The Mike Portnoy Appreciation/Discussion Thread (merged)

[Lupton]

Funny. I felt the exact same thing 1st time I heard LTE

[gzarruk]

I don't have a Facebook, what did he do this time?

This is the conversation transcribed by a reply post in that link.

DJ : but liguid tension was good, the problem is the language
MP : but that was make it good, THAT'S LIKE DREAM THEATER WITHOUT ANNOYING VOCALS, it was perfect.
ALL : (laughing)
MP : We're not on the air right?
DJ : Yes we are
MP : ARE WE?!!!!!
DJ : but nobody understand english here , i will not translate it , no problem

Edit: Now it's been removed or inaccessible in that link.

It seems the post has been removed, but the video should be out there somewhere, hopefully Blabbermouth finds it soon
That transcription is accurate, they were talking about LTE and Mike says that what made it perfect was that it was like DT without the annoying vocals, which I find funny considering how most of HIS vocals with DT were annoying (ROOOAAAAAARRRGGHHHHHHHHH)

Btw, the video was from a couple days ago, he appeared on a radio show in Brazil with Noturnall (the band he's touring as a guest with).

[MoraWintersoul]

Never thought I'd live to see the day Mike Portnoy makes one of those meathead jokes people who never listen to Dream Theater make.

What's next Mike, their songs are also, like, sooo loong? And what's with all the solos, amirite?

Boom, smash, that will be $10.95, and send me the royalties if you use this on your next standup comedian tour.

Watch him blame this on us and not on himself for talking shit literally mic'd and on camera.

[gzarruk]

Found it on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbOf_uczXI

[YtseJam]

You know that's how he feels, it's evident, so why cover it up? It would be good to hear these guys start slinging some mud and letting out their true feelings.

[Volante99]

Never thought I'd live to see the day Mike Portnoy makes one of those meathead jokes people who never listen to Dream Theater make.

What's next Mike, their songs are also, like, sooo loong? And what's with all the solos, amirite?

Those are my thoughts. I get ALOT of people feel that way about DT and maybe he's totally being sarcastic but to say that about a band you spent 25 years hyping up just makes you come off like an ass.

[Lonk]

Found it on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbOf_uczXI

That's really bad

[Madman Shepherd]

Get ready for some more Portnoy bellyaching about Blabbermouth twisting his words by quoting them verbatim and presenting the full context. 

[KevShmev]

You know that's how he feels, it's evident, so why cover it up? It would be good to hear these guys start slinging some mud and letting out their true feelings.

Pigs sling and roll around in the mud.

The current members of Dream Theater are not pigs.  The same cannot be said for some of their former members.

[Volante99]

Okay so I watched the clip...not as bad as I thought. I think he genuinely thought they weren't on the air and you can tell by his body language at the end he knew right away how badly he fucked up.

Still a stupid thing to say and like someone else said you just KNOW he's going to make things 10 times worse by going on social and play the victim card of the media storm about to come.

[SeRoX]

he appeared on a radio show in Brazil with Noturnall (the band he's touring as a guest with).

Funny thing James toured with this band a year ago.

[Stadler]

Well, I was more of thinking he knows everything he says can be taken out of context, and he's pretty much hinted that he doesn't like JLB that much, so it's probably not a good thing to say ever. And you're right, least of all to someone in the media. But why is he the only one that takes jabs (for the most part, maybe JLB has said something before, I think he has). I think everyone in the studio was kinda shocked when he said it.

And that's really it, isn't it?  I don't know how he meant it - and neither does anyone here - but it COULD be interpreted at least seven different ways*, only one of them really that deserves an apology to James but al least five of which are actually nothing to even comment on.   But it seems like it's okay to assume the worst, and turn around and call him a "pig" and worse. 

I don't know why this is a surprise at this point; he clearly is at war with his need to be open and transparent, and his need to be giving and responsive to those asking him for information. He's also said that he's good with DT and he's got a good relationship, at least with some of the guys at this point... I think I'd leave the drama to them and let them sort it out.  If it's not an issue between Mike/John/Jordan/John/James/Mike - and the nonsense around the first Sons record clearly isn't/wasn't - why should it be an issue for us?

