DREAM THEATER Drummer On Touring With MAIDEN, Playing With AVENGED SEVENFOLD

Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: Why does [IRON] MAIDEN mean so much to you?

Portnoy: They are definitely the blueprint for the sound that DREAM THEATER was modeled after. When me and John Petrucci put together this band 25 years ago, it was MAIDEN and RUSH as far as what we were styled after. They were just one of those bands that was a huge, huge part of it.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: How challenging is it to condense the set as an opening act, especially since many of your songs are more than 10 minutes?

Portnoy: Yeah, it is a challenge. We're used to playing much, much longer shows, so doing a 50-minute set is a nice breath of fresh air and a change of pace. But it is a challenge when I have to put together the setlist. When I put together a list for our audience, I go deep into our catalog. But when we're an opening act, I tailor it mainly to the main band's audience, so I'm putting this one together with MAIDEN's audience in mind. I write it mainly for the hits. Not that we've had hits, but you know, some of the main songs and videos that we've made.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: DREAM THEATER is the poster child of anti-radio and anti-video friendly bands considering the complexity and length of your songs. So how have you guys been able to go so strong for nearly 25 years?

Portnoy: Our fans. We have amazing fans that are diehard and dedicated. A DREAM THEATER fan is not a casual fan. They're devoted. They appreciate us because we've always been against the grain. We've never been a radio-friendly band. We're probably one of the biggest cult bands out there, and our fans feel they're part of this exclusive club that the other kids on the block are not a part of.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: With all the awards you've won, and being one of the most renowned drummers in the industry, what's the most challenging aspect of drumming for you?

Portnoy: To be honest with you, I think the most challenging is living up to my reputation. I've won awards and received acknowledgment in the industry. To me, it's a great honor, but it's a big thing I have to live up to every time. You know, I didn't ask for any of this. All I want to do is play drums, but I know I have expectations to live up to. Sometimes, that's intimidating.

San Antonio Metal Music Examiner: When you got the call from M. Shadows and AVENGED SEVENFOLD asking you to record and eventually tour, what was that initial conversation like for you, then leading into the recording process?

Portnoy: Well, my contact with them began before Jimmy passed away. I had been in touch with Jimmy. He had been sending me e-mails because he'd been a big fan of mine. Then I became friends with M. Shadows. As soon as Jimmy passed, I called M. Shadows and expressed my thoughts and told him I'd do anything I could. I was supportive of what I could do on a personal level. After the funeral, I got a call from their manager, then M. Shadows, and they asked me if I would finish the album. I was completely honored, and luckily, my schedule was open. We met in L.A. and went to dinner and hung out, and those guys were deep in the grieving process. It was a very heavy, heavy process. It's a big family. But I went in and did the album, and we had an amazing time musically and personally, and they welcomed me into the family.

Read the entire interview from the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner.