Dream Theater Frequently Asked Questions
maintained by Christopher R. Merlo
Last updated 2 November 1997
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FAQ: Dream Theater - Version 5.04
Compiled by:
Christopher R. Merlo, FAQ Maintainer (cmerlo@cs.wm.edu)
Jason Skewes, FAQ Maintainer Emeritus (jskewes@sightline.com)
Mike Bahr, FAQ Maintainer Emeritus (durnik@goodnet.com)
Ryan Skadberg, Ytsejam List Manager (skadz@dreamt.org)
Ken Bibb, Metropolis List Manager (kbibb@arastar.com)
Thanks to Ken Higginson for the DT Ascii you see above.
Welcome to the official, spiced-with-Vindaloo Dream Theater FAQ,
presented by us, the Ytsejam Mailing List, and, thanks to a bit of
great fortune and kindness on their part, by Dream Theater themselves!
This is version 5.04 of the Dream Theater FAQ, in celebration of Dream
Theater's fifth studio release, which was released in the United
States on September 23rd, 1997.
Please remember that the transcriptions of the samples will be handled
in the Dream Theater Songbook. The FAQ will only address questions
concerning the sources of the samples.
I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to be as accurate as I can. If you can
help me to that end with this FAQ, I appreciate it.
This file can be found on the Internet at the following locations:
HTML:
North America:
East (VA) (Original document):
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.html
Northeast (MA):
http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~mikeb/dt/dtfaq.htm
Northwest (OR):
http://www.spiritone.com/~schnoor/dt/dtfaq.html
Midwest (IL):
http://www.prognosis.com/dream/faq.htm
Southeast (GA):
http://www.mindspring.com/~syrinx/dt/dt-faq.htm
Southwest (CA):
http://progmetal.gmsnet.com/dt/dtfaq.html
South America:
Chile:
http://www.webhost.cl/~miguel/DT/dtfaq.html
Europe:
France:
http://wwwperso.hol.fr/~manuclem/dreamt/dtfaq.htm
Norway:
hekta.iet.hist.no/~geirb/faq.html
Asia:
Japan:
http://www.ipe.tsukuba.ac.jp/~s963713/html/dt/dtfaq.htm
Korea:
http://mirinae.yonsei.ac.kr/~hscheon/dream_theater/dtfaq.html
Australia:
http://www.powerup.com.au/~nigelb/dt/dtfaq.html
PLAIN TEXT:
North America:
East (VA):
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dtfaq.txt
Northwest (OR):
http://www.SpiritOne.com/~schnoor/dt/dtfaq.txt
Southeast (GA):
http://www.mindspring.com/~syrinx/dt/dt-faq.txt
South America:
Chile:
http://www.webhost.cl/~miguel/DT/dtfaq.txt
Europe:
France:
http://wwwperso.hol.fr/~manuclem/dreamt/dtfaqtxt.zip
Norway:
hekta.iet.hist.no/~geirb/faq.txt
Australia:
http://www.powerup.com.au/~nigelb/dt/dtfaq.txt
FTP SITES:
North America:
Northwest (OR):
ftp://ftp.SpiritOne.com/pub/users/schnoor/dtfaq.txt
South America:
Chile:
ftp://ftp.webhost.cl/pub/miguel/DT/dtfaq.html
ftp://ftp.webhost.cl/pub/miguel/DT/dtfaq.txt
USENET:
alt.music.dream-theater
CREDITS
Many thanks to the following for their additions, corrections, and
advice:
* Jens Johansson (jens@panix.com)
* C-Man (buffalo@panix.com) - King's X management
* Michael Burstin (mikeb@cs.brandeis.edu)
* Brian Cox (lerxst@metronet.com)
* Ken Bibb (jester@arastar.com)
* Jennifer Albert (airdance@aol.com)
* Randall Haskin (strega@stein.u.washington.edu)
* Pete "Ender" Walsh (ender@uunet.uu.net)
* Dave (dld30@quts.ccc.amdahl.com)
* Todd Henson (thenson@mason1.gmu.edu)
* Bill Buckley (buckley@powdml.enet.dec.com)
* Lars "ORION" Karlsson ()
* Tim Lodge (axe@ct1.nai.net)
* Aaron Silverman (nishiki@juno.com)
* Jeremy A. Smith (js013b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)
* Bret Linford (StmpyJCat@aol.com)
* Ryan Skadberg (skadz@dreamt.org)
* Zack Gemmill (zack@lsil.com)
* Jeff Chew (jc309@columbia.edu)
* Steve Borzilleri (magellan@u.washington.edu)
* Mike Ostrich (syrinx@mindspring.com)
* Paul Cashman (pellaz@dreamt.org)
* Irene Raceu (majesty@voyager.net)
* Sander Moes (moes@geof.ruu.nl)
* Scott McCammon (mccammsa@sherrill.kiva.net)
* Rogerio Brito (rbrito@ant116.cce.usp.br)
Thanks also to Matt Schnoor, Miguel Farah, Hyun Soo Cheon, Emmanuel
Clemence, Mike Ostrich, Geir Botterli, Nigel Bridgeman, Mark Bredius,
and Dr. Mosh for mirroring this site.