*(James' vocals - as in his specific singing - are annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind, including Mike's, on DT material is annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind in general are annoying...)
(He was excited to write material with John and Jordan without having to write vocal melodies/lyrics...)
(He was being self-deprecating about his vocal melodies/lyrics in the time period where he felt compelled to write a lot of words ('97-'99)...)
(It was a reaction to the "load" of writing a "hit single" with someone like Desmond Child...)
(It was a reaction to the burden of writing an entire album-length story...)

[ProfessorPeart]

Well, I was more of thinking he knows everything he says can be taken out of context, and he's pretty much hinted that he doesn't like JLB that much, so it's probably not a good thing to say ever. And you're right, least of all to someone in the media. But why is he the only one that takes jabs (for the most part, maybe JLB has said something before, I think he has). I think everyone in the studio was kinda shocked when he said it.

And that's really it, isn't it?  I don't know how he meant it - and neither does anyone here - but it COULD be interpreted at least seven different ways*, only one of them really that deserves an apology to James but al least five of which are actually nothing to even comment on.   But it seems like it's okay to assume the worst, and turn around and call him a "pig" and worse. 

I don't know why this is a surprise at this point; he clearly is at war with his need to be open and transparent, and his need to be giving and responsive to those asking him for information. He's also said that he's good with DT and he's got a good relationship, at least with some of the guys at this point... I think I'd leave the drama to them and let them sort it out.  If it's not an issue between Mike/John/Jordan/John/James/Mike - and the nonsense around the first Sons record clearly isn't/wasn't - why should it be an issue for us?

*(James' vocals - as in his specific singing - are annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind, including Mike's, on DT material is annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind in general are annoying...)
(He was excited to write material with John and Jordan without having to write vocal melodies/lyrics...)
(He was being self-deprecating about his vocal melodies/lyrics in the time period where he felt compelled to write a lot of words ('97-'99)...)
(It was a reaction to the "load" of writing a "hit single" with someone like Desmond Child...)
(It was a reaction to the burden of writing an entire album-length story...)

I'll give you another one.

There was clearly a discussion around not understanding the language. What was said before this clip started? There might be some context missing.

My first thought was that maybe these guys were mentioning they were having issues enjoying DT because they can't understand the language/lyrics.

I don't know, I just don't subscribe to guilty until proven innocent. Especially when we have only 30 seconds of a discussion to dissect.

[The Walrus]

Eh, it's well documented at this point that Mike and James don't really like each other, and coupled with Mike almost firing James in the early 00s because of his performance on stage, well, hard to give him the benefit of the doubt (along with how he acted after leaving DT, just closing and deleting threads about James and his solo tour without any explanation and having his mods chastise people when they asked about it).

Classy move from Mike </sarcasm>. Let me know how making history works the second time around

[gzarruk]

What if James gave an interview where he said he loves the Mangini era DT albums because they're like the older ones but without the annoying drumming. Don't you think a lot of MP diehards (and even Mike himself) would be angry about it and would call James disrespectful? It's just not a very classy/kind thing to say. Now, Mike has never been too polite or "careful" with his word choices referring to DT in the last 9+ years, plus all the backstory we have on how he doesn't like James very much, and we're really suggesting he wanted to say something different? It's pretty clear, by his language and posture, that he's taking a serious shot at something/someone and he clearly gets uncomfortable when he realizes he's live, because he just said something wrong, that could most likely backfire.

[El Barto]

Eh, I think he's right. Lot of people do.

[KevShmev]

Eh, I think he's right. Lot of people do.

Let's say for the sake of argument that he is right: Does that make it okay to say it?

What if you walked by a 400-lb person on the street, someone you had never seen before, and said to them, "Wow, you are really fat!" Would that be okay because you are right?

For the record, this comment by Portnoy is not that big a deal and not at all surprising, since a) he has taken subtle and not-so subtle shots at LaBrie, off and on, for nearly two decades, and b) does anyone really expect class and grace from Mike Portnoy? 

[Cool Chris]

Vocals and quality of music aside, LTE doesn't sound much like DT to me at all. But I am not an instrumental guy and LTE material doesn't interest me.

[El Barto]

Eh, I think he's right. Lot of people do.

Let's say for the sake of argument that he is right: Does that make it okay to say it?

No. It doesn't. At the same time I've long accepted that MP is damned no matter what he says. When he tries to be tactful, which is not his strong suit, it's seen as passive aggression. If I were in his shoes I'd probably stick with tactless honesty, myself.

