The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[twosuitsluke]

Waiting for home and Train of Naught to get in here.

[DTwwbwMP]

I feel MP's days of being in ten bands at a time are over. I think it will be DT full-time, NMB during down time and Winery Dogs maybe 1 more time in 5 years or so.

I think this is likely

This makes sense to me. SOA is pretty much done for (and now I wonder how Derek feels about this news). Flying Colors doesn't seem likely to reunite for another album or full tour, but at least a few one-off shows like the Cruise next year. Transatlantic has felt done for a couple years now so I don't mind them no longer being a thing. And NMB has been sporadic at best. Maybe with Eric doing TEMIC and Mike rejoining DT, perhaps this is a good time for Neal to rejoin Spock's Beard and get that band off to a jump-start for the last leg of their career, rather than petering out of existence as they have been lately (and Ted Leonard is with Pattern-Seeking Animals these days, so I don't think he'd be too upset if Neal came back to SB and took the lead again).

-Marc.

Good idea. NM needs to reunite with SB!

I'd love that

[twosuitsluke]

And yet we still haven’t broken the record for most users online. Someone asked this in the other thread but what happened January 18th of this year?

Was that when Litho posted his score for my submission of Han-tyumi and the Murder of the Universe Suite?

[LithoJazzoSphere]

And yet we still haven’t broken the record for most users online. Someone asked this in the other thread but what happened January 18th of this year?

Was that when Litho posted his score for my submission of Han-tyumi and the Murder of the Universe Suite?

Very close, two days later.   

[twosuitsluke]

And yet we still haven’t broken the record for most users online. Someone asked this in the other thread but what happened January 18th of this year?

Was that when Litho posted his score for my submission of Han-tyumi and the Murder of the Universe Suite?

Very close, two days later.   

Takes time for word to get around I guess.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Other way around, the hype must have been building... 

[hefdaddy42]

Borlag and Itchy should be chiming in any time now.

Oh fuck no

[axeman90210]

I'm holding out fo Hellholming

[bosk1]

Me too!

[Jamesman42]

Borlag lmao, that guy was something else

[jingle.boy]

AndyDT is my wish.

[Zydar]

NickySpanjaards

[lonestar]

We got blob to make an appearance, that was enough for me.

[twosuitsluke]

We got blob to make an appearance, that was enough for me.

Yea, I saw that. How long has it been since he last posted?

[lonestar]

Way too long....

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Deep cuts:  7th Seal, Father Pyramid. 

[JustJen]

As long as we're talking about old timers we haven't seen around the forum forever, I'll throw out Omega Monkey and RushAss. I can't remember what I was saying three minutes ago but I can remember people from 19 years ago who I met on an online forum, crazy.

[KevShmev]

I still talk to Marcus (RushAss) here and there.  He's still one of the funniest people I have ever known.

[JustJen]

I still talk to Marcus (RushAss) here and there.  He's still one of the funniest people I have ever known.

When I tagged him on facebook and suggested he pop in he responded with "Sweet blithering Jesus!"

[KevShmev]

I still talk to Marcus (RushAss) here and there.  He's still one of the funniest people I have ever known.

When I tagged him on facebook and suggested he pop in he responded with "Sweet blithering Jesus!"

 

That thread is still a top 5 moment for me when it comes to the hardest I have ever laughed.

[JustJen]

I still talk to Marcus (RushAss) here and there.  He's still one of the funniest people I have ever known.

When I tagged him on facebook and suggested he pop in he responded with "Sweet blithering Jesus!"

 

That thread is still a top 5 moment for me when it comes to the hardest I have ever laughed.

Yes me too! I was just saying this morning that I laughed so hard that I cried, then stopped making any sound altogether. I just paid $5 to get back into my old photobucket they had deactivated and hid behind a paywall, in fact, hoping I had some screenshots from it there since I don't have access to my external hard drive where I am right now. So far I don't have that but I do have some extremely old and questionable dtf content lol. Also came across a pic of TheTexasPirate and realized that is a name i haven't thought of in like 15 years lol.

Then saw a pic of Don from the Photoshop Don thread... man we all had a lot of good times.

[KevShmev]

Haha, yep, much hilarity back then.   

[LithoJazzoSphere]

As long as we're talking about old timers we haven't seen around the forum forever, I'll throw out Omega Monkey and RushAss.

Also came across a pic of TheTexasPirate and realized that is a name i haven't thought of in like 15 years lol.

I met Omega Monkey at a Return To Forever concert.  He could be overly combative on the forum, but that guy knew his music. 

I remember RushAss and TheTexasPirate too, hadn't thought about those names in many years either.

[Glasser]

RushAss? 