Plus Jason Hartman, Tony Zimmerman, Mountain Dew, Taco Bell, Rolling
Rock, and Parliament Lights.
Extra thanks to Jason Skewes for keeping this list in such great shape
for so long.
Extra huge colossal thanks to Mike Portnoy for "taking the time" to
make sure everything here is accurate.
And, finally, thanks to all the subscribers of the Ytsejam Mailing
List for their eternal vigilance.
Send gripes, complaints, comments, kudos, beer and suggestions for
this FAQ to: cmerlo@cs.wm.edu.
If you're ever in the Colonial Virginia area - look me up. I'm always
up for trading and meeting other Ytsejammers!
Abbreviations you should know:
* DT - Dream Theater... NOT DREAM THEATRE! Petrucci is very specific
about it.
* WDADU - When Dream And Day Unite
* IAW - Images And Words
* LATM - Live At The Marquee
* LIT - Live in Tokyo (video)
* ACoS - A Change of Seasons
* FII - Falling Into Infinity
* YML - Ytsejam mailing list
* PMU - Pull Me Under
* TTT - Take The Time
* LTL - Learning To Live
* LSoaD - Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
* LITS - either the song "Lines in the Sand" from FII, or the
bootleg "Lost in the Sky"
Non-DT abbreviations you should know:
* IMHO - In My Humble Opinion
* ROFL - Rolling on the Floor Laughing
* ROTFLMAO - Rolling on the Floor Laughing My Ass Off (also known as
"Rot Flame Oh!", courtesy of Elliott Kim)
* NDTC - No Dream Theater Content (used in Ytsejam post subject
lines)
* WTF - What the F---? (can also mean Who the F---?, Where the
F---?, etc.)
* YKYADTFW - You Know You're a Dream Theater Fan When...
* BRB - Be right back (used on IRC all the time)
* BBIAF - Be back in a few (used on IRC all the time)
* LOL - Laughing out loud
Current Dream Theater Personnel
* James LaBrie, Vocals: Born May 5, 1963
* John Myung, Bass Guitar: Born January 24, 1967
* John Petrucci, Guitar: Born July 12, 1967
* Mike Portnoy, Drums/Percussion: Born April 20, 1967
* Derek Sherinian, Keyboards: Born August 25, 1966
Former Dream Theater Personnel
* Kevin Moore, Keyboards: Born May 26, 1967
* Charlie Dominici, Vocals: Birthdate unknown
CONTENTS
0. New Questions/Frequently Changing Information
What is Dream Theater up to currently?
Is Dream Theater Changing Management?
What is Kevin Moore up to?
Do the members of DT appear on any tribute albums?
Where can I find other Dream Theater fans near me?
1. Dream Theater Resources on the Internet
Where is the Dream Theater Discography?
Where is the Dream Theater Bootleg List?
Where can I find lyrics to _____?
Are there Dream Theater web pages?
Is there a Dream Theater mailing list?
What about other mailing lists?
Is there a Dream Theater IRC Channel?
2. A Brief History of Dream Theater
3. Questions about Dream Theater history
Is there a Dream Theater Fan Club?
Who thought up the name for the band?
What does the "symbol" DT uses mean?
What does the burning heart symbolize?
What is the pepper-like symbol in the _Live at the Marquee_
booklet?
Who has toured with Dream Theater?
4. Questions about specific members of Dream Theater
Who are the current members of Dream Theater?
Why did Charlie Dominici leave DT?
Why did Kevin Moore leave DT?
What was James LaBrie doing before he joined the band?
Who inspired the band members the most?
Andrea Held Leone and Ralph R. Domonici Sr. are mentioned in
the liner notes to WDADU as the dedicants. What relation to the
band are they?