And this is different than the 400 pound man. That would be deliberately hurtful to the guy. JLB doesn't give a damn what MP's opinions about him are, and they are just opinions.

[Peter Mc]

Well, I was more of thinking he knows everything he says can be taken out of context, and he's pretty much hinted that he doesn't like JLB that much, so it's probably not a good thing to say ever. And you're right, least of all to someone in the media. But why is he the only one that takes jabs (for the most part, maybe JLB has said something before, I think he has). I think everyone in the studio was kinda shocked when he said it.

And that's really it, isn't it?  I don't know how he meant it - and neither does anyone here - but it COULD be interpreted at least seven different ways*, only one of them really that deserves an apology to James but al least five of which are actually nothing to even comment on.   But it seems like it's okay to assume the worst, and turn around and call him a "pig" and worse. 

I don't know why this is a surprise at this point; he clearly is at war with his need to be open and transparent, and his need to be giving and responsive to those asking him for information. He's also said that he's good with DT and he's got a good relationship, at least with some of the guys at this point... I think I'd leave the drama to them and let them sort it out.  If it's not an issue between Mike/John/Jordan/John/James/Mike - and the nonsense around the first Sons record clearly isn't/wasn't - why should it be an issue for us?

*(James' vocals - as in his specific singing - are annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind, including Mike's, on DT material is annoying...)
(Vocals - either the singing itself or the need for a vocal line/melody - of any kind in general are annoying...)
(He was excited to write material with John and Jordan without having to write vocal melodies/lyrics...)
(He was being self-deprecating about his vocal melodies/lyrics in the time period where he felt compelled to write a lot of words ('97-'99)...)
(It was a reaction to the "load" of writing a "hit single" with someone like Desmond Child...)
(It was a reaction to the burden of writing an entire album-length story...)

Wow, someone's trying really hard to give Mike a pass on this one! I think the "oh shit, we're not on the air are we?" reaction tells us exactly what he meant coupled with his many, many digs at JLB's vocals over the years, even when he was still in the band. Not really an issue for me anymore as Mike is long gone but it's pretty clear what he meant.

It's pretty rich considering I know many people who find Neal Morse's vocals annoying and I personally can't even listen to Flying Colors because of the singer. As for Russell Allen, well the less said about his performance on the Adrenaline Mob album, the better.

[Stadler]

Eh, I think he's right. Lot of people do.

Let's say for the sake of argument that he is right: Does that make it okay to say it?

What if you walked by a 400-lb person on the street, someone you had never seen before, and said to them, "Wow, you are really fat!" Would that be okay because you are right?

For the record, this comment by Portnoy is not that big a deal and not at all surprising, since a) he has taken subtle and not-so subtle shots at LaBrie, off and on, for nearly two decades, and b) does anyone really expect class and grace from Mike Portnoy?

Here's the thing, though.  If you walked by a 400-lb person on the street and said that, it's between you and Fatso whether it's okay or not.  Not up to me to say whether it's "classy" or not, or to assume your meaning, or whatever.   

Wow, someone's trying really hard to give Mike a pass on this one! I think the "oh shit, we're not on the air are we?" reaction tells us exactly what he meant coupled with his many, many digs at JLB's vocals over the years, even when he was still in the band. Not really an issue for me anymore as Mike is long gone but it's pretty clear what he meant.

It's pretty rich considering I know many people who find Neal Morse's vocals annoying and I personally can't even listen to Flying Colors because of the singer. As for Russell Allen, well the less said about his performance on the Adrenaline Mob album, the better.

Not at all giving anyone a pass.  I was very clear that I'm not making a judgement either way, and that's the real point.  He might have absolutely meant it to mean "James sucks balls and I hate every one of his vocals to this day".  So what? The last part is irrelevant.  You're just kind of making my point for me; if someone can think Morse annoying, then - assuming the worst case scenario - why can't Mike find James annoying? It's the same thing. 

[rumborak]

Only saw this now, but if there's one constant in life, it's that an artist in the twilight of his career will turn up the "heat" in the hope of being noticed again.

[KevShmev]

And this is different than the 400 pound man. That would be deliberately hurtful to the guy. JLB doesn't give a damn what MP's opinions about him are, and they are just opinions.

