OSI訪問：Blistering.com訪問Mike Portnoy

全文如下....

Drummer elite, Mike Portnoy has been very busy despite having a ‘break’ from his usual Dream Theater duties. He has been involved with a few side projects such as The Liquid Tension Experiment and TransAtlantic. He also guest appeared on John Arch’s (Fates Warning) first solo recordings in over fifteen years and most recently, joined former Dream Theater band mate, Kevin Moore along with Jim Matheos (Fates Warning), Sean Malone (Cynic; Gordian Knot) and Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) to form the progressive metal super-group, O.S.I..

I spoke with Portnoy recently about O.S.I. as well as some current events and the future of Dream Theater..

>>這邊提到，在Rhode Island一場Great White的表演發生不幸...
Blistering.com: Now, before we really get into the music I do want to ask you your thoughts on some recent current events. First, I want to touch on this on the sad tragedy that happened in Rhode Island where the club burned down during Great White’s performance. What is your take on that whole situation?

Mike Portnoy: Oh, well, what can I say that’s not obvious? It was a nightmare, a real tragedy. I actually knew one of the guys that was in the fire and died. He was a disc Jockey named Dr. Metal (Mike Gonsalves) that introduced Great White that night and he was an old friend of mine. It was just a real tragedy. What can I say? It was a big mistake on somebody’s part and it’s just a horrible nightmare.

Blistering.com: It just feels like it could have been prevented and it’s a real shame.

Portnoy: Well, if anything it will be a lot more strict now. It always takes something bad like this to happen so you can learn from it and hopefully something like that could be prevented in the future and never happen again.

>>在討論關於美伊的國際情勢...
Blistering.com: Where do you stand on this Iraq issue? Which side of the line are you on?

Portnoy: I don’t know if there’s such a thing as pro-war? But, if there is that’s me. I mean, nobody wants to go to war, nobody wants to see innocent people killed, but it seems to me that a lot of Americans are quickly forgetting the impact and the outcome of what happened on 9-11. We still have yet to really finish the job. I’m all for doing whatever it takes to get this world back to way it should be. We have to get rid of these people that are making this world full of the threat of terrorism. Whatever it takes to get the job done. I’m supportive of getting it done.

Blistering.com: What do you think of all these protesters that are protesting this war?

Portnoy: I think those people have a very short attention span. They should go and rent one of these 9-11 documentaries or something for a quick reminder of what happened to us and what still needs to be done to shape this world back into a normal life without fear.

Blistering.com: Very well said…

Portnoy: Thanks…

Blistering.com: Now, you are a true rock veteran, you have been on the scene with Dream Theater for well over fifteen years. You have earned a position as one of the greatest drummers of our times. What an amazing accolade, what do you think about your position in the music world right now?

Portnoy: Well, I don’t take it for granted. It’s definitely a tough time for bands in general, but especially a band like ours, who survived this long. Dream Theater’s been together for eighteen years now and for us to still be thriving, not even existing. I mean we’re still growing within this little world we’re in. This last summer we headlines Jones Beach and that was such a huge accomplishment for a band like ours to be doing that kind of stuff with no MTV play, no radio play, no mainstream press. It’s definitely an accomplishment that we won’t take for granted and that’s why we keep doing it. Man, we have the greatest fan base out of any band out there, it’s attributed to the fans not to us. We just do what we do and what happens from there is out of our hands and luckily we have this fan base that has continued to allow us to do what we do throughout all the climates and trends that seem to just come and go around us year after year.

>>苦幹實幹的演奏團隊，不經主流媒體就可以風靡世界各地搖滾子弟
Blistering.com: Right. Dream Theater has been a true constant for years. It must be a lot more gratifying to have built a fan base based on word of mouth from touring and what not as opposed to being pushed by MTV and mainstream radio.

Portnoy: Yes it is.

>>新專輯OSI登上CD UNIVERSE第一名...(2000年演唱會DVD曾上CD NOW第一名)

Blistering.com: You’re latest project O.S.I. "Office Of Strategic Influence" is #1 spot of the CD Universe Top Sellers list. Were you expecting it to come out of the gate that strong?

