In a brand new interview with Dream Theater World, the official DREAM THEATER fan membership, Mike Mangini was requested about his October 2023 departure from DREAM THEATER. Mangini, who has been with the progressive steel band for 13 years, was dismissed from DREAM THEATER as a way to make means for the return of the group’s authentic drummer, Mike Portnoy. Mangini stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Effectively, it is like something in my entire profession prior to now. ‘Okay, that is an occasion. Oh, that is fascinating.’
“Consider it or not, once I get requested about this, I am, like, my assertion [that I released at the time of my DREAM THEATER departure] truly says all of it. And what stunned me in regards to the assertion itself is that I’m usually long-winded. I usually go off on tangents. I’ve that speaking-with-the-hands factor that is very Mediterranean, and I can not consider it, similar to in a few sentences or a sentence, no matter it was, it is, like, it stated all of it. That was it. So, I instantly was, like, ‘Oh, okay. I get it.’
“Regardless of what number of instances I say it — quite a lot of instances, individuals perhaps in personal ask me, ‘Oh, what else [happened]?'” he continued. “It is, like, why would there be the rest? That is it. That is smart.”
Referencing his mindset across the time of his exit from DREAM THEATER, Mangini stated: “The place I used to be on the time — I’ve a cork board and I’ve issues in my life categorized and all of the training stuff so far as my services and products, which is filled with index playing cards and unfinished duties. And I checked out that, and I used to be, like, ‘Effectively, I do know what I’ve gotta do proper now.’ And so the very subsequent day I used to be up good and early, with a cup of espresso, steaming cup of black espresso, and simply it, going, ‘Okay, how do I do that?’ And I simply began going. I imply, that is what you do. That is it.”
When Portnoy‘s return to DREAM THEATER was first introduced on October 25, 2023, Mangini stated in an announcement: “I perceive DREAM THEATER‘s choice to get Mike Portnoy again at the moment. As was stated from Day 1, my place was to not fill all of the roles that Mike held within the band. I used to be to play the drums as a way to assist the band keep it up. My predominant position of preserving our reside present working tightly on a nightly foundation was an intense and rewarding expertise. Fortunately, I acquired to expertise enjoying music with these iconic musicians, in addition to some enjoyable instances laced with humor. I additionally actually loved spending numerous time with the crew. After which there’s the Grammy win, which was amazingly satisfying. To the followers: thanks a lot for being superb to me. I cherish the photographs I’ve of you all dropping your minds and having enjoyable. Lastly, I actually love the band, crew and administration and need them and your complete group all the most effective.”
This previous February, Mangini launched a brand new band, MONOLITH, with Hernán “Motley” Rodríguez on bass and vocals, and Andy Barrow on guitar.
Mangini launched his debut solo album, “Invisible Indicators”, in November 2023. Accompanying Mangini on the LP had been Tony Dickinson on bass, Ivan Keller on guitar, Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) on lead guitar and former EVANESCENCE guitarist Jen Majura on vocals.
Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 by a extensively publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 40 years in the past. Mangini beat out six different of the world’s high drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day course of that was filmed for a documentary-style actuality present known as “The Spirit Carries On”.
Mangini made his identify within the exhausting rock world within the mid-Nineteen Nineties when he performed with EXTREME, earlier than touchdown the gig with guitar legend Steve Vai in 1996. Practically a decade later, Mangini took up a full-time instructing place on the world-renowned Berklee School Of Music.
In a latest interview with Loaded Radio, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie was requested how Mangini took the information in October 2023 when LaBrie and the remainder of DREAM THEATER broke it to the drummer that Portnoy was coming again. James stated: “Effectively, he was very skilled about it. [It was] very admirable of him to have been… He took it in model and sophistication. I imply, clearly, I feel it might have been upsetting — it will need to have been upsetting — however he took it for what it is value and even saying issues like, ‘It type of is smart, guys. I see why this needs to be taking place and why this could perhaps inevitably be taking place. It simply is smart for the band and the quantity of historical past that you just all have collectively. It appears pure.’ So, yeah, no, he was a category man. Elegant. Yeah.”