Okay, now that is something with which I can agree.  If JLB saw that video, he'd probably laugh to himself and think, "What a sad, bitter little man our ex-drummer has become."

[PetFish]

MP tomorrow probably:  READ THE TRANSCRIPT!  WITCH HUNT!  FAKE NEWS!

[IDontNotDoThings]

Honestly, the juvenile part of me wants this to devolve into some big drama between James & Mike. Such a thing seems to have been bubbling up for a while now, & I think it'd be entertaining to see it unfold in some on-air heated argument between the two, or something.




(Yeah, I'm not a very person, am I )

[Madman Shepherd]

Eh, I think he's right. Lot of people do.

Let's say for the sake of argument that he is right: Does that make it okay to say it?

No. It doesn't. At the same time I've long accepted that MP is damned no matter what he says.

Not true. He says stuff all the time nobody cares about or makes a big deal about.

[The Curious Orange]

Do we know that Mike was criticising JLB or just vocals in general?

We know Mike is a big Frank Zappa fan, and Frank always used to say that he was writing instrumental music, and the only reason that he put vocals on there at all was because it was what record companies insisted on.

I tend to listen to the instrumentation on an album rather than the singer, and I've frequently wished some of my favourite albums existed in instrumental form as I often find words and singing get in the way. That's not dissing those singers, just saying that it's not the think I tend to focus on. Perhaps Mike feels the same way.

[Art]

MP tomorrow probably:  READ THE TRANSCRIPT!  WITCH HUNT!  FAKE NEWS!

[gzarruk]

Do we know that Mike was criticising JLB or just vocals in general?

We know Mike is a big Frank Zappa fan, and Frank always used to say that he was writing instrumental music, and the only reason that he put vocals on there at all was because it was what record companies insisted on.

I tend to listen to the instrumentation on an album rather than the singer, and I've frequently wished some of my favourite albums existed in instrumental form as I often find words and singing get in the way. That's not dissing those singers, just saying that it's not the think I tend to focus on. Perhaps Mike feels the same way.

Sure, that's why all his current bands are instrumental only...


Oh, wait....

[MirrorMask]

Sure, that's why all his current bands are instrumental only...


Oh, wait....

Really, Occam's razor, the simplest explanation is almost always the correct one.

Nobody is saying that MP woke up that morning fuming at the idea of the mere existance of JLB and thought "Man, I can't wait to diss him first time I get". He simply made a tasteless joke, he's not the first musician to speak his mind when caught off guard and he won't be the last, and certainly he's not the worst - heck, there's a video out there of Ronnie James Dio saying that he hopes that Vivian Campbell dies or something along those lines.

[Anxiety35]

What we all heard in the video are the words in which he spoke, "It's like Dream Theater without annoying vocals." He realized he screwed up. the interviewer implied that he'd cover for MP by not translating it.

We all have those "foot in mouth" moments in life and I tend to give grace to people because I'd want it to be given to me. I think MP was probably caught up in the moment of the interview, but that's not an excuse. He needs to own it, make an apology, and move on. That's the right thing to do. I've had to do the same in my life. Don't defend the mistake. Own it as a mistake and make it right.

[lovethedrake]

In watching the video... I kind of took at as Mike making fun of DT detractors.

A common insult to DT is "great musicians with annoying vocals" so it was like Mike was ironically taking on the role of one of those people as a joke.   

[Grappler]

In watching the video... I kind of took at as Mike making fun of DT detractors.

A common insult to DT is "great musicians with annoying vocals" so it was like Mike was ironically taking on the role of one of those people as a joke.

That's how I'm taking it too.  I don't see it as a personal shot at JLB, just him saying "hey, it's just the music without the vocals getting in the way"

[Zook]

Well MP was ruining Dream Theater with his vocals so...

[Lethean]

Yeah I really don't think so.  Especially the way he then asked if they were on the air.  If he was making fun of DT detractors, he probably would have had a different expression, different tone of voice, and/or would have then gone on to say something like "I remember people saying stuff like that about DT" etc.  Note that I said "probably" - I'm not pretending to be a mind reader, but basing it on interactions I've had with people, including Mike.  Doesn't at all feel to me like he's making fun of detractors.

Totally agree with Anxiety35. Not the end of the world, there's an easy and simple way past it.  But Mike hasn't been know for doing that unfortunately; he's been more likely to try to defend it and it's really unnecessary.