>>嗯...銷售量並不是音樂存在的價值，而是創作的過程與音樂本身
Portnoy: I don’t put expectations on anything I do really, I just do what I do. Like I said, after I do it it’s out of my hands. Even with Dream Theater record sales I don’t expect anything or even care, I don’t even look at the sales, you know. That stuff to me is nice for the record company, but for me its more about the music and the creative process.

Blistering.com: What an amazing album this is. It’s a true display of musicianship and talent. This band includes Jim Matheos from Fates Warning and you’re old band mate Kevin Moore from Dream Theater and now with Chroma Key. You also recruited Sean Malone of Cynic and Gordian Knot and Steven Wilson from The Porcupine Tree. How did you guys get this project started?

Portnoy: Well, basically, Jim Matheos and myself have been talking about doing something for many, many years. We’ve been friends for many years now and we both have a mutual admiration for each of our bands, Dream Theater and Fates Warning, and we’ve all become friends. So basically we both decoded that we had to either shit or get off the pot and do something. He already had some stuff and wasn’t sure of he wanted to do a solo album with it or something completely different.

He then approached me about doing something different with it and possibly form a band. We started throwing names around and that’s how we came up with Sean Malone and then I brought up Kevin Moore, cause he seemed like he’d be a good person for a project like this. It turns out that Jim had been thinking the same thing but he was hesitant to bring Kev’s name up, cause he didn’t know if that would be awkward for us. I mean, I hadn’t worked with him in eight years since he was in Dream Theater. So, he was excited that I brought the name up, but I was skeptical as to whether or not Kevin would want to be involved and sure enough he was into it.

That’s how this whole thing began, it began with Jim’s music. He had all these musical ideas and then he kind of passed them on to Kev and Kev started fucking with them and by the time he manipulated and rearranged all the parts it turned into something completely different and that’s what O.S.I. became.

Blistering.com: Is there a real "Office Of Strategic Influence" that really exists?

Portnoy: I think there is. I don’t know, I haven’t paid much attention to that. [Laughs] You’ll have to talk to Kev, I think he was the one who thought it up. I don’t really know.

Blistering.com: What is the whole message behind O.S.I. assuming there is one.

Portnoy: From a musical standpoint its about taking the term ‘Progressive,’ which will inevitably applied to this project, but taking that into completely different places. In this case its going to more spacey…kinda techno, industrial space metal. It’s like mixing Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel together in a blender. There are a lot of soundscapes and things like that. Its very different from the usual term ‘progressive’ which is all about playing and musicianship. We’re more about soundscapes and artistry. It’s a very different place for progressive music to be taken.

抱歉...按錯，正確的是下一貼

Blistering.com: Definitely. It must have been very cool for you to have an opportunity to really experiment with music and all these different soundscapes.

Portnoy: Yeah, for me this is something completely different from anything else I’ve done, so it’s cool in that respect to me.

Blistering.com: Was there an instant chemistry with this band?

Portnoy: Well, he already had existing relationships. Obviously Kevin and I have a very long history together. Jim and I were friends were for a very long time. Jim and Kevin had worked together on the last few Fates Warning albums so, yeah each of us already had chemistry together and we already knew what making music together was gonna be like. It was just a matter of actually doing it, really.

>>暫無可能有OSI的巡迴演唱會，目前是以studio project存在(原因最後會提到...)
Blistering.com: Will you be touring with O.S.I.?

Portnoy: There are no plans for it. Right now it’s a studio project and where it goes from here is anyone’s guess. We’ll see.

>>Portnoy協助Fates Warning主唱John Arch灌錄個人專輯
Blistering.com: You’re also just finished up a project with John Arch (Fates Warning). This is his first album in fifteen years or something. Tell me about that project.

Portnoy: It’s a two-song EP. John was always one of my favorite singers, I absolutley love his style. I just think its so unique and original. He had been in retirement for the past fifteen years or so and now he finally decided to come out and do something. For me, it was an honor just to be asked to play on it cause I just love his voice and his style.

Blistering.com: Does Arch’s still got it? Does he still have that voice?

