Radio DJ Offers More Details About MIKE PORTNOY Vs. GEOFF TATE Feud

New York radio DJ Eddie Trunk has commented on the ongoing feud between DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate over the disparaging remarks Tate allegedly made about DREAM THEATER and Portnoy personally during a recent appearance on Trunk's radio show.

In a posting on his web site, Eddietrunk.com, Trunk writes, "Lots of news this week as once again the radio show made some noise about the statements Mike Portnoy made and the revelation that he and Geoff Tate do not get along. The truth about what happened is this: Geoff was a guest on the radio show [March 31]. I have interviewed Geoff many times on both TV and radio and he has always been great to talk to — always outspoken, which is what you want a guest to be. Chris Jericho [FOZZY singer and former WWE wrestler] co-hosted the show, as you heard. Chris is a huge metal fan and loves QUEENSRŸCHE and DREAM THEATER and always brings much to the show.

"Prior to going on the air, we were all hanging out in the kitchen of the Q104 studios when I mentioned to Geoff that we were all going to the big DREAM THEATER show at Radio City Saturday night [April 1]. It was at that time that Geoff asked that DREAM THEATER not be a subject during his time on the air and that he had some differences with Mike Portnoy stemming from their tour together a couple years ago. Geoff said some things about Mike and clearly had no problem that the entire room was hearing how he felt. Jericho and I were surprised since we thought the two were cool and were unaware there was an issue. We also explained to Geoff that Mike was a friend of both or ours and that was pretty much the end of it. Again, this happened OFF the air. I played a DREAM THEATER song and talked about the show the next night early in the radio show, then had Geoff come in. He did 2 1/2 hours of radio and we played all of 'Mindcrime II'. During the show Jericho decided to text-message Portnoy to alert him to what Geoff had said and to find out what triggered it. At the DREAM THEATER show the next night we all discussed it a bit and then Sunday Portnoy decided to go public and give his thoughts on his site about Geoff.

"There has also been considerable email from people upset at Geoff's comments about Ozzy-era SABBATH and his dislike for it. I do not agree with his statements about Ozzy/SABBATH but I sure as hell believe he has a right to his opinion! It is what I have always encouraged on my show and what makes it real.

"So at the end of the day we learned there is clearly an issue between Tate and Portnoy. Hopefully one day it will be resolved but in all honestly it's not up to me to get involved or comment further. I have been flooded with email about this and once Mike took the story public, many have asked for my take. So there you go.

"Trust me folks, in my 23 years of radio I have seen stuff like this countless times with so many artists. Not the first, will not be the last! Look for me, Portnoy and Jericho to have a Metal Summit special next month, details soon."

Since going public with his anti-Tate sentiments last weekend, Portnoy has revealed that Geoff was in fact that the one "who started this war of words and threw the first stone." According to Mike, Tate drew Portnoy's ire with a quote that was published in the new issue of Classic Rock magazine. An excerpt from the article follows:

[Classic Rock article excerpt begins] Given QUEENSRŸCHE's undoubted pedigree as a live act this will undoubtedly be worth seeing, although from a British person's perspective the past few years have allowed DREAM THEATER to gain valuable ground on progressive metal's once seemingly unassailable leaders. Have the apprentices caught up with, or perhaps even overtaken, their mentors?

"The truth is that I'd never even heard DREAM THEATER until they toured with us [a co-headline jaunt in 2003]," winces Tate, failing to hide his distaste. "People compare our bands all the time but I don't hear us in what they do. We're very different animals. We're about writing songs and they're about playing a lot of notes. What I believe music is about is anathema to them." [End of Classic Rock article excerpt.]

Commented Mike: "Let it be known for the record that I *NEVER* once said anything bad, negative or distasteful about him or the band since our tour in 2003. No matter my true feelings on Mr. Taint or the band's music, I was always very diplomatic and kind-worded about the experience and our relationships..."

QUEENSRŸCHE and DREAM THEATER toured North America together as co-headliners in the summer of 2003. The two progressive hard rock giants had originally intended to join forces for a package tour in 2000 — a plan that failed to materialize after QUEENSRŸCHE decided to take the middle slot on IRON MAIDEN's "Brave New World" tour instead. This move infuriated Portnoy, who told Metal Sludge several months later, "I have a bone to pick with [QUEENSRŸCHE]... We had a summer tour in the works being booked with them which I think would have been cool for the fans and they backed out in the 11th hour which fucked us over....I think maybe they realized that having to play after us would make their fans realize how much they suck now!"