Song Quotes by Mike Portnoy

I love when people know me from things other than Dream Theater.

— Mike Portnoy

Every band goes through breakups or splits.

— Mike Portnoy

I have no desire to write lyrics with Adrenaline Mob.

— Mike Portnoy

I don't think there's such a thing as a 'best' drummer.

— Mike Portnoy

It's so refreshing to just play straight-ahead music with lots of twists.

— Mike Portnoy

I love playing drums and helping out.

— Mike Portnoy

My time and my legacy with Dream Theater will always be a part of me. It's something I'll always be proud of.

— Mike Portnoy

To me, there's way more to being a good drummer than precision and technique.

— Mike Portnoy

To me, a great drummer isn't always about somebody with chops who can shred. A great drummer is someone who is part…

— Mike Portnoy

I could be just as happy playing a Beatles song as I am when I'm thrashing out the double bass stuff with…

— Mike Portnoy

I am not a technical drummer at all. I'm more from the Keith Moon/Lars Ulrich school of, 'Hey, look at me!' I…

— Mike Portnoy

I can't possibly overstate how much influence Rush had on me as a young teenager. I would say from about 1981 to…

— Mike Portnoy

I surround myself with incredible musicians who inspire me to always do my best.

— Mike Portnoy

It's all about the music, and I work as hard as I do strictly because of the music. It's not a money…

— Mike Portnoy

Any time I say anything about Dream Theater... Honestly, I'd rather not talk about it. Because no matter what I say, it…

— Mike Portnoy

I don't consider myself a great drummer. I consider myself just a music fan that's a very, very passionate artist, and the…

— Mike Portnoy

When sequencing an album, you kind of have to look at it like you're making a movie with different acts, and you…

— Mike Portnoy

I see the headlines on Blabbermouth, and the fans are saying, 'Why is he always talking about Dream Theater?' I'm not talking…

— Mike Portnoy

When you're making this kind of music, you don't need a producer. If you're making pop albums or trying to write hit…

— Mike Portnoy

I understand that Adrenaline Mob is not going to be every Dream Theater fan's cup of tea. I totally get that; I…

— Mike Portnoy

With the Neal Morse Band, we're doing progressive music with a harder edge; it's a little more in Dream Theater territory for…

— Mike Portnoy

I don't like when I see bands that are just a memory of what they used to be, and there's a few…

— Mike Portnoy

To me, the most important tool is not a physical or a technical one. It's more of a cerebral one. It's your…

— Mike Portnoy

Flying Colors is more alternative pop with a prog edge. Think the Beatles meets U2 meets Muse and Foo Fighters. It is…

— Mike Portnoy

I'm a music fan first and foremost. I can find the beauty in Jellyfish and U2 just as much as Opeth and…

— Mike Portnoy

After I wrote 'The Best Of Times' for my dad and after I completed the '12 Steps Suite' with Dream Theater, I…

— Mike Portnoy