Dateline: 1/30/98
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MB: So you guy finished up your U.S. tour now, right?
JM: Well, I look at it more as a part one of our U.S. tour.
MB: So you guys are going to be coming back then?
JM: Yeah. We are going to eventually do more touring here. But it probably won’t
be until to the middle of this year.
MB: How’s the turn out and response been so far?
JM: The tour is doing great. We are pretty much selling out everywhere we go.
And we are getting a very, very strong response to our live show. It’s been great.
I don’t really have the numbers and everything, but pretty much everywhere we go
it sells out. And there’s been great word of mouth. There’s been great word of mouth
happening everywhere, although we haven’t had a lot of advertising and promotion
that’s coinciding with our record. But that’s only because it’s been hard getting
coverage from major publication and outside musician magazines. The few this year,
the momentum of our touring, and going to areas and putting on a good show, I think
are working. Things are working for us at that level. It’s creating a network for
us right now. And our new single is doing really good right now… our second single.
It’s been at radio for two weeks now, and it’s gotten close to ninety adds already.
So, who knows, things can turn around for us in the United States. We’ll just have
to wait and see at this point.
MB: Talking about word of mouth, there’s been a lot of bands that have come out
over the years that have tried to copy what you are doing, and almost ride on your
coat tails, but they’ve never been able to capture the type of following that you
have. What is it that you feel sets Dream Theater apart from everyone else? What
do you think makes people so loyal to you?
JM: The music that we create it’s… you know, when I’m playing up on stage, I
look over and I see Derek, I see John, I see Mike, and it’s like I feel a certain
magic happening when we all come together and create and play music. It’s one of
the greatest experiences to have. To have that chemistry. So I think it’s the chemistry
of who we are as people creating the music. And that’s ultimately what comes out
in the sound and the music. And it’s all about the music, right? It’s all about people
listening. Listening and liking what they hear and then going out and pursuing it
further. Buying the album, and getting to know it, and listening to it, and living
with it. So I think it’s the chemistry that we have as players together with each
other. It’s synergistic, you know. The sum is greater than the parts. You get into
a situation where one plus one equals three, and not one point five. When we get
together, it’s a real cool chemistry.
MB: So how did you first get interested in music?
JM: Just through the sheer power and energy that I experienced as a kid going
to see rock concerts and listening to rock music. It was just a real… it became a
real obsession. And, you know, kids in my neighborhood were forming bands. And one
thing led to another, and I started playing bass. And then playing in different bands
in high school. Then eventually, going to music college. That’s where the band formed.
Well, the core anyway, with me, John, and Mike - the bass, drum, and guitar part
of the band. Well that’s. . I don’t want to go there. That’s just biographical. That’s
boring. You know, one thing led to another. It’s a real passion, you know. Something
that I really enjoy doing. I love jamming and performing with friends of mine. And
then I went to college to learn a little bit about music. And to jell with other
players that I went to the college. And then the band formed up there, and one thing
led to another, you know. We just stayed in the basement. We didn’t do too much playing
out, but we always had a definite plan of action when it came to how we would practice.
We were very dedicated. Every night, no matter what we did, we would always meet
each other at six o’clock and play to ten, to twelve, every night Monday through
Friday. That’s what we had embedded in our minds to do. And, over a period of time,
we had a collection of songs put together. Then we shopped that. And then we had
a record deal. And then the whole roller coaster ride began. Going from album to
album, touring behind each album, and it’s been a great learning experience, you
know. With each new album, it’s a whole new chapter. It’s a whole new chapter in
our career.
MB: Would you say that the bands dedication has been one of the key things that
have really pushed you to the level that you’re at?
JM: Absolutely. It’s just a fundamental, really. Hard work. It’s a basic fundamental
that you have to embrace to be good at what you do.
MB: Absolutely. Each album that you’ve done has had a different feel from each
of the others. How do you think that your music has changed the most from the first
album until now?
