A biography for Mike Portnoyhasn’t been written yet.
“I've known Russell Allen for over a decade now, and I've always thought he was a very underrated singer. He has one of the best voices in the business I've ever heard.”
“I have no desire to write lyrics with Adrenaline Mob.”
“When Dream Theater first started, we were touring in a van and playing clubs.”
“I have no interest in playing 'perfect.' To me, it's more about being an entertainer. Having a connection with the audience.”
“I guess I did make my name out of my drumming, and I have the big drum sets, and I'm doing all these crazy, odd-time signatures, so, yeah, I guess drumming was very important to what made me popular.”
“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.”
“I live a very open life. I value my relationship with the fans, and I utilize Twitter and Facebook and my web site, so my day-to-day activities are an open book for me to share with the fans, for better or for worse.”
“It's been an incredible experience, playing with Twisted Sister, Stone Sour, Avenged Sevenfold, jamming with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, and the list goes on and on and on.”
“When I first came out with the Winery Dogs, I had a Bonham set-up. That was such a departure from the huge kits that I had become known for. It was really enjoyable.”
“I need to be creative all the time.”
“I love my family more than life itself, but I can only sit at home by my pool eating barbecue food so many days before I go cuckoo.”
“Any time I say anything about Dream Theater... Honestly, I'd rather not talk about it. Because no matter what I say, it will be twisted and... So I kind of have made myself promise that I won't talk about Dream Theater anymore.”
“Billy Sheehan has always been my number one favorite bass player of all time.”
“A lot of bands, they'll try to jump on the bandwagon or the fad or the fashion, and they'll skyrocket, have this quick overnight fame. But as soon as that fad or fashion changes, they'll go out with it.”
“I understand that Adrenaline Mob is not going to be every Dream Theater fan's cup of tea. I totally get that; I understand that. It's different world.”
“If you do anything long enough, people can't ignore you anymore.”
“It's nice when somebody says that you're their 'favorite' drummer.”
“I'm very proud of the album I made with Adrenaline Mob, and I think that there was really a great chemistry there; it was a great band.”
“Flying Colors is more alternative pop with a prog edge. Think the Beatles meets U2 meets Muse and Foo Fighters. It is the opposite of Adrenaline Mob, which has more classic metal influences like Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Pantera, or Disturbed. They are completely different ends of spectrum.”
“Life is too short for resentments, and I always forgive.”