Marillion is thanked in the liners in IAW. What's the relation?
What musical instrument sponsorships does DT have?
Where did DT go to school?
Now that Kevin Moore left, and the whole reason LaBrie used
"James" was to sidestep the confusion, will he go back to
"Kevin LaBrie"?
5. Questions about DT performances/appearances
What are the Majesty demos?
What producers has Dream Theater worked with?
What songs has DT made videos for?
What songs has Dream Theater played live?
Who played the saxophone on "Another Day"?
Will DT ever release production versions of the old Majesty
demos?
What did the band have to say about recording _Awake_?
What was the "Ronnie Scott's Uncovered Gig"?
6. Questions about the songs themselves
The pre-When Dream and Day Unite songs
The When Dream and Day Unite songs
The Images and Words songs
The Live at the Marquee songs
The Awake songs
A Change of Seasons
The Falling Into Infinity songs
Miscellaneous song questions
7. Questions concerning samples used in the songs
Where is the sampled voice in "A Fortune in Lies" from?
Where were the samples used in "6:00" pulled from?
Where are the samples in "Space-Dye Vest" from?
Where are the samples in "Mirror" from?
Where are the samples in "Voices" from?
Where are the samples in "A Change of Seasons" from?
Where are the samples in "Don't Look Past Me" from?
8. Miscellaneous
What is "Subconscious"? What is "Acoustic Dreams"? What is
"When Dream and Today Unite"?
Did the band Blind Melon bash DT? What did they say?
What is the correct pronunciation of the word 'YTSEJAM'?
What are YtseCons?
Misheard lyrics
Have the FAQ Maintainers ever played any practical jokes on the
readers?
[New!] - indicates that info has been revised/added in this edition.
_________________________________________________________________
0. New Questions/Frequently Changing Information
[New!]0.1 What is Dream Theater up to currently?
The new album is done! Dream Theater's fifth studio release, entitled
Falling Into Infinity, is completely recorded and produced.
Promotional CDs are already out there among the general public, and
the album hit stores in the US on Tuesday, September 23rd. The track
listing for Falling Into Infinity is as follows:
New Millennium (8:20), lyrics by Portnoy
You Not Me (4:58), lyrics by Petrucci
Peruvian Skies (6:43), lyrics by Petrucci
Hollow Years (5:53), lyrics by Petrucci
Burning My Soul (5:29), lyrics by Portnoy
Hell's Kitchen (4:16), instrumental
Lines In The Sand (12:05), lyrics by Petrucci
Take Away My Pain (6:03), lyrics by Petrucci
Just Let Me Breathe (5:28), lyrics by Portnoy
Anna Lee (5:51), lyrics by LaBrie
Trial Of Tears (13:07), lyrics by Myung
Final CD running time: 78:18
This new album was produced by Kevin Shirley, whose previous studio
credits include Journey and Silverchair. The cover art was created by
Storm Thorgerson, who created some classic album covers for Pink Floyd
and Led Zeppelin, often under the pseudonym Hipgnosis.
Songs that were written and demoed for the new album, that did not
make the final cut, are:
Raise The Knife, 11:15, lyrics by Portnoy
Where Are You Now, 7:15, lyrics by Petrucci
The Way it Used to Be, 8:00, lyrics by LaBrie
Cover My Eyes, 3:20, lyrics by Petrucci
Speak To Me, 6:15, lyrics by LaBrie
Tour Dates! So far, these are the only tour dates that have been
officially announced as of this writing (November 2nd). Any other
rumored dates floating around the net are, at this point, still just
rumors.
Friday Oct.17th - WHJY's 16th Anniversary Party (only 1 hr.set) -
Providence, R.I.
