Mike Portnoy On Becoming A ‘Hired Gun’ As Dream Theater’s Founder

Mike Portnoy is open to the idea of playing with Dream Theater again but not so much playing a one-off show as a ‘hired gun.’ The drummer told Ollie Winiberg of the Heavy Hooks Show that the band was his brainchild, so playing with them would definitely be on the cards if the conditions are respectful to him as the founder.

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci released his second solo album’ Terminal Velocity’ in 2020, featuring Portnoy on drums. This collaboration was Petrucci and Portnoy’s first recording together in over a decade, so playing with his old band isn’t all that out of reach for Mike.

However, when it comes to being a ‘hired gun’ for a one-off show is not something the drummer can get on board as he is a founding member at the end of the day. He probably thinks that he would be disrespecting himself. Besides that, he is willing to play with his former band.

Portnoy’s words on Dream Theater:

“Well, I mean, of course, Dream Theater, you know, that’s where it began, and that was the first 25 years of my career, and you know it was my baby and something that were, you know, we spent so much time building and developing, so yeah, of course, that’s the obvious answer, and that’s the most significant thing of my part of my legacy and career of course.”

He added about being a ‘hired gun’:

“Well, I would surely welcome the idea — absolutely — and I’ve told the guys such, depending on the circumstances. Obviously, there are a lot of hypothetical circumstances. I don’t know if I’d necessarily wanna be a ‘hired gun’ for a band that I formed; [that’s] a little bit of a strange term in that respect. But if you’re asking, would I ever play with the guys again? Sure. If the right hypothetical situation came about, yeah, of course. I’m always open to that.”

The musician’s work with Dream Theater was more than reflective of what type of artist he wanted to be. So, having the chance to reunite with his old bandmates and play with them once again is not something he rules out. The only thing that he wouldn’t want to be a part of seems like being a ‘hired gun’ for a possible show.