Dateline: 2/6/98
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MB: I know some people feel that this latest album was made to be more radio friendly
than your other albums. Do you feel that this is the case? And how important is radio
play to a band like Dream Theater?
JM: Well, radio play is very important because it determines how many people
are going to know that you exist. Without that much of a radio presence, you are
pretty much on your own. And it’s really hard, you know. It’s really hard to try
to build a career without radio. You need it, now. There’s only a certain amount
of weight the band can pull through touring. Then radio brings it to a whole other
level of exposure. So it’s really important to be able to get played on the radio
to let people know that you are alive. That there’s a band called Dream Theater that
exists. That we do write songs, and put out albums, you know. It’s very competitive
out there. So many records are coming out all the time. And so much music. It’s hard
to cut through all of that. And that’s where radio comes in. If you have a successful
song, and it gets played, then people will hear you. And if they like what they hear,
they’ll go out and buy you. That’s one way to start the relationship with us and
our fans. It helps people come to hear about the band. There’s this one story – I
met a fan that had read an article about us, a review of the band, and then with
this album, he walked into Tower Records and he heard the album playing and he asked
the people that worked there, "Who is this?" And they said, "Oh, this
is Dream Theater." "I remember I read something about them awhile back."
And he liked what he heard, and went bought the record. And then he explored the
record, and really liked what he heard, so he came to see a show. And then he started
following us around because he was just so into it, you know. And that wouldn’t have
happened without that initial... You need a certain amount of presence in the public
eye so that people know you exist, or else no one will know about you, and no one
will come and see you play. So you need that balance. And that’s where radio comes
in.
MB: Do you think that some of your more hard core fans misunderstand the importance
of radio play?
JM: They might. But, you know, there’s two parts to it. There’s the creative,
and then there’s the business part of it. And you can’t ignore the business part
because how much of a career are you going to have when you show up to play a show
and you’re not bringing enough people in to support the tour. That means you can’t
go out and play. What happens is that you can’t go out and play, you can’t make a
living, so you have to seek an alternate means of income. That means no record, no
music, no band. So, you know, it is important. But the thing is to keep everything
in balance. Which, I think, through the years, we have balance. We have really long
songs. We didn’t… the criteria for our writing is wide open. In terms of content
length and …
MB: It often seems that as a band gains more popularity, for every maybe two fans
that it gains, one leaves because they are not happy. It almost seems that with a
lot of bands, as they become more popular, certain people tend to be more critical
of them. I was wondering if maybe you think that’s because as a band comes more into
the spotlight, they draw more attention. And people always like to criticize whoever
grabs the most attention?
JM: I don’t think that’s so much happening with us, because we’re… you know,
with this album, it’s just exploding everywhere. We’re just growing. You get to certain
point where people ought to accept you for what you are. And you can’t please everybody.
MB: Absolutely. I’ve heard talk that you are planning on making and EP called
Metropolis II. Is that true?
JM: All of that is just rumor. We do have a song called "Metropolis II",
but as to whether it’s going to be released, and things like that, it hasn’t been
determined yet.
MB: Out of all of the songs that Dream Theater has written and done, which means
the most to you and why?
JM: Which song means the most to me? Well, the songs that I feel the closest
to are the ones that I’ve written lyrics for. Because when I wrote them, it was all
about… it was really personal, you know. It was a way of clarifying a personal experience
in musical terms. It’s weird, you know. I don’t know if… I mean, I appreciate the
balance that we all give to the record. I couldn’t really narrow it down to just
one song, because then it would be one-dimensional. I appreciate the differences
in the band, because that’s what adds the dimensions and the variety of the writing.
Without that, it would be all one-dimensional. But the fact that we are all different
people, we all bring different ideas, different personalities, different energies
to the music. It just really makes for a diverse record, you know. And it takes a
lot of getting used to, but it is better than… I’m just babbling, tell me to shut
up.
MB: Do you feel that’s the most important ingredient in quality music - to be
able to pull on the experiences and the emotions of each of the people in the band,
and bring it all together?
JM: Absolutely. It’s all about synergy. It’s all about finding out about what
it is that we can do, and create with each other, that exceeds… It’s all about just
being able to create something that really taps into that part of each person where
everyone is functioning at one hundred percent, you know. Where we are all playing,
and none of us has our hands tied. We all feel good about what’s going on. That’s
what’s important for the band. Because if you don’t have that, there’s something
seriously missing. I’m starting to sound like a psychologist, aren’t I? Alright,
let me give you a one sentence answer.
MB: Okay.
JM: It’s real important to synergies with your players, and to create… ah… next
question.
MB: Who would you say has probably been the most influential person on your life?
JM: Most influence person? I would say Jesus Christ.
MB: Cool. If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you would do? What’s your
second biggest passion that you’d like to follow?
JM: Hmmm… I’m really into computers.
MB: That’s right up my alley.
JM: I just picked up an IBM 560E laptop with 48 Meg, 2.1 Gig. It’s got an Intel Pentium
150 MMX chip. It’s just great. I love learning about the technology, and then finding
out ways that it can work for you.
MB: I know the band has an official web site, and only about one hundred or so
more on the Internet, how do you feel about the Internet as a way to interact with
your fans?
JM: I think it’s the future. It’s great because it sort of gives you the ability
to bypass the problems that we have at a public level. As far as at the present with
retail and all the different magazines. But if people know who you are now, there’s
a way for them to get the information that they can’t find anywhere else. And that’s
great. That’s what makes it a very useful tool.
MB: You guys are known for really going out of your way to keep in touch with
your fans. How important is it to you to have that kind of personal communication
between you and the people that like your music?
JM: It’s very important. It’s a relationship just like anything else. I mean,
it’s a little more indirect than the relationship that you would have with your brother
or your wife or husband or friend, but it is a relationship. And relationships need
to be maintained. The minute you isolate yourself, you become intangible. And what
does that do to the relationship?
MB: Yup. If you could take back one thing that you’ve done in your life, and make
it like it never happened, is there anything that you would take back?
JM: No. I’ve done everything that I had to do to get to where I’m at. Whether
it be a mistake I made, or something positive, in the end they were all learning
experiences that added to my life. And things that I’ve learned from that have made
me who I am today. So, I mean, I don’t really regret any one thing. Everything happens
for a reason.
MB: Absolutely. When it’s all said and done, how would you like people to remember
you as a musician?
JM: I’d like them to remember me as a bass player, you know. If someone saw my
picture, I’d like them to know that. That’s a bass player.
MB: Cool, anything else?
JM: No, I think that would do it.
MB: Well that’s pretty much all the questions I have. Do you have any message
that you’d like to send to your fans?
JM: I’d just like to thank everyone for their patience, and the support that
they’ve given us through the years. I just want to thank them for the enthusiasm
that they’ve shared with us.