JM: You just have different sets of experiences flowing through you with each
album. It’s a reflection of where you are musically, and just what you are experiencing
at the time. It all plays into the type of record you make. And, you know, we started
out in 1989, and it’s 1998. So it’s been almost nine years. It’s been nine years
of steady hard work and growth. That’s how I look at it.
MB: What do you feel really sets this album apart from everything else that you’ve
done? What makes this album special for you?
JM: Well, there’s a new member involved. That certainly changes things a bit,
you know. Whenever you change the ingredients, things change. You know about that
right?
MB: Just a little bit. I don’t know all the details on it.
JM: With this album, Derek Sherinian was the new member of the band. And it was
a great experience working with Derek, and just learning how to work with each other.
We had a lot of fun. We had a year and a half of writing, and recording, and making
demos. It was just a real positive experience. But it took a little getting used
to, because whenever… I mean, I’ve been with… You know what? I don’t even want to
go there. That’s like getting all wishy-washy. But, I mean, this album… over time
we have become better players. And we have a new member on this album. And also we
worked with an amazing producer in Kevin Shirley. Who, right before working with
us, came off the live Aerosmith album. Kevin Shirley really brought a lot of live
energy to the recording. And we also recorded the album differently than we have
in the past. In the past we would first lay all the drums down, then guitars, then
the bass, the keyboards, the leads, and the vocals. It would be a layering process.
Whereas with this album, what we did with Kevin is we recorded each song from start
to finish before moving on to the next song. So it was really beneficial to the song
to do it that way, because we were all able to give it our undivided attention. Undivided
attention to the song that was being recorded. So we were really able to explore
different experimental options that could possibly make the song a stronger song,
or a more interesting song, than the original. So there was a lot of time to experiment
and to take different points of view. And it ranged from just a simple… it could
range from a simple bass part, to the way we arranged the whole song. And I think
that really helped to find the character of each song, as well. So, when you put
all those things together, it made for a really interesting album.
MB: Do you feel that it maybe captured more of the energy of a live show that
way?
JM: Absolutely. That’s one of Kevin Shirley’s fortes - recording a band live
and capturing that live energy on the tape.
MB: I know you guys have had a big influence on so many people. How does it make
you feel to know that you’ve had that effect on different bands?
JM: It’s great. It’s just really positive feedback, you know. You put something
out, and you don’t know how it’s going to get received. But when people come up to
you after a show and tell you how great they thought the show was, and how much they
love the record, it’s a very rewarding feeling. I don’t know how else to describe
it. It’s a real good experience.
MB: Out of all of the things that the band has accomplished, and I know you’ve
accomplished a lot, what’s the one thing that you are most proud of achieving?
JM: Being able to make a living as a musician. There are just so many great players
out there, and so many bands trying to make it, that just the fact that I was able
to do something… I just feel really, really blessed that I have been able to be a
part of something that is successful, and to make a good living at it. That is one
of the major accomplishments.
MB: What’s the one thing that you haven’t yet done that you’d most like to before
you’re done?
JM: Well, I think we all want at one point to… that’s a good question. I really
haven’t thought that far ahead. I don’t know if I can answer that. We are just doing
the best we can taking it day by day. Taking everything one step at a time. I mean,
eventually, we would like to be bigger than we are today. Hopefully as we grow, so
will our audience. I think that’s pretty much the plan. It sounds simplistic, but
that’s really what it is in simple terms. It’s just the growth of the players into
mature people.
MB: What do you enjoy most about what you do?
JM: I enjoy getting out there and playing in front of people. It’s very rewarding
when you are warming up, getting ready to play a sold out show, and all these people
are out there waiting for you. And they want to see you play. And you go out, and
it's just the biggest rush of adrenaline when you go out there. I think that’s the
best part.
MB: What do you think is probably the most popular misconception that people have
about Dream Theater?
JM: I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it, to tell you the truth.
I don’t know.