Interview: John Myung – «The Silent Man» at Dream Theater

This article is written by Merete Byre-Haakensen

When my editor gave me the chance to make an interview with one of the guys of Dream Theater, I didn`t hesitate! Dream Theater has played a major role in my musical life since I was 20 years old back in 1992. That`s when I first heard them and their legendary album, Images and Words, and the world never became the same! This interview reflect the impact the band has had on me, and the great respect I have for these guys, and it was important for me to express that directly to the «chosen one» – When would I ever get this chance again?

Never! This was a «once in a LIVEtime»-opportunity.

When it turned out to be John Myung, I was so happy! «The Silent Man» of the band. The fantastic technical bass player! The always so humble and private John! I felt delighted to have this chance!

It wasn`t «6:00» – six o`clock on a Christmas morning, but at the end of the interview I actually found out that John had done the interview «just sitting in his car»! He was meeting the rest of the band for a rehearsal. But that was after we had talked for about half an hour.  

M: Hello John – how are you?

J: – «Good, how are you?»

M: I`m fine, thank you. I would like to say that it`s a great honour for me to speak with you and do this interview. And just to give you a quick introduction of me, of who I am: My name is Merete and I represent Rockman, a rock magazine in Norway.

I attended my first DT-concert in Oslo in 1993 and have been «along for the ride» ever since, and I am a huge fan of you guys.

J: – «Wow, thank you!»

M: I will go to the first question: You are playing at several European Festivals this summer. Tons of Rock in Norway is one of them, and you are playing here for the second time. What are you most looking forward to on this summer tour?

J: – «I`m looking forward to see our fans! We have an amazing show that we`ve put together and we`re actually a week away from our first show at The Met, Philadelphia, which is the 7th of February. It coincides with the release of the new record, Parasomnia. Just really looking forward to show what we`ve put together at the live shows.»

M: On this summer tour, can we expect you to play mostly tracks from the new album or both new and old music?

J:– «It`ll be a couple of tracks of the new record for sure, but it`s gonna be mixed in with a bunch of old songs as well, so it`s gonna be a lot of variety, it`s gonna be new stuff  and old stuff.»

M: Like the 40th anniversary concert? I attended in Oslo in November and it was an amazing  concert!

J: – «Thank you! I`m sure the set will change, but it should be fun to going back to Europe. We haven`t played in America yet. A lot of the set is what the set has been, the only difference is that we`re including a few more songs from the new record and as well as few older tracks that we haven`t played in i while, and a few that we`ve never played, so it`s a little bit of a path: Songs we used to do, songs we never did, and new material off our new album, Parasomnia.»

M: Looking forward to it! So how do you experience playing concerts on great outdoor scenes vs indoor concerts? Is that a big difference?

J: – «You don`t have as many concerns indoors – there`s a lot of concerns when one`s playing outdoors, wether or not the weather will cooperate with you. And I think it`s a little bit more sonically challenging as well. But the shows that we do tend to be for large crowds and festival settings, and there`s something about playing in front of many thousands of people at huge outdoor festivals that really kind of moves you because it`s really powerful to be in front of that many people. The inner space  is all a bit more of a Dream Theater-show where production playes a huge role, and it`s a more controlled environment, and it`s nice because you don`have to worry if it`s gonna rain or not, so they both have their pro`s and cone`s, but it`s definitly nice, you know, nothing beats being part of really good festivals during summer.

It`s like a really fun thing to do, with weather cooperating, that is. But it is really different because when you play outdoor shows it`s not necessarily our audience, they`re there to see a bunch of other bands as well, so it`s really challenging.

It`s nice to be challenged that way actually. It really kind of pushes you. So it`s good to have the midst and do both. That`s what we appreciate, we appreciate the fact that we can do both.»

M: Being a concert photographer and journalist is something I do in my spare time, and working as a psychiatrist is what I do for a living. And perhaps that`s why I have noticed that many of your songs in your long career has mental health sort of as a theme, for instance «Panic attack» and «These Walls», or «The answer lies within», «Take the time» etc. 

And now you are realeasing a brand new album the 7th of February, and regarding the album title and the titles of the tracks «Parasomnia», it seems that this has our mental lives as the main theme as well.

Is mental health issues something that you, as individuals or as a band, have experiences with or is it more like a general topic in your lyrics, something that is natural to wright about because it concerns us all?

