Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson reflected on drummer Mike Portnoy and his work in and out of Dream Theater. In particular, Ellefson recalled staying in touch with Portnoy and the drummer, telling him how being just a band member, as opposed to a leader (or one of the leaders), felt better at some point.
While appearing in “Drinks With Johnny,” a podcast of Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ, Ellefson touched upon Mike Portnoy and said (transcribed by Killer Guitar Rigs):
“Look, he did everything in Dream Theater, right? And that’s no disrespect to anybody else. But he did a lot, [and] like he said, bands are not democracies. Someone has to be a leader. He was really kind of the de facto leader.”
“He wrote a lot of the lyrics, if not all of them,” Ellefson added. “He ran the band, let’s say. And every band’s got a guy who leads the charge, right? So he did that.”
Of course, Portnoy is now back in Dream Theater. Prog metal legends recently announced that they’ll be reuniting with the original drummer after 13 years. Automatically, this also meant the dismissal of his replacement, Mike Mangini.
Reflecting on some of the conversations he had with Portnoy, Ellefson added that the drummer felt more at ease being just a member of a band.
“He would call me,” the bassist recalled, “we would talk all the time. ‘Man, I’m on the bullet train in Japan, it’s fucking great, we’re flying first class.’ He enjoyed not having to work so hard and just be a member.”
As David further discussed, this is very similar to the stance that Marty Friedman had when he joined Megadeth back in 1990. The virtuoso, who would eventually become one of the most praised guitarists in metal, felt that life was much simpler when he was just a band member rather than a leader calling all the shots.
“Marty Friedman said the same thing when he joined Megadeth,” Ellefson remembered. “He goes, ‘Dude, I’m so glad to just be in a band where I can just play guitar, and I don’t have to run the band and do all the work.’ So I get it.”
Dream Theater officially announced Mike Portnoy’s return on October 25 this year. Mike Mangini, who was the band’s drummer for about 13 years and five studio albums, also took part in the group statement, saying that “my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on.”
As for Portnoy, he recently touched upon his return and whether he’s okay with playing Dream Theater songs that were released during the time he wasn’t in the lineup. Although the original member and the one who was calling a lot of the shots, Portnoy revealed that he isn’t completely against the idea. During a recent fan Q&A session, the drummer said:
“It’s too soon to tell. When I left the band 13 years ago, I was the one writing the setlist and things like that. So, we haven’t even discussed what the new dynamic is gonna be. I’m open to it, of course, so I surely would do it, if that’s what they wanna do. But it’s definitely gonna be a different dynamic.”
The drummer also added:
“I think when I left all those years ago, I was running a lot of stuff, and I think now they’ve gotten so used to working more as a collective band that I think it’s a very different dynamic now that I’m gonna have to find my place in and without stepping on anybody’s toes.
“I have to respect that they’ve been doing it all this time without me. So, whatever they wanna do, I’m up for it. But that being said, there is so much music of ours to come back and play that… Personally, I look forward to revisiting all that stuff, but if they wanna do the newer stuff as well, whatever they want is fine with me.”
Apart from announcing Portnoy’s return, Dream Theater also revealed that they’re planning to work on a new album soon. No further information on that is available yet, but the band’s fans are eagerly anticipating this new release.
“I am overwhelmed with joy to be returning home and reuniting with my brothers,” Portnoy offered in the official statement about his return. “There is so much shared history between us all. So many memories, so much music…”
“To think we’re coming up on 40 years since this journey began! The idea of creating new music together is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to hit the road and get to play live for a whole new generation of fans that weren’t ever able to see this lineup before. There’s no place like home!”
Photos: Carter Sterling (David Ellefson), Germán Rojas (MIKE PORTNOY @ Teatro ABC (37281296834))
