MIKE PORTNOY: 'I Have No Interest In Playing Perfect'

October 28, 2015

In a brand new interview with Stage Shotzz, drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) was asked why it's so important for him to be more than just "the guy behind the drums." He responded: "It's just my personality. I'm very outgoing, an extrovert, a control freak. I'm OCD [affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder], so it's just my personality. I can't sit quietly in the back."

He continued : "The first time I saw Keith Moon [THE WHO] play, I pointed at the screen and said, 'That's what I want to do.' I had been a WHO fan my whole life but I had not seen him on screen until 'The Kids Are Alright' in movie theatres in 1979. There was this drummer who you couldn't take your eyes off of. He was captivating. I wanted to be that type of drummer."

Portnoy added: "I don't care about technique. I have kind of been pigeonholed as a technical drummer since I was in DREAM THEATER for all those years, but it's actually very far from the truth. I am not a technical drummer at all. I'm more from the Keith Moon/Lars Ulrich school of 'hey, look at me!' I just get up there and bash. I have no interest in playing 'perfect.' To me, it's more about being an entertainer. Having a connection with the audience."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 30 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). Portnoy later revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed.

THE WINERY DOGS, which also features guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen and legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH),released its sophomore album, "Hot Streak", on October 2 in North America on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and in the rest of the world via earMUSIC.

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