[ErHaO]

I feel MP's days of being in ten bands at a time are over. I think it will be DT full-time, NMB during down time and Winery Dogs maybe 1 more time in 5 years or so. I'll really miss the NMB as that is truly an incredible band, but hopefully, there will be another album and tour in the future.

I think so too.

But I will say that I loved the 10+ year ride and the many great albums that led to. I honestly even enjoyed the initial Amob. There was always a baseline of quality to the many projects MP was involved in. And almost always a good/great live release. But the NM collabs where definitely where it was at, with Great Adventure and Similtude of a Dream being top 25 of all time albums for me.

[HOF]

It's also possible that TWD and FC (similar to TA) are just ready to wind down naturally. Billy Sheehan is 70. Steve Morse is 69 and we know about his family concerns keeping him occupied. They've each put out three albums, which in my mind always signified something with an artist (not sure why, but it just seems like a minimum number for a proper career). That could have been part of what spurred MP to rejoin DT now. All his other projects were winding down.

[JustJen]

I feel MP's days of being in ten bands at a time are over. I think it will be DT full-time, NMB during down time and Winery Dogs maybe 1 more time in 5 years or so. I'll really miss the NMB as that is truly an incredible band, but hopefully, there will be another album and tour in the future.

 But the NM collabs where definitely where it was at, with Great Adventure and Similtude of a Dream being top 25 of all time albums for me.

Neal Morse Band was the most exciting new band to come into my life, aside from Haken, since I first discovered Porcupine Tree thanks to DTF.net back in the day.

Which, it just occurred to me, probably explains why I have two DT tattoos, a PT tattoo, a SW tattoo, a NMB lyrical tattoo, and a Haken tattoo along with my others. Gonna get some more mileage out of my DT ones by the look if it. I'm so excited about music again, it's a joy to be reinvigorated.

[Stadler]

It's also possible that TWD and FC (similar to TA) are just ready to wind down naturally. Billy Sheehan is 70. Steve Morse is 69 and we know about his family concerns keeping him occupied. They've each put out three albums, which in my mind always signified something with an artist (not sure why, but it just seems like a minimum number for a proper career). That could have been part of what spurred MP to rejoin DT now. All his other projects were winding down.

I have nothing in writing to back this up, and I'm not speculating on anything, I'm just telling you how I feel, but:  I've gotten the vibe for a couple months now that Neal wants to do other things. I don't know if it's opera, or more deeply, directly religious things (like Joseph).  Mike was, when you look at it, VERY active with Neal across the various projects, and if - IF - that is coming to an end, this is a reasonable, predictable, schedulable gig.   DT has NEVER gone on any official hiatus; this is a regular paying gig, in a way that Mike hasn't appeared to have in a non-Neal scenario.

[HOF]

Yeah, at a minimum, it seems like Neal is going to be more sporadic in his output and I wouldn't be surprised if he really backs off the touring even if he still is up for making albums. So that probably wouldn't be a steady paycheck for Mike without touring.

[Skeever]

Biggest surprise from Mike's solo years is that we only got two Transatlantic records. I thought that it had a decent chance to become his main band, but I guess everyone else still had their main projects to focus on. Honestly, after The Absolute Universe, I'm not sure how much Transatlantic I want or need. The guys just seem out of sync with each other, having three "versions" of the same album was a wild move that I still really do not understand, and it makes me wonder if as a group anyone in the room is really interested in owning, and fighting for, the project.

[Metro]

Transatlantic is definitely done, even without Mike rejoining DT

[HOF]

Posted this in the Neal Morse thread, but Neal had this statement on FB today:

Neal‘s comments on Mike Portnoy returning to Dream Theater:
I just want to say personally that I’m really, really happy for my friend. I know that he and his family are thrilled for him to be back in dream theater, and I’m sure I speak for everybody in NMB, when I say we wish you all the very best!
I’m sure when the time is right, we will write/record together again, but in the meantime, of course, we have a MorseFest London and CTTE with Flying Colors to look forward to.
Every blessing to all,
Neal

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=876235963870585&set=a.257951602365694

[Skeever]

Transatlantic is definitely done, even without Mike rejoining DT

Did someone say that, or is that just your inference based on similar thinking to mine?

[axeman90210]

Transatlantic is definitely done, even without Mike rejoining DT

Did someone say that, or is that just your inference based on similar thinking to mine?

There were multiple comments by band members (or maybe just MP) up to, during, and after the Paris show that it might likely be the end of Transatlantic. My guess is that there ended up being considerable turmoil behind the scenes for TAU (as evidenced by all the different versions). I'd bet we probably never get another studio album but will hold out hope that a few years from now they go out and do another tour. Maybe spotlight the first two albums since they've largely gotten the shaft outside of medleys for the last couple tours.

[hefdaddy42]

My understanding was that it was likely their final live performance, not that they may never record again.

Obviously, I could be wrong.