THE PROG INTERVIEW
Jordan Rudess looks back on a career that started out at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School and ended up in arenas with Dream Theater.
The Prog Interview is just that: every month we’re going to get inside the minds of some of the biggest names in music. This issue, it’s Jordan Rudess. Dream Theater’s keyboard whiz could have been a classical pianist, but the Moog was calling him… As a child, the New Yorkborn musician studied at the prestigious Juilliard School Of Performing Arts, and being exposed to Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Who expanded his musical vision. From mourning Mike Portnoy’s departure from Dream Theater to what he really thinks of their fan-dividing 2016 album The Astonishing, and his journey through his mind-expanding new solo album Wired For Madness,
Rudess tells all to Prog.
To state that music is more than a mere profession for a particular artist is, of course, tantamount to lame journalistic cliché. However, in the case of Jordan Rudess this declaration rings far truer than most. From the age of nine, when the New Yorker was admitted to the Juilliard
School Of Music Pre-College Division to take up classical piano, it has dominated his life. Outside of playing and composing with prog metal giants Dream Theater, he also enjoys a solo career, invents technical software and passes on the secrets of his remarkable gifts to a new generation of players.
Rudess became a member of Dream Theater after a stint alongside Deep Purple/Kansas guitarist Steve Morse in jazz rockers Dixie Dregs, followed by two albums with Liquid Tension Experiment, an instrumental ‘supergroup’ that also featured DT’s John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy and bass player extraordinaire Tony Levin. Dream Theater’s ruthless decision to free up a space within their ranks by booting out Derek Sherinian was vindicated when Rudess wrote and performed to quite dazzling effect on their fifth full-length album, 1999’s Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes From A Memory, a watershed moment that the band plan to revisit on their upcoming world tour.
Two decades, nine further studio albums, a pair of
Grammy nominations and one replacement drummer later, Rudess is just about indispensable to Dream Theater. Together with guitarist Petrucci, he masterminded their überambitious conceptual doubleset The Astonishing over three years of painstaking, meticulous
There have been times when I’ve taken the band something that I consider to be a really heavy riff and they’ve
given me a sideways look and said, ‘That sounds like Billy
Joel to us.’
planning. That most of the group’s fans thumbed their noses at its excesses is almost an irrelevance to both Petrucci and Rudess, who consider the following of their muse to be far more important.
On the day of The Prog Interview, Jordan is multitasking between prepping for a tour for Distance Over Time, a back-tobasics follow-up that Dream Theater fans have hailed as an emphatic return to form, and talking to the media about Wired For Madness, a new solo collection that co-stars colleagues Petrucci and singer James
LaBrie, plus guitarists Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson), Joe Bonamassa and Vinnie Moore (solo shredder and current UFO member), and drummers Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, The Sea
Within), Rod Morgenstein (Winger, Dixie Dregs) and Elijah Wood (OrKeystra, Shania Twain).
What do you recall of entering Juilliard at nine years old to learn classical piano?
Juilliard was a very straight and focused environment.
And then one day a high school friend turned up at the house with a Moog. We took it to my bedroom, turned a couple of knobs and that was it – my life changed. Before too long my wall was covered in posters of Rick Wakeman and Patrick Moraz.
Pre-Moog, who had been your earliest musical heroes?
Artists like [Arthur] Rubinstein and [Vladimir] Horowitz. Outside of classic musical, the only artist I was aware of was The Beatles. There had also been a very progressively minded Juilliard teacher who took me to the Fillmore East to see The Who performing Tommy when I was 13 years old. I’d never experienced anything quite like that.
So in a parallel universe could you have become a concert pianist?
It’s quite possible, yeah. The Juilliard training was so intense, whenever they spoke of music other than classical it was drummed into us that [the artists responsible] were lower-class citizens. I was almost brainwashed by that to the point that when I discovered progressive rock via [Emerson, Lake & Palmer album] Tarkus I didn’t know what to do with it – it was so alien to me.
Were you the sort of kid that drove their parents wild by taking the vacuum cleaner apart to see how it worked?
I’m not technical on that level. I’m driven by sound. If I want to create a certain type of sound then I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. But a programmer? No, that’s not me.
When did Dream Theater start to appear on your radar?
Around the time they had Kevin Moore [on keyboards] with Awake [1994]. I thought: “Wow, they have the virtuoso thing going on. They play prog but they also have a feel for metal, and everything was so clean.” The fusion of those elements was so cool.
But you declined a first overture to join the band that same year, preferring instead to accept a part-time role with
Dixie Dregs.
Yeah. Not long afterwards Dream Theater called and offered an audition, which I did. I played one show with them at an event called the Foundations Forum, but at the same time I was also approached to do something with the Dregs. While I made up my mind I did a tour with the Dregs. At that time my wife and I had a small child and being with them just seemed better suited to my life.
Your involvement in Liquid Tension Experiment was, to borrow the words of James LaBrie, “What made us realise that Jordan had to be in Dream Theater.”
