but there's not much proof except prog drummers with egos who don't vibe with Mangini thinking he was a pure personality hire.
Someone said this? I don't remember that.
Not the guys who were in the documentary but other lesser known drummers and people in the "drumming community". I've heard a lot of comments like that, that if they were hiring on musical ability, they should have hired some of the other guys from the docu. It's all water under the bridge now though...
But I think that argument is a bit misleading. Look at the guys on the list. Ability was a given in terms of the guys who auditioned being able to play DT material. From a skill/ability standpoint, any of them (or at least most of them) could have stepped in and done a competent job. The musical ability was there. So at that point, of course personality and other "intangibles" and specific preferences would have come into play, and none of that somehow lessens the need for skill and ability.
I do hiring at my present job. By the time applications are screened and we start scheduling interviews, it's pretty much a given that the skill and ability thresholds have been met and we are relatively confident the interviewees can do the job. From there, we start looking at other factors. And if someone demonstrates during the interview that they are maybe an 8.5 out of 10 in terms of skill and ability, but they come across as someone who follows rules, doesn't cause trouble, is pleasant to work with, and fits the office culture, they are going to score better in the interviews than someone who is a 9.5/10 in skill and ability, but comes across as a jerk and a troublemaker. Doesn't mean the 8.5 isn't skilled, even if you may classify them as a "personality hire."