Portnoy: Oh, man. He sounds incredible.

>>2003年計畫焦點...Dream Theater本身，DT出專輯的的間隔都是2-3年之間(所以無OSI巡迴...)
Blistering.com: So, you’ve been very busy. You have O.S.I. The John Arch project, you do Drum Clinic’s all across the country. What’s next for you?

Portnoy: I’m gonna get back to Dream Theater in a couple of weeks and that will be my focus for the coming year. Making a new record and then hitting the road after that happens. I’ve had a little time off and have done some various projects here and there, but my focus is back on Dream Theater and we’ll what happens.

以上文字原文出自Blistering Entertainment
希望有興趣的朋友看的懂，全文翻譯太累了...簡要翻譯~~~:rolleyes:

小弟我也推薦幾個團
slipknot
soulfly
sevendust
system of a down
都是s開頭:D
slipknot前面有提到
我覺得他們第一張真的是經典
nu-metal~有點HARDCORE的味道
第二張~就有點像黑金了~但是我覺得副歌編得很POP
基本上是很純的METAL(記得某雜誌的封面標題:SLIPKNOT=METAL很貼切)

soulfly跟slipknot一樣算是nu-metal
吉他的riff都是很標準的nu-metal的形式
主唱是前Sepultura(號稱巴西國寶)的主唱
解散後找了前SNOT的吉他手和.....等人組了soulfly(SNOT主唱車禍掛掉....)
我覺得也滿不錯的~
他們的東西寫得很簡單~但是有趣耐聽又屌(小弟我自以為:agree: )
簡單的說就是RIFF寫得好
鼓點和BASS也做的不錯~另外會加入一些巴西的傳統打擊越

sevendust~有看99年烏茲塔克live的人應該有映像
他們唱bitch :jolin: 非常的令人映像深刻
鼓手打的點實在太酷了~打起來挺帥氣的
他們的TONE是低沉~飽滿~下盤穩....(吉他手~左手悶的好啊!!)
PUNCH力道夠~大屌團一支!!!!
ps.2個吉他手live跳超高!!!比KORN還高~不過KORN比較猛一點

system of a down
我覺得這團特色在吉他手身上
編的東西很特別尤其是分散和絃(悶音)上
雖然沒有啥大不了~但是很有創意!!
POWERCHORD/TONE方面也是算punch力道上極大的團
大部分都是硬幹那型的歌但是都很FUNNY
不過他們LIVE有點糟~吉他手不太穩(要唱/合音 + 瘋狂狀態)
只有一個吉他手(但是專輯大部分都錄兩支吉他~所以LIVE會很空)

結論:
slipknot:雙吉他~悍!~變態鼓手超強~用PRS/BC.RICH的琴+MESA BOOGIE AMP.
soulfly:一個吉他手~主唱也間吉他~用ESP的琴+MESA BOOGE / MARSELL AMP
sevendust:雙吉他~用PRS/EPIPHONE的琴 MESA BOOGE / MARSELL AMP
s.o.a.d:一個吉他手~IBANEZ的琴 ~MARSELL AMP
主共同點:吉他手都是用"粗絃"的很角色(第六絃降到A / B / C)
都算是比較新型態的團體
(其實我記得兩年前HARDCORE/NUMETAL在美國幾經作到爛了)
現在換粗絃好像也是很普通的事(好聽!!!!!!!!!不過降到B用56的絃真的很粗 :jolin: )
最後感謝您耐心看完 :)

嘿嘿 ~ 我也來插一腳 說說我的經驗
想當初剛上大學時..懵懵懂懂加入熱門音樂社...
除了流行歌(大眾市場的)之外(我們社上比較不流行芭樂歌)
正巧很多超強學長都在玩前衛金屬~也就慢慢融入(聽而已 要玩還太遠).....
prograssive 是我最愛~

第一張聽的是
Nightwish 的Angels Fall First (專輯尚有 Oceanborn . Wishmaster)
雖然被女高音出身的主唱方式震驚,但是那個時候正被前衛金的磅礡曲風跟多變迷住

再來就是angra火神安格拉.Stratovarius騰雲.等等入門團..

