"I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write.
"After 25 years, I have decided to leave DREAM THEATER... the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.
"To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....
"After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER.
"Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them... it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.
"DREAM THEATER was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985... 24/7, 365... never taking time off from DREAM THEATER's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was 'off' between cycles)... working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.
"But I've come to the conclusion that the DREAM THEATER machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DREAM THEATER spirit hungry and inspired.
"We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a 'hiatus' to recharge our batteries and 'save me from ourselves'...
"Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather... I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...
"While it truly hurts for me to even think of a DREAM THEATER without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.
"Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DREAM THEATER and I talked about 'always following your heart and being true to yourself'... Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with DREAM THEATER...and I would simply be 'going through the motions,' and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.
"I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come... I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....
"I'm sorry to all the disappointed DREAM THEATER fans around the world... I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work... I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)... but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.
"You DREAM THEATER fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me.... (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)"
Damn it.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Star Trek: The Next Generation
One of my favorite TV shows. I'll give a list of my top 5 episodes.
The Inner Light - A mysterious probe that emanated from a part of the galaxy that was thought to have been extinct for a long time finds its way to Captain Picard. The probe attaches itself to Picard through an energy beam and Picard collapses. He wakes up on the planet Kitaan, one of the planets from the extinct part of the galaxy. A woman greets him and tells him that he has had a terrible fever and that he has been her husband for many years. Picard still remembers everything about his ship and is very confused. After many years, Picard finally lets go of his former life aboard the Enterprise and starts a family with the woman. During all this time Picard has discovered something about the planet.
Skin of Evil - Not really a good episode but one of my favorites because of what transpires in it. Watch it and you will see what I mean.
The Best of Both Worlds - The main villain of the series, the Borg, making their first appearance since Q sent the Enterprise into deep space in the episode Q Who. The Borg prove to be a powerful enemy and capture Picard during a boarding assault. The Borg then head for Earth at top speed with intentions of assimilating the entire human race. The Enterprise gives chase and devises a weapon that may destroy the Borg ship. But destroying the ship would mean destroying the Captain.
Sins of the Father - Worf is informed that his father has been accused of treason back on the Klingon home world. Being the only Mogh family member left, Worf leaves the Enterprise to challenge the ruling. Apparently, Mogh, his father, gave the Romulans access codes to a Klingon outpost seconds before the shields went down and the base was destroyed. Everyone on the planet died except Worf(or so they say). The Klingon High Council leader is surprised that Worf has come all this way to challenge the ruling. There is more to this than meets the eye.
Tapestry - Captain Picard is injured on an away mission and his artificial heart is failing. As he lies on the operating table, he is visited by the enigmatic Q. Q claims to be God and that Jean-Luc has died. Picard refuses to accept this. Q then takes Picard back to when he first got the artificial heart. We now join a much younger Picard(still played by Patrick Stewart, awkwardly enough)who, unlike his grown self, is a womanizing ruffian with a devil-may-care attitude. Fresh from the academy, Picard was eager for his first assignment. His eagerness is what got him the artificial heart in the first place. Now that he's here again, knowing what he knows now, what will he change about his past?
There you have it. 5 good Star Trek episodes for you guys. Hope you get a chance to check some of them out!
The Inner Light - A mysterious probe that emanated from a part of the galaxy that was thought to have been extinct for a long time finds its way to Captain Picard. The probe attaches itself to Picard through an energy beam and Picard collapses. He wakes up on the planet Kitaan, one of the planets from the extinct part of the galaxy. A woman greets him and tells him that he has had a terrible fever and that he has been her husband for many years. Picard still remembers everything about his ship and is very confused. After many years, Picard finally lets go of his former life aboard the Enterprise and starts a family with the woman. During all this time Picard has discovered something about the planet.
Skin of Evil - Not really a good episode but one of my favorites because of what transpires in it. Watch it and you will see what I mean.