J:– «Concerning our new album, I think the inspiration that John had was – it sort of play on the name Dream Theater. To wright an album about dreams, that ultimate state, would be an interesting place to be, lyrically, so we had to do the research and homework and starting reading up on altered dream states, stories, you know. It`s all kind of documented and factualized. There`s a lot of stories that people have written about when they`re in the dream state. It`s really out there actually,  it`s like an alternative space, alternative mind set, alternative reality and some of the stories are pretty captivating. So I think what the subject mattered, it was very intriging to John and that was like the basis of the lyrical direction for the album. So we thought it was a good playoff for our name, for Dream Theater, and our music kind of leant  itself to that kind of space as well, so we thought it was a good carrying of conceptual music, at least for this record.»

M: And now straight to a question I know all our readers are wondering about: How has it been to have Mike Portnoy back behind the drums? Has this brought new inspiration, new creativity into the band?

J: – «Yes, it has! I mean, it`s kind of like we`re writing songs as we used to wright as a band. We`re taking our time until everyone`s happy. You know, some songs are written faster than others, more challenging songs like the epics on the record definitly take a bit more time and thought because sometimes things are flowing and sometimes it`s not. Sometimes it takes us a few days to kind of get out of certain sessions. We might be like recording and trying things out, and come back, you know, try something else, try this, so a lot of it is kind of challenging each other and challenging our selves to make sure that we`re really kind of happy with it, we`re not compromising on anything. And the great thing is that we took our time like we used to do in the past, we`re not rushing anything, you know, we`ll  eventually , we`ll pass the  square once it`s right, once the band feel it`s right, that`s really important.

During the recording sessions we`ll have like a Zoom feed, so if James isn`t here he could still connect via Zoom into the studio. We have cameras and everything. So that`s one example of tecnology making things a little easier for us.»

So everyones opinion is really valid and it really means a huge difference on this record. That`s what being in a band is all about. You have to be able to appreciate each other and the chemistry we have and having Mike back in the band has really put us in a really good place, we`re in a really good place right now.

M: And I could notice that at the concert I attended in Oslo in november that you seemed so happy, all of you, happy for being together playing again.

J: – «Yeah, it`s great to be playing with our old drummer back in the band because it`s like I remembered it when we first started playing and when you step away from that, when you….. I mean, that`s all I ever knew from when we started, and I think when you step into something like   and you don`t have anything to compare it to, I think it`s natural that you take things for granted, the things worked out and when Mike left, you know, we had additional drummers. And we had experiences with other drummers, that`s when I realized that not everything is exactly as I thought, you know, it`s different.

Everyone has a different specter of style, so Mike coming back in the band is like a greater sense of appreciation of what we had and the fact that we got to experience what it was like without him and the fact that he`s back now, it makes you more appreciate the band chemistry and what we had more so now.»

M: Having him back, has it been like he`s never been gone?

J: – «I think it`s a bit of both and better because everything is kind of, it has that flow like it did in the beginning, as I remembered, you know,the chemistry that we had, but I think … everything we`ve been through as a group, there`s a deeper understanding of what`s happening and I think that it all playes a role in helping you get better as player. And everyone`s just really conscious, and the level of details everyone puts in, it really adds to what this band is, you know, so we`re constantly….. You know, we`ve been doing this for a while, that`s one of the benefits of having this experience is we get to look back and understand what worked and what didn`t and take all the things that work and all the things that you love and piercing it into were we are now to help what we`re doing  and to make this as good as possible. It`s just great.

We have an amazing chemistry and we also have amazing people working for us, on the creative level too. We have our own studio. So we`re just a big chain, really. And it`s really important to have. It`s so hard to make any progress if you don`t have a good chain.»

M: Your music has had a lot of impact on me personally. «Find all you need in your mind if you take the time», has been sort of my life motto since I first heard «Take the time». It has been the one sentence that I remind myself when things are rough, and this is a bit morbid perhaps, but I`ve told my husband that this sentence should be on my tombstone. So Dream Theater has ment a lot to me and I know, to others as well. I wonder: do you get many stories like this from you fans world wide, because I know you have a lot of fans, all over?

J: – «Wow, that`s pretty steap (giggling) to be talking about, mortalian things like that. I think, we definetly have fans that are passionate, that has been with us and never got away, but as far as your story, it`s the first one so far. If many fans are very passionate about the band and tells their experiences, how much it helps them, and it`s really great to hear because I think that`s what music is for. I think that`s the purpose, it`s a great sort of bridge to get you closer to where you wanna be, vs where you don`t wanna be, so it`s …  I don`t wanna get off topic, but I understand, I really do relate to that sort of feeling because the band Rush had that impact on me. I really appreciate what they`ve contributed to the world, to the community, with their music and their lyrics and stuff, so I identify with what you`ve brought up. So thank you, it`s great to hear!»

