DT members personalities

[tiagodon]

Hi there. Iīm new in this forum. And Iīm also a new fan of the band (since 2012, when I saw them live in my city). Had nothing to do that night and went down to see this band. It blew me away. Now I canīt stop listening to their CDs.
Anyway... That night I saw Mike Mangini play. Then I learned that the famous Portnoy had left. Reading stuff here and there, I started to wonder: Man, 25 years of friendship... Why the DT members got rid of him so fast??! In a few months they had a new drummer! The process of replacement was fast! And the new guy didnīt even participate in the writing process of the new album (Dramatic Turn...).
Well, here we go to the theme of this topic. Who are they?
Iīm a new fan, so... be nice. I donīt have much information. I just want to know them better. Iīve been in lots of bands, so I can kind of draw some theories based on my experience.
Letīs begin with my humble theory: Portnoy was a pain in the ass (a perfectionist-control-freak) and the band members thanked God he left. James LaBrie never liked him. Who is LaBrie? Petrucci is a nice guy, but got rid of a heavy load. Now Myung and James are writing lyrics!! With Portnoyīs departure, the other members went loose! Who are these guys? Is DT in need of a new chemistry? Is Magini the answer? Guess we will find out in september...
What do you think?

[eosforum]

Don't expect any G'n'R drama there mate. They are all just nice guys, family men. MP left cause ha had lost his enthusiasm and because he felt the band was not very close when on tour. It became kinda stale and he proposed a hiatus. The other guys couldn't just stop doing this, so he decided to go to everyone's surprise. Noone was happy when this went down. Of course now there are some "silver linings" and the band seems to feel better and more enthusiastic.

[lonestar]

Yup, he described it rather well.

And be careful with how you talk about MP, he does post here and has VIP status.




And welcome to Dtf, have some bacon

[tiagodon]

Just open conversation, folks. Thatīs all!

[KevShmev]

DT didn't get rid of him; he left on his own.

I suspect that some of the members are happier now without him there (JLB, for one, and maybe Myung), but they'll never come out and directly say it.

Mangini is a beast on the drums, and an excellent replacement.

A Dramatic Turn of Events was their best-received album by the fans in nearly a decade, so the change clearly was the shot of adrenaline the band needed to start kicking major ass again. 

[Setlist Scotty]

MP has always been a control-freak - he's said as much himself. I believe JP really likes to be in control of the situation as well, tho it's not as obvious as MP. JR has probably been the most experimental of all the members of the band, especially with his incorporating of new instruments and/or software for coming up with new sounds and the like. JM has always been the quiet member of the band. MM is the mathematician of the band (or so it seems) and is extremely humble and outgoing. Hard to describe JL as easily, altho he's always been a very pleasant person to be around.

For the record, MP and JL were not always at odds with one another. When JL first joined DT, he and MP were particularly close. But over time, their relationship became strained on at least 2 occasions.

In general, I've met all of the guys in the band (including Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici) and every single one of the guys have been friendly to fans and humble about their accomplishments. None of them ever came off as a rockstar that was too good for you. Even when I met Kevin Moore (in January of 1993, along with the rest of the band), he was pleasant and liked to joke around; not sure what he's like these days.

[BlobVanDam]

In general, I've met all of the guys in the band (including Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici) and every single one of the guys have been friendly to fans and humble about their accomplishments. None of them ever came off as a rockstar that was too good for you.

Yep, they're all down to earth nice dudes. In my experience, the guys you see on screen are the real deal.
MP was very humble when I spoke to him.

[Sycsa]

But over time, their relationship became strained on at least 2 occasions.

Please elaborate.

[wasteland]

2002 ultimatum and likely the interview in which Mike stated that had the singer audition happened in 2009 he wouldn't have ultimately chosen James because of a shift in his singing taste.

But let's not turn this into another JLB vs. MP speculative threads, we have had a huge lot of them already.


As for me, I always appreciated the thoughtful side of JLB's personality that is really evident in interviews or lenghty conversations (as I have been told). To sum up his character I want to quote what someone (you know who you are): "He may appear grumpy but he has a heart of pure gold."

[tiagodon]

2002 ultimatum? What happened?

Blabbermouth.net: "During an appearance on the September 28, 2010 edition of the "Used Bin Radio" show, LaBrie was asked if he was "sad" over Portnoy's decision to leave DREAM THEATER, the band Mike formed and led for 25 years. "You know what?! I'm not sad at all," LaBrie replied. "I've gotta be honest with you."

