An Exclusive Look into The Band’s Search for a New Drummer

[Gadough]

When they called Mangini before Marco, I thought for sure that was the "you're not it, sorry" call.

Wait, why did they call Marco exactly? I can't watch the video yet because I'm at work. Please fill me in.

They didn't call Marco. OR didn't show it. They first showed calling Peter to tell him he unfortunately didn't get it. Then it talks about how hard of a decision it was between Marco and Mangini.  Finally they said the decision became clear. They called Mangini. Given they hadn't called Marco yet, I was expecting him to get a no. But it was them telling him he got the job.

Oh ok, gotcha. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[King Postwhore]

- On the phone, he said "Hi, this is JM."  HE KNOWS OUR LANGUAGE!!!

This floored me!!

[volwrath]

Peter, I just have to tell you that you're hot!  

Me too.

Have to admit I was slightly aroused myself...

[tri.ad]

First off, Peter, I wouldn't say this unless I believed it (otherwise I'd just say nothing), but you were honestly my second favorite of the drummers.  I felt even more than Marco that you really got the music and the vibe.  And I liked how you handled the audition riff they showed.  While I'm happy it's Mangini, I was really impressed by what you did, so congrats and I hope this video helps you get more work.

Priester - He just wasn't on DT's level, it's really that simple, which is what a lot of people have been saying.  That said though personality-wise I appreciated him.  He clearly gave a crap and put a lot of work into it and tried to roll with the audition.

As for the process of picking the guys, it seemed like they did it the right way.  I appreciated that JM had a lot to say.  I think, though I wasn't there, that while Minnemann impressed them in the moment that as someone to carry on the DT/MP legacy he just wasn't the guy.

And so they picked Mangini.  And, just so it's out there, I absolutely 100% support the decision.  Out of the seven he was clearly the right guy for the job.  I really like his drumming and think DT will take him to the next level.  And as a fan I'm really happy they picked someone who was this committed to doing it and for the right reasons.

Because here's the thing.  Out of the other six drummers, who else would be that happy to get the gig?  Maybe Peter (I can't speak for you on this), but otherwise it just seemed like Mangini wanted it truly deeply.  And I want him to have wanted it that much.

And everything he said was just perfect and I believe he'll act on it.  While like I've said there are definitely parts of DT's music I wish that were different, I don't want a new drummer to come in and blow it up.  I want someone who will respect what MP's done.  And yet, Mangini has the maturity and awareness to know he still has to be his own guy in the band and not try to just replace him.  And, purely from the video in the documentary, I liked his playing the best.

Maybe it feels more clear to me because I wasn't a fan of Minnemann's audition in terms of how he handled DT's material, but I can't stress enough that I feel zero conflict over this.

So thank you Dream Theater for putting this out there, and I personally thank you for making the choice I loved the most.  And congratulations to Mike Mangini, you've earned it in so many ways.

As for the rest of the doc, bummer to see they clearly weren't writing with Mangini, but that's the breaks of having to keep him a secret.  Ah well.  Two notes both related to Myung:

- On the phone, he said "Hi, this is JM."  HE KNOWS OUR LANGUAGE!!!

- When talking about writing the album, he mentioned that he enjoyed the feeling of what it was like to just be with Petrucci as a kid and jam on ideas.  That was a place he said he wished he was at on the WDADRU documentary.  It's really cool to me that the writing process for this album has created a place where Myung feels comfortable again.

And thus, the doc has accomplished what it's supposed to.  I'm glad for the Portnoy years of DT, but a new chapter of DT history is here.  I feel like it's DT again, and I really want to see what this version of the band accomplishes.

Great post, ReaPsTA, and I agree on all of it.

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that MM likely wasn't part of the writing process, but if he wasn't, maybe he could slip in some ideas during the recording, who knows? Nonetheless, it'll be very exciting to see how much of the old writing chemistry has remained and how much of a new one has come.

[CrimsonSunrise]

solid choice


i was just kinda mad that mangini wasnt with them at the studio

I was thinking the same....Hopefully that doesn't mean he was totally excluded from the writing process.

Umm he was there.  His sit down interview after the fact was in the studio.

Good catch!  Also good to hear, it's exciting to see what fresh ideas he brings to the DT equation.

[Sixtease]

Acquiles looks like a cool guy.

[Jirpo]

- On the phone, he said "Hi, this is JM."  HE KNOWS OUR LANGUAGE!!!

This floored me!!

This!

[bodiesinflight]

When they called Mangini before Marco, I thought for sure that was the "you're not it, sorry" call.

Wait, why did they call Marco exactly? I can't watch the video yet because I'm at work. Please fill me in.

They didn't call Marco. OR didn't show it. They first showed calling Peter to tell him he unfortunately didn't get it. Then it talks about how hard of a decision it was between Marco and Mangini.  Finally they said the decision became clear. They called Mangini. Given they hadn't called Marco yet, I was expecting him to get a no. But it was them telling him he got the job.

I'm not surprised they didn't show it. There was no real reason to and it wouldn't be particularly fair on the guy whom I'm sure was very disappointed.

[OsMosis2259]

at 2:20 i thought JR was going to go up to Priester and like smack him or something for messing up but it was the total opposite  

"YOU DID A FUCKING GREAT JOB"

[zxlkho]

Peter's performance in the audition was so great, that I'm listening to Darkane's Expanding Senses right now! Great job Peter.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Peter: Whatever the reason was you got picked to audition, when it came time for the actual audition, you were friggin' incredible. You seem like an awesome dude. Best of luck in the future!

[Nighthawkwill7]

I have such high hopes now 

Bring on the new album!   

[Kotowboy]

Wait........



Mike Portnoy quit the band ?? 