M: I thought you got stories from fans all over in the same way, something like my story. If you do, it must have some kind of impact on you,  perhaps as a band and how you wright your music, perform your music?

J: – «If anything it just make you sort of realise the impact that you have and the impact that music does have. So it`s our responsibility to do our best. That`what`s most important. Because it`s important, there`s a lot of people that follow us and you don`t wanna let them down, you know.»

M: I will go on with a less serious question! It seems to me that you are in the studio or on the road most of the time, so what do you prefer to do when you have some spare time? What gives you the energy to go on doing this, year after year?

J: – «Well, I love what we do. I feel really appreciative of the fact that we get to play the best instruments and use the best gear, and we`re in a place now were we can afford this things and that really helps keep you going. As far as what I do on my off-time, what I wanna do is challenge myself musically and prepare for the next live event or studio act because that`s kind of what it takes. You know, I can`t start the day before the process start again.

We`ll talk and have a few seeds planted, as to what we should accomplish the next time. A good portion of time is just digging in to the old material and refreshing it, so that when it comes time to reference this songs, it`s not too difficult to bring up the speed. So that`s  a major thing with my time, just keeping up with our catalouge and doing my best to maintain it so that I have a reasonable playability so that it`s kind of under my fingers, you know. And we`re so far out in our carrier at this time that the music definitly is not a lots of things to do, it`s a lot to keep up with as well as challenging yourself and be influenced by other bands as well. And constantly maintaining by playing and challenging yourself.

So it`s a lot of that and it`s also just being at home, spending time with my family. I love my familiy, and we have a home, and a home always needs work, so it`s a balance to stay creative, but taking a little bit more of that home life too, that you`ve been missing. So it`s sort of working on a work – life balance, and when we`re not touring that`s really important.»

M: You said something about bands that are and have influenced you, and I think both Rush and Iron Maiden has been big influences, but are there any bands now that have a big influence on you and that you listen to?

J: – «I love «Death Cab For Cutie»! I really like the storytelling in their lyrics and I think they`re a really great band. I also really like «Deftones» too. I find them to be really powerful, the songs are very heavy and driving, and it`s a real kind of unique blend stylistically, things that they`ve incorporated into their sound. I find it very cool. Those are two bands that I would listen to apart from the classic favourites that I grew up singing to.»

M: Do you have a favourite DT-album or song?

J: – «If I had to choose a favourite, it would have to be a reason for it, and I think I would say that «Images and Words» put DT on the map, so I think the significance  of that record would put it in that category. As to why I have an appretiation for that record and it`s based on what it did for the band over night. Over night we became known. It was a pretty exciting time and something that we had never experienced befor. Looking back it was really powerful, the thing that happened to us. Great thing to experience!»

M: Since I`m from Norway, I couldn`t help notice that the cover image on «A view from the top of the world» is from Norway, and this of course made every Norwegian DT-fan very proud. But is there a specific reason for this choise? Does any of you have Norwegian ancestors, for instance?

J: – «Actually, Hugh Syme, who is the art director, and who did the album cover – this was an idea that was his. When we saw this – it didn`t strike me as something that actually excisted until further thinking into the cover and realizing that it is an actual place! So this was actually an idea that Hugh Syme came up with.»

M: So no Viking blood in any of you?

J: – «No, not that I know of! But you never know!»

M: So this interview has come to an end, and I just wanted to thank you and the rest of the guys for creating your wonderful music and sharing it with us! Thanks a lot, John, it has been a pleasure and a privilige talking to you! Say hello to the rest of the guys from Norway, and we are looking forward to see you again at Tons of Rock this summer!

J: – «Thank you very much! Nice talking to you! Bye, bye!»

Dream Theater will play at this year’s Tons of Rock on the opening day, June 25th, the same day as Muse, Electric Callboy, Powerwolf and Lorna Shore.

Check out «Midnight Messiah» from the new album:

Here you can listen to the entire new album:

Les også: Dream Theater til Tons of Rock 2025

Les også: Dream Theater råsterke i Oslo Spektrum

Trykk her for festivalguiden 2025

Ready for Dream Theater at Tons of Rock?

Have you seen the band live at other gigs?

Give your comments, photos & filmclips at Rockman facebook (here)

Push here to follow us at Instagram