

https://www.facebook.com/116713035013014/posts/5183779271639673/

-Marc.

Just saw that too. Not familiar with Malone outside of OSI, but that’s really sad. Only 50 years old.

[faizoff]

Very sad, his work on both Gordian Knot albums were phenomenal.

[HOF]

Very sad, his work on both Gordian Knot albums were phenomenal.

I heard some of one of those a long time ago. Checking out Emergent now on Amazon Music.

Hey, Steve Hackett is on this album. Seems kind of random.

[ytserush]

Very sad, his work on both Gordian Knot albums were phenomenal.

Wow. Kind of in shock as I read this just now. Those Gordian Knot albums are amazing. Both Seans gone now. This sucks.

[The Letter M]

I haven't been following them, but Mike has posted on Twitter saying he filmed part 7 of his vinyl collection series and that it'll get posted tomorrow!

Sorry it took so long for those who were asking/waiting...finally filmed #MPVinyl Ep 7 tonight! Coming tomorrow... 🎧

https://twitter.com/MikePortnoy/status/1353926600207839233?s=19

-Marc.

[Mladen]

I got excited just seeing him holding up the copy of The Light. 

[SoundscapeMN]

waiting until he had vinyl for The Absolute Universe to show.

[MinistroRaven]

MP Vinyl Ep 07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWO1gCtiHtE

ALL OF THE TRANSATLANTIC ALBUMS WILL BE REISSUE SOON THROUGH INSIDEOUT!

[Mladen]

I still want that copy of The Light on vinyl. Is it still in stock somewhere?

[Fritzinger]

I still want that copy of The Light on vinyl. Is it still in stock somewhere?

I think it's quite hard to get nowadays. Discogs has the two colored versions for around 150 bucks each and one copy of the black one for around 50 (not sealed though).
https://www.discogs.com/de/Spocks-Beard-The-Light/master/297880

IIRC, it's sold out at all usual websites (Amazon, JPC, etc).

[darkshade]

Can't wait to see what Zappa albums Mike has in that rack next episode.

[ytserush]

I haven't been following them, but Mike has posted on Twitter saying he filmed part 7 of his vinyl collection series and that it'll get posted tomorrow!

Sorry it took so long for those who were asking/waiting...finally filmed #MPVinyl Ep 7 tonight! Coming tomorrow... 🎧

Awesome! Been waiting for the next installment.

https://twitter.com/MikePortnoy/status/1353926600207839233?s=19

-Marc.

[The Letter M]

I haven't been following them, but Mike has posted on Twitter saying he filmed part 7 of his vinyl collection series and that it'll get posted tomorrow!

Sorry it took so long for those who were asking/waiting...finally filmed #MPVinyl Ep 7 tonight! Coming tomorrow... 🎧

Awesome! Been waiting for the next installment.

https://twitter.com/MikePortnoy/status/1353926600207839233?s=19

-Marc.

You're putting words in my mou...post! 

I do think he waited to film this part until he had the new TA vinyls in hand, though.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

I skipped over the parts about Slayer, Sons of Apollo and Testament (don't care about any of those), and basically just watched for the Spock's and TA stuff.  He must have missed the Noise Floor boat since he referred to Brief Noctures and Dreamless Sleep and The Oblivion Particle as the last two Spock's albums. That was odd since he is usually pretty on the money with his knowledge of bands he calls favorites, but maybe he didn't follow them quite as closely once Neal departed?  Anyway, no biggie, just thought that was kind of funny.  Cool to hear that all of the TA albums will likely be reissued on vinyl in the very near future.

[Madman Shepherd]

I skipped over the parts about Slayer, Sons of Apollo and Testament (don't care about any of those), and basically just watched for the Spock's and TA stuff.  He must have missed the Noise Floor boat since he referred to Brief Noctures and Dreamless Sleep and The Oblivion Particle as the last two Spock's albums. That was odd since he is usually pretty on the money with his knowledge of bands he calls favorites, but maybe he didn't follow them quite as closely once Neal departed?  Anyway, no biggie, just thought that was kind of funny.  Cool to hear that all of the TA albums will likely be reissued on vinyl in the very near future.

I noticed that too. Part of why I even watch these things is his encyclopedic knowledge of stuff, even though I'm not into at least half the bands he talks about. He was also unsure of some of the Symphony X stuff. Probably a combination of being in his 50s and his brain finally reaching a limit a useless knowledge. I'm a lot younger than him and I find myself stumbling over stuff I used to know every detail about to the point where I find myself looking at my thousands of DVDs and CDs and forgetting I even have them and wondering if it's even worth it. The answer I always come to is 'yes' by the way. 

[Mladen]

To be fair, it's not odd that Noise flor went by unnoticed. It wasn't that great. 