[KevShmev]

Something to think about, too, is this: there were a number of fans who thought Portnoy should have been let back in when he reached out to them sometime in December, but remember that this whole process had already been completed by then.  Were they supposed to tell Mangini, "Oh, sorry, but Mike wants back in, so even though you had to give up your job at Berklee, you're out already."  

[Jirpo]

OMG, anyone who is friends with JLB on facebook, go to his profile and look at the first post on his wall. Really irritates me that people say stuff like that, and they don't represent the majority at all.

[JPX]

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that MM likely wasn't part of the writing process, but if he wasn't, maybe he could slip in some ideas during the recording, who knows? Nonetheless, it'll be very exciting to see how much of the old writing chemistry has remained and how much of a new one has come.

Once again...why would anyone think that he would not be involved with writing?!?!?
Hey lets make a big deal by auditioning all these world class drummers then ban them from the writing process then ask them to just sit there and play everything note for note.

[zxlkho]

Wait........



Mike Portnoy quit the band ??  

Slowpoke.jpg

[kartmaze2]

Something to think about, too, is this: there were a number of fans who thought Portnoy should have been let back in when he reached out to them sometime in December, but remember that this whole process had already been completed by then.  Were they supposed to tell Mangini, "Oh, sorry, but Mike wants back in, so even though you had to give up your job at Berklee, you're out already."  

I totally agree! They couldn't have done it differently...

[7StringedBeast]

Guys MM was in the studio!  His sit down interviews after he is hired are done from the studio.

[OsMosis2259]

Anyone notice something weird at 4:42?

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Peter, seriously. You made Myung smile.

[fadetoblackdude7]

BRILLIANT!!

Mr. Mangini, welcome to the DT world!!!

.....and Mr. Wildoer, you did a phenominal job, we are all very proud of you!!

[7StringedBeast]

holy crap they spelt LaBrie's name wrong!

[tri.ad]

Something to think about, too, is this: there were a number of fans who thought Portnoy should have been let back in when he reached out to them sometime in December, but remember that this whole process had already been completed by then.  Were they supposed to tell Mangini, "Oh, sorry, but Mike wants back in, so even though you had to give up your job at Berklee, you're out already."  

This number of fans were just giving up their common sense for an undying fandom for MP. At least that's my point of view...

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that MM likely wasn't part of the writing process, but if he wasn't, maybe he could slip in some ideas during the recording, who knows? Nonetheless, it'll be very exciting to see how much of the old writing chemistry has remained and how much of a new one has come.

Once again...why would anyone think that he would not be involved with writing?!?!?
Hey lets make a big deal by auditioning all these world class drummers then ban them from the writing process then ask them to just sit there and play everything note for note.

Oh, don't take me wrong; I was just merely quoting ReaP's post. Honestly, I'd love to be proven wrong and find out that MM actually did contribute to the writing.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Anyone notice something weird at 4:42?

Peter played in both James LaBrie and James LeBrie's albums. Both albums were great, although I give the upper hand to the LeBrie album.

[Nighthawkwill7]

The expression on JM's face compared to the rest of the guys at 11:40...    

[T-ski]

Anyone notice something weird at 4:42?

Peter played in both James LaBrie and James LeBrie's albums. Both albums were great, although I give the upper hand to the LeBrie album.

I don't foresee this as a great resume vid for the production company.  They screwed up audio and misspelled someones name.  Not very professional.

[Jirpo]

Anyone notice something weird at 4:42?

Peter played in both James LaBrie and James LeBrie's albums. Both albums were great, although I give the upper hand to the LeBrie album.

Haha yeah I noticed that first time round

[7StringedBeast]

Well, I have been rooting for Marco this whole time but I'm not really disappointed he didn't get the job at all.  I think Mangini was a great choice for the band and it makes me so happy to see how much he wanted to be in the band.  I mean, he REALLY wanted it. 

Peter, fantastic job like everyone has been saying.  Sounded really good from what was shown.

So welcome Mike Mangini.  I am really confident he's going to do a great job.  Bring on this new album!!

[Nihil-Morari]

Wow. Great doc, great stuff. Really shows the band from it's best angle. Being creative, playing very difficult music, but being totally nice guys. This really is an hour long DT commercial.

And Mike Mangini: Welcome! I've been a long time fan of you, and I'm totally thrilled to hear what you bring to the table on the new DT album!

[zerogravityfat]

The expression on JM's face compared to the rest of the guys at 11:40...    

myung would so win the you raugh you ruse.

[nickel]

I love Mike Mangini and I love Mike Portnoy... I look at it this way:  More projects, more great music.

Also, it really stood out to me how kind and gracious all of the guys in DT are and also all of the auditioning drummers. This is a huge part of why I'm such a fan. Real guys who are down-to-earth and have a healthy humility about themselves amidst their incredible musical talent. And to hear Mike Mangini say "Thank you for trusting me" more than once really shows a level of humility and emotional maturity that is so lacking in other areas of the music industry.  This was inspiring!

[rumborak]

Something to think about, too, is this: there were a number of fans who thought Portnoy should have been let back in when he reached out to them sometime in December, but remember that this whole process had already been completed by then.  Were they supposed to tell Mangini, "Oh, sorry, but Mike wants back in, so even though you had to give up your job at Berklee, you're out already."  

Not only that, but frankly I thought DT was treading a very tight rope in not showing their excitement to have a new drummer too overtly. I had the impression they were internally busting at the seams at the thought of having the opportunity to shake things up and maybe change things that had been irking them for a long time. I think after the first drummer sat behind the drum kit, DT hasn't looked back.

rumborak

[Kotowboy]

Some Kind Of Monster it was not 

[CrimsonSunrise]

And what a classy thing for Mangini to say about carrying on the torch for MP...awesome.