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Other: LaBrie's Comments On Portnoy Departure Misconstrued...

Posted on Saturday, October 09 @ 21:00:00 UTC by nightowl

So... an excerpt of an interview that James LaBrie conducted with Used Bin Radio was making the rounds... which, as it turned out, didn't tell the whole story. What's new? Happens in politics all the time - how many times did we see that this election cycle, hmm?

Shortly afterward, Used Bin Radio sent out their own press release, which we share below (and first to put the whole context front and center):

"As several comments and responses have been posted with regard to the September 28, 2010 appearance of James LaBrie on our show, Used Bin Radio. (www.UsedBinRadio.com), we'd like to set the record straight.



"First off, as the hosts of Used Bin Radio (Joe Carona and Brad Hirsch) we have long championed Dream Theater and their bounty of side-projects and solo endeavors. As such, we were delighted when James LaBrie accepted our invitation to join us on our live broadcast to discuss his amazing new release, Static Impulse, as well as provide a timely opportunity for him to discuss Dream Theater developments in the wake of Mike Portnoy's recently announced departure.

"Our interview with James was an informative and light hearted discussion brimming with insights into the band's future plans, Portnoy's work with Avenged Sevenfold, LaBrie's upcoming solo tour and spirited banter about favorite bands and influences. At no point in the discussion, did we find James to be anything less than a gentleman and diplomatic with regard to the state of the band and Portnoy's decision.

"It is unfortunate that several passages from the interview seem to have been posted out of context, which has prompted responses from both Portnoy and LaBrie. Specifically, James' comments, when asked if he was 'sad' in light of Portnoy's departure, have been misconstrued as 'insensitive,' which was not at all the spirit of his actual response. While many topics discussed with James were handled with the serious nature they deserved, the nature of our show is to present entertaining discussion amongst fellow music lovers. That said, the question of whether James was 'sad' was within moments of other less-than-serious queries about 'Why don't chicks dig prog?,' the likelihood of Rikki Rocket auditioning for Dream Theater and his desert island pick for his favorite Rush album. By taking certain comments out of context, the light-hearted spirit of the discussion was lost and may have lent to a developing rift.

"Our complete interview with James LaBrie can be heard at www.UsedBinRadio.com (the September 28 podcast) so that listeners can hear his complete responses, in the context they were intended. We invite everyone to listen to the show (no charge) and make up your own minds.

"We would also like to publicly invite Mike Portnoy to join us on our show to share his views on recent events, future plans (and his desert island pick for his favorite Rush album).

"Used Bin Radio broadcasts live every Tuesday, 7-10pm (PST) at www.PureRockRadio.net and www.ProgRock.com with rebroadcasts of all shows available at www.UsedBinRadio.com and on iTunes."

What was the excerpt that caused the kerfuffle? Here's what was circulated by Blabbermouth.net:

Q: What it is that [Dream Theater is] looking for in a new drummer ? a technically proficient guy?

LaBrie: "Oh, absolutely. I mean, that comes first and foremost. I can assure you that all these guys [that are going to be auditioning for the drummer slot] are monsters on the kit ? they are absolutely phenomenal. They are more than capable of playing everything that Dream Theater's done ? from day one to [what we're doing now]. So they're more than capable, technically speaking. They're scary. So what are we looking for? We're looking for a few things. We wanna make sure that that person can completely absorb and represent everything that Dream Theater is about as far as the drums and the attitude and the personality and the chemistry; those points have to be there. These guys [that are set to audition for the band] are more than capable of playing the songs and blowing us away with their technical prowess, but we're looking for the guy that has the right chemistry and the right personality ? even the right kind of flow behind the kit. And he's got [to have the right] look and we just [have to] feel comfortable around [him]. And that's really the ingredients that these guys have to have."

Q: Are you sad, James? I mean, this is a huge shift in the world of Dream Theater and progressive rock. It's a *****ing earthquake.

LaBrie: "You know what?! I'm not sad at all. I've gotta be honest with you. I think that everyone out there needs to know that there's four guys in the band that are... We're excited, we're really looking forward to the next chapter. And I think one of the other things that everyone really has to remember is that there's four more-than-capable guys there. We're all extremely... I know everyone is out there going, 'Holy shit! Is this guy full of himself or what?' But I wanna say it like it is. There's four very capable people in the band, and we're all talented and we all know what we're doing, and we're all capable of doing everything and keeping Dream Theater exactly what it's been and bringing it to another level and bringing it to uncharted waters, but I think very exciting and fulfilling waters. So, no, we're not down. I can guarantee you none of us are down. We're actially pretty excited... and very positive."