然後某次學長們copy DT - Scenes from A memory 的前七首..
DT就變最愛了......
DT - DREAM THEATER..
原名Majasty 後來Mike的爸爸建議改成DREAM THEATER
發行年代 /專輯名稱
1987.When Dream And Day Unite (那時還叫MAJASTY)
1992.Images and Words (改名夢劇場 一鳴驚人的一張前衛經典)
1994.Awake (再度成為前衛金屬龍頭)
1995.A Change Of Seasons (首次出現 單首歌長23分五秒)
1997.Falling Into Infinity (曲風迥變.廣受爭議的一張專輯)
1999 Metropolis Pt. 2 Scenes From A Memory
(整張專輯是在描述一個人的前世的故事 我到現在還是幾乎天天聽)
2002 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ...

詳細可以在前衛金屬誌查詢

後來又有學長玩T-SQUARE 一個日本fusion樂團..
台灣好像還沒看過有發行的
也非常棒~~
推薦唷~~(不知道哪裡才找的到.....)

:)
好感謝，終於有人煙了，因為搜尋功能常被關閉
所以有一陣子挖不出來

最近聽更多朝向death metal(死亡金屬)
這兩張都又狠又讚:D
他吵歸吵，但是旋律的疾走刁鑽真是令人享受，不像一般的會流落於旋律反覆無聊
其中有幾位成員日後有在我先前提到的Cynic演出;)
我現在只收到Human與Symbolic這兩張，心中金屬熱血又不斷的燃燒:D
這兩張，傑笙前一陣子有少量進貨



其他專輯

喔，Nightwish是我在剛聽金屬時十分喜歡的一個團
但我不喜歡keyboard吃重的表現，有時覺得他的音色太突出，有點煩
我只有第一張Angels Fall First與新專輯Century Child沒有買
第二張Oceanborn我覺得是最棒的，因此我還多收歐洲德版BMG出的
封面不同，有一首BONUS

不過現在Tarja已經在進修，Nightwish要出擊需要多等個一年吧

至於Angra、Stratovarius對我來說都不適應...:p
聽說Stratovarius要來台，而且是兩場耶

slipknot有在玩喔;)
連樂器都有研究，我沒有在玩，純粹聽
我個人偏好Ibanez與ESP的造型，Jackson那種大刀型的也很悍，Fender反而覺得太常見，流於普通

預定5.27 2003發行的Led Zeppelin DVD
 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...l/-/B00008PX8P/
DVD Features:
長度:314分鐘
聲音: DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo
是2 DVD Box Set

DVD 1:
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1970)
1969 - 3 titles from Danish Television (31 min Stereo)
1969 - "Communication Breakdown" Promo - Paris (9 min Stereo)
1969 - "Dazed And Confused" - Supershow (7 min Stereo)
歌曲有:
We're Gonna Groove
Can't Quit You Babe
Dazed andiConfused
White Summer
What Is andiShould Never Be
How Many More times
Moby Dick
Whole Lotta Love
Communication Breakdown
C'mon Everybody
Something Else
Bring It On Home

DVD 2:
1972 - Immigrant Song - Splodge Edit Live (4 min)
1973 - Madison Square Garden - New York (24mn) - 4 titles not included in the film "The Song Remains The Same"
(分別為Black Dog,Misty Mountain Hop,Since I Been Lovin You,The Ocean)
1975 - Earl's Court - London 49 min - 6 titles
(分別為Going To California,That's The Way,Bron Y Aur Stomp,In My Time Of Dying,Trampled Underfoot,Stairway To Heaven)
1979 - Knebworth - Angleterre 52 min - 7 titles
(分別為Rock N Roll,Nobody's Fault But Mine,Sick Again,Achilles Last Stand,In The Evening,Kashmir,Whole Lotta Love)
1970 - NBC interview with the band (mono)
1972 - Rock N' Roll + interviews from Australian Television (4 min Stereo)
1975 - Interview with Robert Plant - BBC Old Grey Whistle (4 min Stereo)
2 clips : "Over The Hills" et "Travelling Riverside Blues" (4 min)