DREAM THEATER Drummer: 'The Crystal Ball Is Not Always As Clear As You Think It Might Be'

David E. Gehlke of Blistering.com conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy prior to the band's July 14 concert with IRON MAIDEN in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Blistering.com: You came out toward the end of 2009 and said the tour cycle for the new album would end in early 2010. Here we are on the MAIDEN tour. So what made you decide to do it?

Mike Portnoy: When you get the call from MAIDEN, you pack your bags, hit the road and go. It wasn't in our plans. We had planned on being off the road at this time, but when the opportunity arose, we took it. They are one of the few bands that formed the blueprint for DREAM THEATER. When me and John [Petrucci, guitars] and John [Myung, bass] formed the band, it was MAIDEN and RUSH. Those were the two bands that were our heroes; what we wanted DREAM THEATER to be. Even though we don't follow them today like we used to when we were kids, the fact will never change they were our heroes when we formed and one of the few that are a perfect match for us to open for.

Blistering.com: This is by far the longest tenured line-up for DREAM THEATER. What's the chemistry like and why does this particular one work so well?

Portnoy: The chemistry works. It's not what most would think is a normal chemistry because there's certain members way more involved than other members, but it's not by design. A lot of people look at John Myung's lack of lyrical contributions the last 10 years and they'll hold it against me or John Petrucci and that's not the case. That's John Myung. That's the way he is, if he doesn't want to contribute, he doesn't have to. The same with James [LaBrie, vocals]. He takes a lot of flak for not contributing to the music, but this is what works for us, this is the chemistry that works and was comfortable for us. When [ex-keyboardist] Kevin Moore was in the band, it didn't work. He was miserable and made a lot of tension for us. When [ex-keyboardist] Derek Sherinian was in the band, there was a great personal chemistry — he's a great guy and easy to get along with. But the fans never truly accepted him and I don't think the fans truly embraced him until he was gone. The people that were there from '95 to '98, he was never accepted, but Jordan [Rudess] fit like a glove and it felt comfortable. This chemistry is what it is, but it's the right chemistry for this band. Some people contribute more than others and that's what makes it work. I think if anything were to change, we'd fuck it up.

Blistering.com: The AVENGED SEVENFOLD gig. How do you plan on approaching this one?

Portnoy: They're a great bunch of guys, I'm excited to tour with them, proud to be on their album. I'm just looking forward to playing with them some more. They're awesome guys and are going through a very traumatic, emotional experience right now. I'm glad I can be there for them on a musical and personal level.

Blistering.com: It must be nice for you to play stuff that's not so involved, right?

Portnoy: It's definitely going to be a relief to just play drums and not have control over anything else. I don't know if I'd ever want to relinquish control over my band full-time, but to do it with AVENGED SEVENFOLD will be a nice change of pace and I'm looking forward to just playing drums.

Blistering.com: Another project: Steven Wilson [PORCUPINE TREE], Mikael Åkerfeldt [OPETH], you. What's the status?

Portnoy: Those guys got together and wrote some stuff just to feel each other out. And the three of us have been talking for years. I think the Internet has blown it up to the point where it has a life of its own that we never really...thought we'd have for this. We'll see. Right now my year is filled with AVENGED SEVENFOLD once this tour ends. Steven has some commitments with PORCUPINE TREE and some other stuff. That being said, I'd love, love, love to do it and work with those guys, so if I can, I surely will.

Blistering.com: Finally, the plan for the next year and a half: AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DREAM THEATER, possibly that project? What does the crystal ball see for you?

Portnoy: [laughs] I've learned that the crystal ball is not always as clear as you think it might be, because this year, 2010 was supposed to be a quiet year for me. Originally we were going to wind down the DREAM THEATER tour and then I was going to take some time off, but it ended up probably being the busiest year of my career. I've been going literally, non-stop since January and there's no end in sight until December. There's a joke in AA that says something like, "How do you make God laugh? Tell him your plans." There you go. As much as I love to control things, there are certain things that are out of my hands.

Read the entire interview at Blistering.com.