I had said ‘no’ to Dream Theater but I welcomed the call inviting me to play with John and Mike, it had felt like my only opportunity to do so. That was exciting. Tony Levin is a brilliant musician who came from another world to those guys, so I was the ‘in between guy’. Thinking about it now, that’s almost my role in Dream Theater – to keep things balanced.
Dream Theater elbowed aside Derek Sherinian in order to make space for you. Mike Portnoy once admitted to me: “It was a cold, harsh thing for us to have done to Derek.” Did the fact that they could be so calculated make you wary in any sense?
Of course I feel for anybody that loses
their job, but at the time [the way they treated him] was not the first thing on my mind. I didn’t know Derek, and how it was all going to work out was more the concern of all the other parties. I certainly wasn’t out to screw Derek.
Sherinian was nicknamed “the Caligula of the keyboards” by Alice Cooper. How did you bring your own personality to the role?
The fact that we got along together so well was a very good start, but when I came into the group there were parameters to sort out. What stylistic elements from my world would be allowed into theirs? I had to learn and adjust to that. What I had to offer was my interest in orchestration. That changed the whole sonic picture. I was never about playing one sound. At the start that to them was like, “Ew.” [Laughs]. Sure, they were excited about my compositional ideas and my playing – John Petrucci really needed a partner to inspire and keep up with him – but at first my desire to push those buttons made them a little nervous.
I had so much energy built up that this album almost turned out hyper-prog – hence the
title, Wired For Madness. Sure, I can play
pretty piano but I also enjoy
going to this deep place, the very extreme
of prog.
You joined immediately prior to the recording of Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory. Do you agree with those fans who rate it among Dream Theater’s career peaks?
Yeah, and of course that was such an exciting time. When I agreed to join them I had no idea of the life change it would bring. I had never travelled the world. They had a lifestyle that I had only seen from a distance. Suddenly the doors were blasted open.
How long did it take to feel like you had complete acceptance?
Because of the experience with Liquid Tension it happened pretty much right away. They made me a full-time member and we went straight to work.
During a past interview that we did together you remembered how, upon receiving the news that Mike Portnoy was exiting the band in 2010, you sat on the steps of your studio and wept.
[In an emotional voice] As you said those words my memory flashed back to that day. I still recall that feeling and it feels even more powerful because after 10 years Mike and recently I got back together and played music together on Cruise To The Edge. But back then Mike and I had travelled the world together, if it wasn’t for him I would never have been in Dream Theater, and he had supported a lot of my wacky ideas and made sure they hit vinyl. So his decision to leave was a major, major thing.
Hand on heart, could you have envisaged how well things have gone with his replacement, Mike Mangini?
Well, the odds on finding a drummer as incredible as Mike [Portnoy] were pretty long but after those drummer auditions that were so well documented we started to feel pretty positive about the future. And when Mangini came in and absolutely nailed it the way he did, I think we knew that we would be okay.
You stated that Dream Theater fuse metal and prog, but it’s done almost like some kind of seesaw, somehow managing to balance the two elements.
The other guys in the band are very influenced by Iron Maiden and Metallica, plus various prog things such as Yes, also bands like Queensrÿche. But I come from a different place. For me, first and foremost it’s classical music, followed by Emerson,
Lake & Palmer, King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd. That’s where my heart lies.
What would be the most extreme metal you would listen to?
Well, I also play some guitar and am into AC/DC and Judas Priest. As a kid, while I was still figuring out my musical identity, I loved Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath [1973]. Being in this band taught me a lot about metal because early on we covered full albums by Iron Maiden
[The Number Of The Beast] and Metallica [Master Of Puppets], so I had to learn how to play the second guitar parts on the keyboard. There have been times when I’ve taken the band something that I consider to be a really heavy riff and they’ve given me a sideways look and said, “That sounds like Billy Joel to us.” As a keyboard player I have to be very careful how I present my ideas.
Are you a bit of a prog nerd, keeping up with the latest bands and albums?
To a point, yeah. I really love Prog magazine and I read it from cover to cover whenever I get my hands on it. I was just at Cruise To The Edge and I like to follow the younger players and encourage those that are doing interesting things. For instance, I did a bit on the album by The Sea Within and I’ve jammed with Haken, who I’m a big supporter of.
Which classical record would you recommend to somebody who believes it’s a stuffy form of music?
Oh wow. One of my favourite composers is Prokofiev so if
I was talking to someone with an appreciation of prog I would point them towards one of his piano concertos. I’m also a fan of Bach, who not everyone can relate to but if they picked up a record of Glenn Gould playing Bach I think they’d find that exciting.
What might we find lurking in your collection that would surprise a Prog reader?
I’m very much drawn to things that are spacey and mellow, so I’m a big fan of Sigur Rós. Valtari [2012] is such a beautiful album. It might not surprise anybody but I’m a big Steven Wilson fan. I’ve had the pleasure of playing with him several times throughout the years. Also, Richard Devine is a fabulous electronic musician.