Sat. Oct. 25th - Toad's Place - New Haven, CT
Mon. Oct. 27th - Odeon - Cleveland, OH
Tues. Oct. 28th - Al Rosa - Columbus, OH
Wed. Oct. 29th - The Warehouse - Toronto, ON, Canada
Thurs. Oct. 30th - St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI
Sat. Nov. 1st - House of Blues - Chicago, IL
Sun. Nov. 2nd - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN
Mon. Nov. 3rd - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Wed. Nov. 5th - Colorado Music Hall - Colorado Springs, CO
Thurs. Nov. 6th - Ogden Theater - Denver, CO
Sat. Nov. 8th - 4th & B - San Diego, CA
Sun. Nov. 9th - Galaxy Theater - Santa Ana, CA
Tues. Nov. 11th - House of Blues - Los Angeles, CA
Wed. Nov. 12th - The Edge - Palo Alto, CA
Fri. Nov. 14th - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
Sat. Nov. 15th - Fonix - Seattle, WA
Tues. Nov. 18th - Barrymore Theater - Madison, WI
Wed. Nov. 19th - Metropol - Pittsburgh, PA
Thurs. Nov. 20th - Metropol - Pittsburgh, PA
Fri. Nov. 21st - Tradewinds - Sea Bright, NJ
Sat. Nov. 22nd - Irving Plaza - New York, NY
Sun. Nov. 23rd - The Ballroom - Washington, DC
Tues. Nov. 25th - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
Fri. Dec. 26th - Jaxx - Springfield, VA ***
Sun. Nov. 30th - Forum - Milan, Italy
Tues. Dec. 2nd - Stadthalle - Offenbach, Germany
Wed. Dec. 3rd - Maaspoort - Den Bosch, Netherlands
Thurs. Dec. 4th - Biskuithalle - Bonn, Germany
Sat. Dec. 6th - KB Halle - Copenhagen, Denmark
Sun. Dec. 7th - Dock's - Hamburg, Germany
Tue. Dec. 9th - The Forum - London, England
*** = tentative dates, still subject to change.
According to Mike Portnoy, these dates are only:
"scratching the surface & testing the waters." I know everybody
from Texas & Florida to France & Finland are gonna be screaming
"HEY, WHAT ABOUT US??!!" It is impossible for us to be in 5 places
at once, so these dates are only a starter and we will do more
extensive runs of the U.S., Europe, and everywhere else in the
world throughout 1998.
0.2 Has Dream Theater changed management?
Well... Yes and No. Dream Theater had originally retained Round Table
Entertainment for their management. Round Table was founded by Jim
Pitulski (who was the original person at Mechanic/MCA Records who got
DT's demo noticed in the first place), and Jim formed a partnership
with Rob Shore of Focus Management so that they could co-manage DT
together. For this purpose, they used the Round Table Entertainment
title. Jim has since left the partnership and has taken the name
'Round Table' with him, so DT is solely managed by Rob Shore and Focus
Management at this time.
0.3 What is Kevin Moore up to?
In August 1994, after parting ways with DT, Kevin moved to Santa Fe,
NM and lived there for about a year while writing and recording new
solo material. Some of the demos he recorded duing this period of time
were made available through a demo dubbing project called "Music Meant
To Be Heard, Etc." that was originally set up on Ytsejam in early
1995. Write to the Ytsejam mailing list to find out more information
on the availability of the demos.
In the summer of 1995, Kevin decided to shave his head(!) and move to
Los Angeles, CA to record some new material with Fates Warning
drummer, Mark Zonder. These songs eventually turned into the "Chroma
Key" demos and featured Kevin on keyboards/bass/vocals and Mark Zonder
on drums. Three of the Chroma Key demos, "On The Page," "Sounds Like
Watercolor," and "Chroma Key," are available for purchase on cassette
directly from Kevin through his Chroma Key web site which has been
operational since March '96. The URL for the Chroma Key home page is
http://www.chromakey.com. Kevin describes his new music as
"keyboard-oriented semi-progressive rock."
Kevin recorded more "Chroma Key" songs during the last half of 1996
(with Jason Anderson on guitar, Joey Vera on bass, and Mark Zonder on
drums), and is currently mixing those songs with Steve Tushar (for
Steve Tushar/mixing info, see the following URL:
http://www.artnet.net/~carbon12/info.htm) with the intention of
releasing a CD of this new solo material independently, on his own
label, Fight Evil Records, sometime in 1997. To read an update on what
Kevin is doing currently, visit the "news" section of his Chroma Key
homepage at http://www.chromakey.com/news.html.
Kevin also plays all the keyboards on the new Fates Warning album, A
Pleasant Shade Of Gray, which was released in April 1997.
0.4 Do the members of DT appear on any tribute albums?
Yes. Derek played keyboards on the songs "To Cry You a Song" and
"Teacher" (with the band Wolfstone) on To Cry You a Song: A Collection
of Tull Tales. Three band members appear on Working Man, a Rush
tribute album. Mike and Mr. Big's Billy Sheehan provide the rhythm
section for "Working Man," "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," "Analog Kid,"
"The Trees," "La Villa Strangiato," and "Jacob's Ladder." James sings
on "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and on "Red Barchetta," and John Petrucci
contributed a guitar solo to "Jacob's Ladder." Mike was also the
creative consultant for Working Man. Both titles are available from
Magna Carta records (http://www.zaks.com/magnacarta).