Q: The relationship with the fans of Dream Theater has mainly emanated from Mike. So how does that get distributed now? Does it get distributed or does one guy sort of take it all on?

LaBrie: "Absolutely, it gets distributed. it gets distribtued and we all know that we have to now all be a part of that. And that's how it's gonna be distributed. It's gonna be all of us being the contact for our fans, it's gonna be all of us really making sure that there's that face-to-face [interaction] going on constantly [and] consistently. We're all ready for it. We've already started it ? we're all on our various web sites, I'm on Twitter and I'm talking to people a lot and just saying what's going on and what's happening with my solo stuff, what's happening in the Dream Theater camp."

Q: So that means in the future of Dream Theater we're gonna see a lot more press interviews with John Myung [bass]?

LaBrie: "You know what?! I believe you will."

Q: I didn't even know he knew how to talk. I've gotta be honest...

LaBrie: "Neither did we. But lately he's really been extremely involved and very much a beacon for us, because he's right in there going, 'I was thinking about this,' and 'I was thinking about that,' and it's kind of cool; it's refreshing."

[No word yet on whether Myung took umbrage at that comment -PW ed. {joking!}]

So... that excerpt prompted a response, also circulated by Blabbermouth.net:

Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has accused the group's lead singer, James LaBrie, of being "insensitive" and "disrespectful" for proclaiming in a recent interview that the remaining members of Dream Theater were "not sad at all" about Mike's departure from the group.

During an appearance on the September 28, 2010 edition of the "Used Bin Radio" show, LaBrie was asked if he was "sad" over Portnoy's decision to leave Dream Theare, the band Mike formed and led for 25 years. "You know what?! I'm not sad at all," LaBrie replied. "I've gotta be honest with you. I think that everyone out there needs to know that there's four guys in the band that are... We're excited, we're really looking forward to the next chapter. And I think one of the other things that everyone really has to remember is that there's four more-than-capable guys there. We're all extremely... I know everyone is out there going, 'Holy shit! Is this guy full of himself or what?' But I wanna say it like it is. [...]" [I edited, since the full quote is already above -ed.]

Earlier today [10/6], a registered user of Portnoy's official forum asked the site's moderators if threads about LaBrie's upcoming solo tour were being deleted from the MikePortnoy.com site. Portnoy himself then chose to respond, writing, "I'm afraid your eyes are not playing tricks on you."

He continued, "I was willing to ignore that the [Dream Theater] guys insisted all [Mike Portnoy]-related stuff be removed from DreamTheater.net [Dream Theater's official web site].... but then on Monday reading the Blabbermouth headlines with James [LaBrie] insensitively proclaming they are 'not sad at all' about my departure from Dream Theater, I cannot in 'happy' standing promote his solo tour....

"I am so sad it comes to this, but I am even more shocked and hurt by James' completely disrespectful quote."

[Note: The thread containing Mike's comments has since been deleted from Portnoy's forum.]

A short time after Mike's quote appeared on the MikePortnoy.com site, LaBrie released the following statement in an attempt to clarify the comments that were attributed to the singer in the "Used Bin Radio" interview:

"It seems there is a misunderstanding. When I said I was not sad with Mike's departure, it, unfortunately, leaves plenty of room to misconstrue such words. No one can tell you or me how to think and feel. Initially with Mike's departure I was extremely upset, down and shocked. But one needs to deal and work through these emotions in order to arrive at a more positive and optimistic place. That is where I am now and was when the interview took place.

"Let me put it more plain and simple. Life does not afford us the luxury to wallow in our sorrow. You have to deal with the situation at hand and make it a productive and positive endeavor. In other words, onward and upward.

"Mike made it perfectly clear why he chose the current path. I would much rather his words be the definitive answer.

"In the end, does it really matter what our views are? Other than human curiosity, it doesn't change a thing. I have said my piece and believe there is no room for misinterpretation. I will give no further weight to this subject; all has been said."

[Source: Used Bin Radio, Blabbermouth.net]

Posted in Band News (tours, comings/goings, etc)