Your new solo album, Wired For Madness, has two conceptually based title tracks
that clock in at almost 12 and 22 minutes apiece, but it’s big and colourful and doesn’t get bogged down in its own self-importance.
Thanks man, that’s cool to hear. It’s been a long time since I was able to sit in my studio, focus and make that kind of a record. The last time I had that opportunity was The Road Home [2007], which was mostly a covers album of my favourite progressive songs. I had so much energy built up that this album almost turned out hyperprog – hence the title, Wired For Madness. Sure, I can play pretty piano but I also enjoy going to this deep place, the very extreme of prog. I like electronic textures and using my sonic palette to create music that will take people on a journey.
It’s certainly bombastic.
When I told my wife how crazy it was turning out to be she told me: “You’re also going to have to write some music that’s a little easier to digest.” I didn’t want to hear that, but she was right. It needed some moments that would allow the listener to take a breath.
Where did you get the inspiration for its lyrical theme of a character that uses technology to reboot and improve his life?
The idea of a character that becomes partly computerised and robotic came up during a conversation with a friend of mine. Just imagine the head trips that would come from that scenario. In the end the storyline leaves him very much alone – what do you do when everything in your life is taken care of?
The album features collaborators past and present including James LaBrie and John Petrucci, plus Rod Morgenstein of Dixie Dregs, but also notably, Marco Minnemann, who almost became a bandmate in Dream Theater.
Marco is a musical brother of mine; I discovered his playing before he auditioned for Dream Theater. Everybody [in the band] realised his talent, but let me say there are a lot of factors that go into becoming the drummer of Dream Theater – it goes beyond things that you might expect. I wanted to maintain my reputation with him, and we made two instrumental albums as Levin Minnemann Rudess, which was great fun. I assigned Marco the hardest parts of this record because the guy eats unusual meters for breakfast. Three days later he had the whole thing done and there was nothing negative I could say.
How did you get Joe Bonamassa involved on Just Can’t Win?
My idea was to write a blues track but twist it a little bit. I’m Jordan Rudess, I’m not going to write a traditional blues song [laughs]. I had met Joe at a Dream Theater show so I wrote to him and the following day he replied saying he’d love to do it. I love that we added real brass on top of the song.
Will you be taking the solo record on the road?
Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I think I’ll take it on tour with 10 keyboard players. No, I’m kidding. I need to work out how to present it. Luckily, I have an excuse – Dream Theater is ready to embark on a massive tour. That buys me some time.
Tell us about your role in developing GeoShred, a musical instrument for iPad, which for those who don’t know, is like being a lead guitarist without a guitar.
[Laughs] That’s right. Joe Satriani tells me I’m the best guitarist without a guitar in the world.
And it was invented by your company Wizdom Music, which is “dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology to create expressive and exciting tools for making music”.
Yeah, I did it in partnership with Stanford University. I’ve had Wizdom Music for about 10 years. I’ve been developing all kinds of instruments, mostly in the iOS world so they’re for iPhones and iPads. GeoShred has had a profound effect on the music world. It’s like being able to access the technique of Jeff Beck or Steve Vai.
Your online conservatory offers exercises you have prepared “for musicians of all levels”. In today’s climate of players who want everything yesterday, do you still believe in the pursuit of excellence?
I am a big believer in supporting technology that allows us as human beings to increase our ability and to become more effective. I don’t like technology that separates us from the electronics. I love it when you touch something and it responds in an organic way that perhaps was never possible before.
The idea of taking a musical instrument and elevating it to another level due to the technology is very appealing to me – and I’m talking about things like the continuum fingerboard that I play.
Which personal goals do you still have to achieve?
Over the past few years I’ve been drawn into the world of orchestras. I wrote a piece called Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra that I was lucky enough to perform with a few orchestras. That’s a wonderful avenue for me. I enjoy the compositional aspect and the performance of it, so I’d love to work with more orchestras around the world and maybe even do a tour that would allow me to play my concerto and maybe a Mozart concerto. Over the years I’ve become very comfortable returning to my classical roots.
Do you envisage a scenario that might cause you to someday leave Dream Theater?
Anything is possible in this world, but it would have to be something pretty extreme. We’re having such a great time, especially as the new album [Distance Over Time] was made with everybody hanging out together and enjoying one another’s company. If it wasn’t for that fact… look, I’m 62 years old, I’ve got a ton of other interests [outside of the band] and nobody knows where life will take us, but I derive a lot of strength from the fact that Dream Theater is really solid right now. We knew that not everybody would like The Astonishing, we’re not blind and we’re not stupid but we did it anyway. After a long career we reserve the right to do exactly that. And now we’ve made another really great album so we’re just going to go out there and rock.
Wired for Madness out now via Music Theories Recordings/ Mascot Label Group. See www.jordanrudess.com for more.
I was just at Cruise To The Edge and I like to follow the younger players and encourage those that are doing interesting things.