Also, John Petrucci and James appear on Dragon Attack: A Tribute to
Queen. James sings on "Sheer Heart Attack" and "One Vision" (both of
which have Mike Portnoy listed in the Additional Engineering credits),
and John plays on "Another One Bites The Dust." Dragon Attack is
available on DeRock Records.
0.5 Where can I find other Dream Theater fans near me?
The Official Dream Theater Internet Home Page folks run a service
called the Fan Network. On this page, at
http://www.rsabbs.com/dt/network/, you can sign into the Network and
find other fans in your neck of the woods.
_________________________________________________________________
1. Dream Theater Resources on the Internet
1.1 Where is the Dream Theater Discography?
The Dream Theater Discography is handled by Michael Backof
(mbacko1@gl.umbc.edu). It can be found at:
WWW: http://www.columbia.edu/~jc309/archives/ginfo/disc.html.
1.2 Where is the Dream Theater Bootleg List?
The Dream Theater Bootleg List is maintained by Michael Burstin
(mikeb@cs.brandeis.edu). It can be found at:
WWW: http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~mikeb/dt/boots.txt.
1.3 Where can I find lyrics to _____?
Lyric listings are maintained by Michael Kizer (mkizer@goodnet.com).
This "Unofficial" Dream Theater Song Book is available at:
WWW: http://www.goodnet.com/~mkizer/dt/dt.htm
FTP: www.goodnet.com/~mkizer/dt/dt_sb13.txt
Or by e-mail from the Ytsejam Mailing List Archive by sending mail to
ytsejam-request@ax.com. The subject of this e-mail should be "asdf"
and the body should say "get ytsejam dt_songbook.txt".
[New!] 1.4 Are there Dream Theater web pages?
There are a wide variety of personal Dream Theater home pages on the
Web. In fact, way too many to list here. The Official Dream Theater
Home Page (http://www.rsabbs.com/dt/) contains a section called
Jumpstation with a list of links to most of these pages.
In addition, Eric Moegling (emoeglin@wezl.org) has set up a Webring of
Dream Theater pages, called Lifting Shadows Off A Ring. The home page
for the ring is at http://www.wezl.org/lift.
1.5 Is there a Dream Theater Mailing List?
Actually, there are two! The primary one is called the Ytsejam Mailing
List. You can subscribe to the YML by sending e-mail to
ytsejam-request@ax.com. The subject should be "asdf" and the body
should say "subscribe ytsejam your name". (Replace "your name" with
your own name.) You will be added automatically!
The default is for the digest form of the mailing list - so if you
would rather receive each individual post - then email "set ytsejam
mail ack" to ytsejam-request@ax.com with a subject line of "asdf".
NOTE: Do NOT send this request until you have received a confirmation
stating that you have been added to the list!
To post to Ytsejam, address your e-mail to ytsejam@ax.com.
To unsubscribe, email ytsejam-request@ax.com with a subject of "asdf"
and a body of "unsubscribe ytsejam". This will take you off the list
within two hours.
If you have any problems please e-mail ytsejam-owner@ax.com and a
human will help you. For other information on the Ytsejam mailing list
(such as how to get tour dates, this FAQ and other DT files via
e-mail), send e-mail to ytsejam-request. Again, the subject shoudl be
"asdf". The body should say "info ytsejam". You should receive the
information file within two hours.
To subscribe to Voices (a moderated discussion list), mail
voices-request@arastar.com, with a subject of "asdf" and a body of
"subscribe voices your name". All other commands are similar to
Ytsejam commands.
1.6 What about other music mailing lists?
There are internet mailing lists for other progressive bands such as:
Rush, Marillion, etc. Directions for subscribing to them are included
in the List of Music Mailing Lists which can be retrieved by doing one
of the following:
* Send "gimme" to lomml@arastar.com with a subject of "lomml". Some
sites will ignore the reply since it's 130k in size. If you have
problems, try one of the alternate methods of retrieval.
* Send:
get lomml lomml-3.2-part1
get lomml lomml-3.2-part2
get lomml lomml-3.2-part3
to listproc@arastar.com with a subject of "hjkl".
