DREAM THEATER TALKS TO THE ROCKPIT

JOHN MYUNG CATCHES UP TO TELL US ALL THE LATEST...

It's not often that we get to see Dream Theater live in Australia but the progressive rock giants are heading here at the end of October for a special 2 show tour in Sydney and Melbourne that will be sure to please any of their legion of fans. It's even more rare to see the amazingly talented bass player John Myung do interviews but we were lucky enough to catch up with him and discuss the upcoming tour and a few other things that have been happening with the band.

Andrew: Hey how's it going?

John: Going pretty good.

Andrew: Are you guys on tour at the moment?

John: Yes currently in Tokyo (with) a show in 8 hours or so.

Andrew: How's the tour going?

John: It's been going amazing! We've really kinda focused in on a certain show with a certain set of songs and we've kept it really consistent through-out the year. It just seems like the most focused we got, the shows are getting really tighter and also the more focused we're getting and putting on a more consistent show, it seems to be drawing in a lot more people. A lot of people have gained interest and it's just been this really positive experience through-out this whole year.

Andrew: Are these shows the kind of thing we can expect when you come to Australia in a couple of weeks?

John: Yes looking forward to playing there. I guess not this week but towards the end of the month we will be there. Really looking forward to being there, it's a great place to be.

Andrew: It's been about 4 or 5 years since the last time you came here. What do you remember from the last time you were here?

John: Just remember an amazing audience, the reaction to being there was really positive, weather was beautiful. Just looking forward to getting back there again.

Andrew: Yeah we're looking forward to seeing you again, the last tour you came over was amazing. What can we expect on this tour? Are these extended set shows or will we see the usual Dream Theater show?

John: It's gonna span a bit of our career, there's a couple of anniversary points that we're celebrating. The 20th anniversary of "Awake" and the 15 year anniversary of "Scenes From A Memory". It's just a really amazing show and can't wait to be there and have everyone who attends it to experience it. It's a really good show that we have dialed in this time around.

Andrew: Because you guys have been around for a long time now, does it seem like there's always an anniversary for something coming up every year now?

John: It does seem that way sometimes haha! But it's a good problem to have. It's really amazing to see how many people actually appreciate these records after all these years, to just see them with you as your playing, singing every word. It's pretty amazing! Sometimes you forget or other people forget when you're there that it's a real positive situation how people haven't forgotten. I mean that's a real big reason why they're there, it's a really great thing to experience.

Andrew: The other thing that we're really looking forward to seeing is Mike Mangini on the drums, first time the Australian audience will be able to see him live. He's a phenomenal drummer, absolutely amazing!

John: Yeah it's been amazing having him come into the band, it's been a real positive thing. We really have gotten to spend quality time with each other on the road and in the studio and I feel like we've gotten to another place with him. And it's something that we can really feel from the live perspective as well, it's been a great infusion of just his awesome playing and his really positive personality and I'm sure it will definitely translate live. I feel that it definitely does

Andrew: Yeah I think the Australian audiences will definitely see just how great a drummer he really is. I remember when he first joined Dream Theater and I had heard of Mike Mangini before through a couple of other bands so I already knew how great he was. But I've never been able to see him live so I think the fans are going to be in for a really great treat I think.

John: Yeah they definitely will be.

Andrew: Does he make you perform better as well? Because he's such a great personality as well, does he make you perform better live on stage?

John: I really appreciate what he does and what he brings into the band. I don't see anything negative about him, to me everything has been complimentary and positive. You really kinda have to experience it, there's a lot of different points to cover. Probably too many, it's just an overall, general kind of sense of who he is as a person and what he does musically. To me it's kinda gotten this real lift to this other place where from a live perspective, we're probably the tightest we've ever been.

Andrew: That's good to hear! The other thing I wanted to discss with you as well is your latest release which has just come out, the new DVD "Breaking The Fourth Wall". I know you guys have performed with orchestras and that kind of thing before, so how does this particular show differ from previous experiences?

John: Well I think the show had to be documented so it was great that it was documented and it's something we can look back to. And it's also just capturing a real, special night. We were playing at the opera house in Boston and we had an orchestra there, a great string section and I think the point of the whole thing was to kinda capture this whole thing at this place that we are at right now as a band and translate it into live. So what it is for me is it captures a real amazing evening, a real amazing show at this point in our career. And it all worked out! Sometimes these things don't work out, everything came together that night. It was an amazing night that was captured that we will have in the archives.

Andrew: Yeah it's a great teaser for the fans who want to see you live when you come over here. As I said, we're looking forward to seeing you in Australia in a couple of weeks. It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you so we will see you in a couple of weeks!

John: Yep sounds good thank you Andrew!

John spoke to Andrew Schizodeluxe in October 2014