[Fritzinger]

To be fair, it's not odd that Noise flor went by unnoticed. It wasn't that great. 

I think it's a good album. I might like it better than Brief Nocturnes.

[HOF]

To be fair, it's not odd that Noise flor went by unnoticed. It wasn't that great. 

I think it's a good album. I might like it better than Brief Nocturnes.

Noise Floor is easily my favorite of the Ted era and maybe my favorite since Neal left. No idea why some don’t seem to like it at all (including some in the band).

[HOF]

I did think it was cool that Mike dug the Sound of Contact album. I feel like he hasn’t been all that interested in non-metal prog (outside his work with Neal) for a long time.

[ProfessorPeart]

I skipped over the parts about Slayer, Sons of Apollo and Testament (don't care about any of those), and basically just watched for the Spock's and TA stuff.  He must have missed the Noise Floor boat since he referred to Brief Noctures and Dreamless Sleep and The Oblivion Particle as the last two Spock's albums. That was odd since he is usually pretty on the money with his knowledge of bands he calls favorites, but maybe he didn't follow them quite as closely once Neal departed?  Anyway, no biggie, just thought that was kind of funny.  Cool to hear that all of the TA albums will likely be reissued on vinyl in the very near future.

I noticed that too. Part of why I even watch these things is his encyclopedic knowledge of stuff, even though I'm not into at least half the bands he talks about. He was also unsure of some of the Symphony X stuff. Probably a combination of being in his 50s and his brain finally reaching a limit a useless knowledge. I'm a lot younger than him and I find myself stumbling over stuff I used to know every detail about to the point where I find myself looking at my thousands of DVDs and CDs and forgetting I even have them and wondering if it's even worth it. The answer I always come to is 'yes' by the way.

Man, tell me about it. The thing I was known for with my friends was my brain and endless bits if useless music knowledge. Now, at 44, my brain keeps locking up on me and it really pisses me off. It's not cool having to spend hours ruminating on something you could spout off like nothing. I'm a SymX fan and I had the same problem MP did. I couldn't remember if that was Russ' first album or not. Sucks gettin' old.

[Stadler]

Some of it is time; I don't know if I can this moment, but for the longest time I could tell you every song, in order, from Kiss' first album through probably Dynasty, and who wrote and sang it.  I could do Maiden, Sabbath and AC/DC the same way.  Couple other bands as well.   

I'm not sure I could name all the songs in ANY order on any of those bands' most recent albums.  I just don't have the time or inclination to sit with the album covers, and I'm not putting them on cassette tapes, lovingly, and listening to them over and over and over.  I find myself here a LOT reading something someone wrote and thinking "Oh, I'll respond with this..." and having to lean over and pull out a CD to double-check myself.   I suppose that is a subset of "gettin' old", but it's different than just the brain not working the same.

[HOF]

Some of it is time; I don't know if I can this moment, but for the longest time I could tell you every song, in order, from Kiss' first album through probably Dynasty, and who wrote and sang it.  I could do Maiden, Sabbath and AC/DC the same way.  Couple other bands as well.   

I'm not sure I could name all the songs in ANY order on any of those bands' most recent albums.  I just don't have the time or inclination to sit with the album covers, and I'm not putting them on cassette tapes, lovingly, and listening to them over and over and over.  I find myself here a LOT reading something someone wrote and thinking "Oh, I'll respond with this..." and having to lean over and pull out a CD to double-check myself.   I suppose that is a subset of "gettin' old", but it's different than just the brain not working the same.

I find myself retaining less information about bands and albums and members and who played what and all that as I get older. Wikipedia is very helpful for when I need to look like I remember minutia.

[MinistroRaven]

From MP forum page:

Today is the day!! Well, you know of the 2 different versions of The Absolute Universe available on CD and Vinyl...and you probably know of the 3rd different version on the Blu-ray...but also OUT TODAY is a 4th (!!) version of this mammoth new epic album with the release of my new Drum Cam on both DVD and Digital Download!
Yes indeed, this utilizes “The Ultimate Version” (only available elsewhere on the Transatlantic Blu-ray) into a new arrangement with all of my drum and vocal cam footage, and offers 3 different audio options: Full Band Mix, Isolated Drum & MP Vox Mix and a Stereo “Headphone Mix” which combines them both! 🚀
Available now exclusively from the MP Online Store!

DVD: https://shop.mikeportnoy.com/collections/dvds/products/mike-portnoy-the-absolute-universe-transatlantics-the-absolute-universe-drum-vox-cam-dvd

Digital download: https://shop.mikeportnoy.com/collections/digital-downloads/products/mike-portnoy-the-absolute-universe-drum-cam-video-digital-download