* ftp from ftp://ftp.wwa.com/pub/dattier/lomml/3.2-951103.gz or
ftp://server.berkeley.edu/pub/music/lomml-3.2
* WWW http://server.berkeley.edu/~ayukawa/lomml.html
1.7 Is there a Dream Theater IRC channel?
Ryan Skadberg maintains an Internet Relay Chat server specifically for
the Dream Theater Chat Channel. The server is at irc.dreamt.org, port
2112, and the channel is called #ytsejam. To log on from most systems,
use these commands:
/server irc.dreamt.org 2112
/join #ytsejam
If you have a Unix account on a provider or through your school, you
should be able to access IRC with:
% irc ________ irc.dreamt.org:2112
--And fill in the blank with the IRC nickname you'd like to use. If
this doesn't work, it's possible your school or provider doesn't
provide IRC service, the dastards!
_________________________________________________________________
2. A Brief History of Dream Theater
Dream Theater first came to be in September 1985 when Berklee friends
John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy got together and decided
there was some music to be played. They enlisted an old school friend,
Kevin Moore, for the keys, and "Majesty" came to exist.
Their first efforts at getting material down on tape were called the
Majesty Demos. Ineffective singer Chris Collins did the vocals on
eight very progressive-sounding tracks. In March 1986 the Majesty
demos were finished. 1000 copies sold within six months. Bootleg CDs
of the Majesty demos continue to sell even today.
That November, Chris left the band, as he was a mismatch all along. A
year went by without a singer and without a record deal, and more
demos were cut. Instrumental versions of the songs we now know as
"Afterlife," "Ytse Jam," and "The Killing Hand" were among them.
In November of 1987 vocalist Charlie Dominici joined the band and a
record was finally cut on the Mechanic label. This is when the issue
of the name nearly stopped Dream Theater before they started. A Las
Vegas band called Majesty forced a name change, and DT considered
several different possibilities. Glasser, Mi and Magus, and the like
were tossed about and rejected. Mike Portnoy's father Howard suggested
they use the name of a California movie theater, and the name Dream
Theater was chosen.
DT quickly found out that Mechanic could not effectively promote their
record or finance the tour they needed in order to promote it on their
own, so they left the label. Charlie was fired because he didn't have
DT's progressive plans on his agenda, and he had always been weak in a
live setting. Time went by... a LOT of time.
Finally, in late 1991, Kevin James LaBrie of Winter Rose beat out
fellow throats John Arch (ex-Fates Warning), Steve Stone, Chris
Cintron, and John Hendricks for the vocalist spot. His audition was
fantastic and an apt indicator of the future potential of DT, as he
sang his way through an acoustic "To Live Forever," and demo tapes of
"Learning to Live" and "Take The Time."
EastWest records, then ATCO Atlantic, signed DT and they cut the
record Images And Words. Radio picked up on the opening track, "Pull
Me Under," and IAW slowly started accumulating sales. DT began to
field an obsessive and musically-inclined fan base who had been
disappointed by late-80's and early-90's glam and grunge, and had held
onto their Rush, Yes, and Floyd records, hoping for the day when
another such band would come about. The band cut a video for "Pull Me
Under" and it actually got rotation on MTV... a small miracle in
itself. Two more videos were cut, "Another Day" and "Take The Time,"
and the latter got marginal airplay.
By halfway through the Music In Progress Tour '93, IAW was selling
lots of copies and several cuts from it were gaining heavy airplay, as
well as kindling a deep-seeded fan interest in unreleased recordings
and bootlegs. Import shipments of When Dream And Day Unite sold
quickly. Dream Theater cut a live EP in April 1993 called Live at the
Marquee. Later that year, a live video called Live in Tokyo (sometimes
titled "Music in Progress') was released. Still, the fans of DT needed
more. Throughout the spring and summer of 1994, there was a veritable
explosion of available bootlegs and rarities. IAW went gold in January
of 1995.
DT took their own time, so to speak, in writing and recording Awake,
their third studio album. It was recorded between May and July 1994
and was released on October 4, 1994. It was during this time that the
sky itself fell on Dream Theater.
On August 1st, 1994 Kevin Moore decided to leave the band to pursue
his own musical interests. On August 8th, 1994 the split was made
final by a press release issued from Dream Theater's management.
Several possible replacements were tossed about. Jens Johansson
auditioned for the spot. Jordan Rudess played a gig with them but then
left to play for the Dixie Dregs. Derek Sherinian, formerly of Kiss
and Alice Cooper, stepped in and played with the band on the Awake
tour. Derek was announced as an 'official' member during the last few
shows of Dream Theater's 1995 European tour.
