Mike Portnoy, leggendario batterista e fondatore dei Dream Theater, ha influenzato molti musicisti durante la sua carriera di oltre 40 anni. In un’intervista per la “Drum Week” di Consequence, Portnoy condivide gli album e i batteristi che lo hanno ispirato.

Portnoy, dopo 13 anni di assenza, è recentemente tornato nei Dream Theater e si prepara per un tour nel 2024-2025 per celebrare i 40 anni della band con un paio di date anche in Italia. Al di fuori della band, ha collaborato con numerosi gruppi come Avenged Sevenfold, The Neal Morse Band e Transatlantic.
Ha scelto 10 album che hanno influenzato il suo stile, diviso tra rock classico, prog e metal, i tre generi che definiscono il suo modo di suonare. Tra le sue influenze ci sono artisti che vanno dai Beatles ai Pantera, con Peter Criss dei KISS come uno dei suoi primi eroi.

I have to start with Ringo Starr and the Beatles. And it’s a weird pick, Magical Mystery Tour, because technically it’s not even a real Beatles album. The Beatles are my number one favorite band of all time. They have been since the day I was born. So, I can’t possibly give Ringo enough credit for the influence he’s had on me. He’s the guy who did it all first. Really, you never knew who the drummer in any bands were until the Beatles and Ringo. And suddenly now you had a drummer that was an equal fourth personality in the band and an equal presence with the other guys. And even though Magical Mystery Tour isn’t like a real album, it’s just a real good sweet spot for me in terms of like their inventiveness and their daringness. “Strawberry Fields Forever” was such a sonic and inventive production, the way the drums were used, everything from marching snare drums to sped up tapes, slowed down tapes. “I Am the Walrus” has some amazing drumming on there. Every one of those fills, you can air drum them — the simplicity of songs like “Penny Lane,” where the backbeat is literally just a snare drum. This is just one of those albums that’s got a little bit of everything and it’s a great spot of creativity for them, coming off of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was the first album that came out after I was born in ’67. So yeah, I’m gonna have to go with Ringo, The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour, to kick it off.