In a January 2024 interview with Chris Akin Presents…, Mangini was requested if he had any “advance discover” that Portnoy would return to DREAM THEATER within the fall of 2023 or if it was “actually quick”. He responded: “Rapid. But it surely’s like… So the fish comes up out of the water, it is quick, however the fish was swimming for some time. The place was the fish? No matter.”
He continued: “The explanation it was straightforward for me to cope with — very straightforward, truly — I used to be, like, ‘Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Unique man again in band.’ I acquired I acquired it. And I did not must go do by a drop-down menu; I did not must do it. It was simply I checked out it and went, ‘Okay.’ And plus I do not know whether or not it was intuitive, instinctual [or] mental… however I’ve left so many issues on the desk for therefore a few years — the publishing of extra books, the courses that I wanna train, the interplay that my very own self-development comes largely from me having to show and speak about it to individuals. In some unspecified time in the future, I imply, I see the entire image, the grid, and I do know what I can not do, and that evokes me.
“However anyway, the reply to your query is, I acquired a name and understood the decision, and stated, ‘Okay, let’s do a joint assertion,'” he defined. “After which the following day, I am, like, ‘Okay.’ I am having espresso and fairly actually, at my assume tank, my checklist and going, ‘How am I gonna full this job now? I’ve gotta repair this or do this. I’ve acquired rather a lot to do.’ My studio facility had development, there was stuff that needed to be fastened. I used to be, like, ‘Let me simply let all of these things occur and breathe and simply end this stuff.’ So that is what my mindset was. I can not let you know something completely different as a result of that is what it was.”
Requested how he managed to keep away from being offended over the truth that he was being pushed out of DREAM THEATER when Portnoy needed to come back again, although Mangini was the drummer that helped the band win its first Grammy Award, Mangini stated: “Effectively, a) as a result of I do not know that that is what’s the full image. I do not know that that’s what occurred certainly. And I do not let myself even give it some thought. Folks determine issues and I respect that. It is simply it’s what it’s.”
In early November 2023, Mangini instructed SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” about his exit from DREAM THEATER and the return of Portnoy: “All I do know is the choice was made and once I heard it, all I pictured was, ‘Oh, that is an authentic man going again to his band. Uh, okay. All proper. Let’s go to the following factor.’ It was nothing extra. I used to be instructed. It was simply nothing greater than — it appeared so easy to me. And perhaps intuitively it is, like, ‘Oh yeah, I get it.’ And that was that. That is actually it… In order that’s actually the crux of all of it is it was a simple factor for me to grasp. After which as soon as the information hit and it grew to become actual, which is when it set in, as a result of as soon as I knew about it, I simply acquired busy. I used to be, like, ‘Okay, I’ve acquired all these movies to complete.'”
The 62-year-old Mangini, who joined DREAM THEATER in 2010, continued: “I am truly doing like quite a lot of stuff for my [recently released solo] album. I will do some drum playthroughs. To not yap and yap and yap about it, however I’ve rather a lot on my cork board and my lists and issues to do and issues to perform and issues to finish. There’s a lot there I have never been in a position to do. However as soon as it hit and it grew to become actual, it was actual fast for me. I am, like, ‘Okay, I get it.'”
When host Eddie Trunk famous that all the things about his exit from DREAM THEATER, from the way in which it was dealt with to the followers’ response to Mike‘s angle about it, was “about nearly as good because it might be,” Mangini concurred. “It is nearly as good because it might be,” Mike stated. “I feel persons are the place they must be. It is, like, there’s stuff to do, there’s locations to be, there’s individuals to see, there are issues to perform and roles to satisfy and duties to do. And that is what it’s. That is actually what it’s.
“How fortunate am I, how lucky am I to be simply part of that historical past, to have all this superb stuff occur?” he continued. “It is constructive, constructive, constructive.
“I do know I’ve achieved some issues with my profession, and I’ve had quite a lot of struggles and quite a lot of issues that did not work or no matter, however for my dad and mom to be of their 90s, to see this occur, and I am not speaking about profession stuff; I am speaking about how I’ve handled individuals and the way they deal with me. I imply, I feel that is what I need for my youngsters — I wanna really feel nicely about how they’re with individuals and the way individuals deal with them on the finish of the day. I feel that is simply superior.”