Dream Theater reunited with IAW producer David Prater and entered the
studio in April of 1995 to record their 23-minute epic "A Change Of
Seasons". Several tracks from the Ronnie Scott's 'Uncovered' Gig were
also included in the release. The EP, entitled A Change of Seasons,
was released on September 19, 1995.
In December 1996 Dream Theater played five shows on what was dubbed
"The Fix for '96," where they showcased five of the songs that have
been since released on FII, in addition to new arrangements of some of
the classics. Following this were some springtime dates in Europe.
Finally, on September 23, 1997, Falling Into Infinity was released in
the US. Dream Theater is currently busy preparing for a world tour,
set to kick off on Friday, Oct. 17th in New Haven, CT.
_________________________________________________________________
3. Questions about Dream Theater the band
3.1 Is there a Dream Theater fan club?
Fans in North America that wish to join the Dream Theater
International Fan Club can do so by following these instructions:
The cost of joining the Fan Club for one year is $15. Send a check or
money order for $15, made payable to "YTSE JAMS, INC." Payment to be
in U.S. funds only.
Send to:
Dream Theater International Fan Club
Midtown Station, Box 1188
New York, NY 10018 USA
Fans outside of North America should follow these directions:
The cost of joining the Fan Club for one year is £10. Send £10 in the
form of a UK cheque, International Money Order, or Eurocheque, made
payable to "YTSE JAMS." You may also pay in cash in Pounds Sterling
Only, though this is not recommended, and if payment is to be sent
this way, it should always be sent by registered mail. Payment to be
in UK Pounds Sterling only!
Send to:
Dream Theater International Fan Club
PO Box 1067
Caterham, Surrey CR3 5ZU, U.K.
For your membership fee you will receive an initial joining pack,
which will include:
* The latest issue of the quarterly magazine "Images And Words",
which up to recently, has been the bands 'official' fanzine, and
has now been incorporated into the Fan Club set-up. This will
contain all the latest news, interviews, letters, and a section
where you the fans get to ask the band direct questions. You will
also receive the next three issues as part of your membership,
* a photograph signed by all the band,
* plus any additional items available at the time.
Also, throughout the year, you may receive additional news updates as
and when necessary, informing you of tour dates, clinics, or releases
etc. Upon acceptance of your payment, your starter-pack will be sent
to you.
If you want to write in, or have any questions, please contact the Fan
Club Headquarters in England, at the address above. If you require a
reply, and we cannot always guarantee this, please enclose an
International Reply Coupon (IRC), and a self addressed envelope (SAE),
and we'll see what we can do.
For further information, write to Neil Elliott, president of the
DTIFC, at images_and_words@compuserve.com.
3.2 Who thought up the name for the band?
Mike Portnoy's father, Howard, thought they should name it after the
moviehouse near where Mike's father lived. It was called The Dream
Theater. Initially, they recorded a demo by that name, then named the
band after it. The theater itself is in Monterey, California. Several
subscribers to Ytsejam have seen the theater and plan to upload photos
of it soon. Keep checking the Dream Theater archive!
3.3 What does the "symbol" DT uses mean?
The "symbol" can be seen on the IAW disc, on the IAW cover on top of
the bed, on the WDADU cover, etc. It is the letter "M" of "MAJESTY" in
a stylized font, says Portnoy. It was once used by Mary Queen of
Scots.
3.4 What does the burning heart symbolize?
According to Portnoy, it was original keyboardist Kevin Moore's idea
and essentially a copy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The barbed wire
represented obstacles and difficulties, the heart endurance and
strength, and the fire their energy and passion.
3.5 What is the pepper-like symbol in the "Live At The Marquee" booklet?
There are two theories. The first theory states that this symbol is
called "Alceringa," which means "dream time." It was used by another
culture to describe what they believed was the "other" state of being.
They were baffled by what happened when one fell asleep, what we today
refer to as dreaming. So, they gave a name to this other world that
one entered during a slumber - Alceringa, the Dream Time.
The other theory is that it doesn't actually mean anything, and it's
just a neat-looking, albeit extremely common, printer's symbol.
3.6 Who has toured with Dream Theater?
Psychotic Waltz, the Galactic Cowboys, Saigon Kick, Damn The Machine,
Meanstreak (with Rena Sands, Petrucci's wife, and Marlene Portnoy,
Mike's wife), I Mother Earth, Fates Warning, Push Monkey, echolyn,
Jordan Rudess & Rod Morganstein, and others among a slew of local acts
the band likes to use for openers.