The Best of Both Worlds - The main villain of the series, the Borg, making their first appearance since Q sent the Enterprise into deep space in the episode Q Who. The Borg prove to be a powerful enemy and capture Picard during a boarding assault. The Borg then head for Earth at top speed with intentions of assimilating the entire human race. The Enterprise gives chase and devises a weapon that may destroy the Borg ship. But destroying the ship would mean destroying the Captain.
Sins of the Father - Worf is informed that his father has been accused of treason back on the Klingon home world. Being the only Mogh family member left, Worf leaves the Enterprise to challenge the ruling. Apparently, Mogh, his father, gave the Romulans access codes to a Klingon outpost seconds before the shields went down and the base was destroyed. Everyone on the planet died except Worf(or so they say). The Klingon High Council leader is surprised that Worf has come all this way to challenge the ruling. There is more to this than meets the eye.
Tapestry - Captain Picard is injured on an away mission and his artificial heart is failing. As he lies on the operating table, he is visited by the enigmatic Q. Q claims to be God and that Jean-Luc has died. Picard refuses to accept this. Q then takes Picard back to when he first got the artificial heart. We now join a much younger Picard(still played by Patrick Stewart, awkwardly enough)who, unlike his grown self, is a womanizing ruffian with a devil-may-care attitude. Fresh from the academy, Picard was eager for his first assignment. His eagerness is what got him the artificial heart in the first place. Now that he's here again, knowing what he knows now, what will he change about his past?
There you have it. 5 good Star Trek episodes for you guys. Hope you get a chance to check some of them out!
Monday, September 6, 2010
AronRa
For those of you who haven't heard of this guy, I highly suggest you watch some of his videos. I usually don't like YouTube atheists but this guy rubs me the right way. Enjoy!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
I made a blog
This blog will change the world. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. It will be everything and anything. What ever topic comes to mind: sports, evening wear, video games, politics, the affect of the sun's rays on baby seals.
For starters, let's begin with topic near and dear to my heart: video games. I may do a retrospective of my gaming history but, for now, I will just run down a few of the games that I have been playing recently:
Planescape: Torment - Made by the dudes that made Fallout 1 and 2. Probably their most famous game. I'm only a couple of hours in but I really like it so far. The writing is snappy and some the characters are really cool. Looking forward to playing more of it.
Dragon Age: Origins - I finally beat this game the other day. The first time I tried to beat it I got stuck thanks to an unfortunate glitch that prevented me from traveling to the Anvil of the World. So yeah. I saved the world. Not really liking the changes that are being made in the sequel but I will just have to wait to play it for myself.
WoW - Ahhh yes. I'm sure 80% of people who play games have fallen victim to this behemoth once or twice in their life. For 5 years this game has had me by the nose. Not playing as much as I used to but still playing it enough to justify the subscription.
That will do for my first blog, I think. I guess I will close by proposing a question to my potential readers: What have you been playing lately?
That is, of course, assuming you do play video games. And, no, Farmville does not count.
For starters, let's begin with topic near and dear to my heart: video games. I may do a retrospective of my gaming history but, for now, I will just run down a few of the games that I have been playing recently:
Planescape: Torment - Made by the dudes that made Fallout 1 and 2. Probably their most famous game. I'm only a couple of hours in but I really like it so far. The writing is snappy and some the characters are really cool. Looking forward to playing more of it.
Dragon Age: Origins - I finally beat this game the other day. The first time I tried to beat it I got stuck thanks to an unfortunate glitch that prevented me from traveling to the Anvil of the World. So yeah. I saved the world. Not really liking the changes that are being made in the sequel but I will just have to wait to play it for myself.
WoW - Ahhh yes. I'm sure 80% of people who play games have fallen victim to this behemoth once or twice in their life. For 5 years this game has had me by the nose. Not playing as much as I used to but still playing it enough to justify the subscription.
That will do for my first blog, I think. I guess I will close by proposing a question to my potential readers: What have you been playing lately?
That is, of course, assuming you do play video games. And, no, Farmville does not count.
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