Mike Portnoy
“Dream Theater were one of the first bands, along with Marillion, that really got me into prog rock and prog metal. I remember the first time I heard Images And Words – it changed my whole perspective on music. I was into bands like Iron Maiden, and Dream Theater had the same energy.
“I was actually living in Denver the first time I heard Dream Theater, and Pull Me Under came on while I was in a bar. I just stopped and listened, and the whole rhythm, the flow then the big chugs came in, then the voice kicked in – I just thought, ‘I’m in, you’ve got me!’
“I’m a bassist, so I’m into the rhythm side of things, and that rhythm section of Portnoy and John Myung is unbelievable. He’s just so inventive and such a clever, skilful player – nothing for him is ever standard. He’s always pulling in little things and you think, ‘God, that’s fantastic!’ and the one thing that got me about Dream Theater
and what Portnoy was doing was all the little time signature shifts. Even when they were playing it straight, he would sometimes be doing something on the off, and I just think, ‘Oh, you clever bastard!’
“I met him at Graspop [Metal Meeting in Belgium], I think in 2002. I was with a friend who was playing with Bruce Dickinson so we had all the backstage access – I remember seeing Jordan Rudess, I passed John Myung, and then after the show, backstage, I finally got to meet Portnoy. He was surrounded by a load of drummers, so I got to talk to him for about four or five minutes. I was a complete fanboy, just like, ‘Oh hello, Mr Portnoy!’ The Reasoning shared the same stage with Transatlantic at High Voltage Festival in 2010, and that time I was a little bit cooler around him! [Laughs]
“Portnoy has got this driving force, this love of music, and it comes across in everything he does. He’s got that Duracell bunny drive! It’s so inspiring. He’s not scared of anything, and I really admire that. I’ve got that drive too – I never give up. I don’t think I’ll ever get to where he’s got, but I understand where he’s coming from. He also comes across like, ‘Don’t mess with me’, and I like that too – that’s a good thing to have in this business!”