[wasteland]

You should not really give much credit to blabbermouth when it comes to personal relations. They are known for taking sentences out of contest in order to spark discussion and controversy (often succeeding). JLB meant there that he was not sad of what happened because it would have meant the opportunity for a fresh start with the band (a sentiment I shared with him).

[?]

Even when I met Kevin Moore (in January of 1993, along with the rest of the band), he was pleasant and liked to joke around; not sure what he's like these days.

Judging by interviews, FB posts, etc. Kevin still has a great sense of humor His lack of desire to have anything to do with DT may make him look grumpy, but he isn't.

2002 ultimatum? What happened?

To put it short, James was told to improve his live performances or leave the band. However, I've gotten the impression MP was the only one who seriously considered firing him.

[aprilethereal]

MP's increasing amount of vocal contribution in DT songs over time, especially in A Nightmare To Remember, Prophets Of War, The Dark Eternal Night, maybe The Glass Prison shows that he was not really pleased with JLB's vocals/singing style/voice anymore. He even wanted the "Day after day" part in ANTR to be growled instead of featuring clean singing.
I also remember that there was a statement from the BC&SL era where MP said something like 'JLB's vocals don't fit DT anymore'.

[Another_Won]

MP's increasing amount of vocal contribution in DT songs over time, especially in A Nightmare To Remember, Prophets Of War, The Dark Eternal Night, maybe The Glass Prison shows that he was not really pleased with JLB's vocals/singing style/voice anymore. He even wanted the "Day after day" part in ANTR to be growled instead of featuring clean singing.
I also remember that there was a statement from the BC&SL era where MP said something like 'JLB's vocals don't fit DT anymore'.

I would say that he thought JLB's vocals didn't fit his version of DT anymore.  They fit perfectly with the current direction of DT and I'm thankful for that.  Growling isn't singing.

[aprilethereal]

MP's increasing amount of vocal contribution in DT songs over time, especially in A Nightmare To Remember, Prophets Of War, The Dark Eternal Night, maybe The Glass Prison shows that he was not really pleased with JLB's vocals/singing style/voice anymore. He even wanted the "Day after day" part in ANTR to be growled instead of featuring clean singing.
I also remember that there was a statement from the BC&SL era where MP said something like 'JLB's vocals don't fit DT anymore'.

I would say that he thought JLB's vocals didn't fit his version of DT anymore.  They fit perfectly with the current direction of DT and I'm thankful for that.  Growling isn't singing.

Your last sentence was not completely unnecessary and provocative.

Btw, do you realise that i put that MP statement in ' 's? I never said it was anyone else's opinion but MP's.

[JPX]

For the record, MP and JL were not always at odds with one another. When JL first joined DT, he and MP were particularly close. But over time, their relationship became strained on at least 2 occasions.

I don't know what was going on behind the scenes over the years, but all I ever got from those two were distinct undertones of dislike.

To me at least, every piece of DT media from behind the scenes footage, to interviews, to band commentaries - show that MP and JLB just didn't have the best relationship. I always thought that it was a shame but I think they just rubbed each other different ways and perhaps their personalities clashed. Combine that with JLB's vocal issues over the years and I think it left a significant scar. I would imagine when the split came to fruition that all of this came to the surface.

This is also evident I think due to the fact the we know JLB and JM are the one's who no longer communicate with MP.

[puppyonacid]

We know this? I missed that bit of info but I guess it makes sense.

I do remember a vid where MP was looking for JLB whilst at the studio and it turned out he was outside playing basket ball. I got the distinct impression from the vid at the time that MP was a bit nonplussed about the fact JLB was shooting hoops instead of working away in the studio. Could be completely wrong about that but it was the impression I got.

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

its at around the 5:50 mark.

[bosk1]

Eh, we know they butted heads a few times in the past and there was tension between them at the time of the split.  But it's far too easy to look back and read things into the relationship that weren't there.  Like the basketball court thing above.  I don't think there is even an ounce of consternation on Mike's part about that.  Sure, we can look back now and read something into it that isn't there, but that's not really productive at all, especially since none of us here really know anything about the real relationship between Mike and James, other than a few things we may have heard here and there from interviews or clips from some video. 

While speculation in and of itself is fine, this thread just started off on the wrong foot by speculating about the band in very personal ways and making statements that none of us are qualified to make about whether someone is a "pain in the ass" or whether certain members "never liked each other."  Hence the