_________________________________________________________________
4. Questions about specific members of Dream Theater
4.1 Who are the current members of Dream Theater?
They are Kevin James LaBrie (vocals), John Petrucci (guitar), Michael
Portnoy (drums), John Myung (bass) and Derek Sherinian (keyboards).
4.2 Why did Charlie Dominici leave DT?
According to Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, he was released because
of several things, but most importantly because he didn't fit in with
the band in a few important ways. He was far older than the rest of
them, had a different idea of what DT should be, and lacked ability as
a frontman when performing live. There were apparently a few
personality conflicts at work. Dream Theater is still in contact with
Charlie. He sang at Mike Portnoy's wedding in 1994 and he was spotted
at a few of the Awake tour shows.
4.3 Why did Kevin Moore leave DT?
Kevin's musical tastes have changed over the years, and he grew
increasingly unhappy with the musical direction that the band had
taken. He felt that the differences had become so great that he could
not continue in the band.
"...in some ways it's a shock to us and in some ways, it isn't, you
know. I mean, the way that they [the fans] consider us a 'family
unit,' in a lot of ways, it's true because, I grew up with Kevin,
like, since we were little kids and this has been our band since...
whenever. We were 17, out of high school, you know, the first year
in college, so it is kind of weird, not having him in the band,
it's definitely strange. The only thing I can say to the fans is,
you know, so far as worrying and whatnot, this is something that
was going on with Kevin like, or, the way he explained it to us,
for a couple of years, so he was slowly sort of stepping out of his
position, and even with the writing on "Awake", it's not as much of
his trademark and his sound and his writing. So if they're into
this album, maybe that's a good sign because it was something that
was written a lot without his enthusiasm or without his input for
the most part, so, it's sort of a... step to the new whatever's
going to happen next. So if they like it, that's a good sign..."
"...he didn't tell us slowly, it was unexpected for us too. But
it's just that he was thinking about it for awhile, we didn't even
know that, you know? We sensed that he was a little bit distant,
that maybe he was unhappy, but we never thought he would leave the
band, 'cause like I said, this has been something we've been into
since we were little kids or whatever. He told us right towards the
end of the recording session for _Awake_, which was about mid-July,
and that was really strange because, you know, we weren't finished
recording and he told us this, so... I mean, obviously we finished
up the recording of the record, but it was... I guess no time is a
good time, but it seemed like a strange sort of time and we were
all really shocked, you know, we were like, 'I don't understand,'
you know? It's hard for me to understand because we've been pretty
successful and we think this record is going to do really well for
us, we hope it is, and there's a lot of things on the horizon and
we've worked our entire lives to get to this point, so it's hard
for me to relate to leaving that..."
"...I don't think you can pinpoint to one specific reason why he
left the band, but I think basically it comes down to this... over
the last couple of years, he's sort of changed the type of music
that he's into, that he likes to write and he's demoing a lot of
stuff where he's playing everything himself and singing himself and
it's in a different style, like techno/industrial sort of style,
nothing like our band... it just seems like playing with us, he
wasn't able to do the type of stuff that he wanted to do and he
figured he never would if he stayed in the situation, so he wanted
to be true to his musical vision. I guess that was kind of
frustrating with him. Maybe when we started the band and for the
first couple of albums, it was the kind of stuff he really liked
doing and then for whatever reason, whatever happened in his
life... whatever was happening, whether it was touring or whatever,
he just changed the type of stuff he was into and he no longer felt
passionate, or feels passionate, about the style of music that
Dream Theater plays... you know, the heavy, progressive sort of
music..."
- John Petrucci
4.4 What was James LaBrie doing before he joined the band?
Kevin James LaBrie (they dropped the Kevin because they would have
otherwise confused him with Kevin Moore, and two Johns are already
hard enough to deal with, says Petrucci) sang for a Canadian glam band
called Winter Rose. He was selected from among 20 auditions and over
200 tapes by DT during the making of IAW. This sentence is censored.
;)
4.5 Who inspired the band members the most?
In an interview, Mike Portnoy cited Neil Peart of Rush as his greatest
influence and favorite drummer. His other influences include Terry
Bozzio and Vinnie Colaiuta, but Portnoy says Peart is his "drum god".
Petrucci has two groups of influences, he said in an interview, "the
Steves and the Als." The Steves are Steve Morse, Steve Howe, Steve
Vai, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Als are Alex Lifeson, Al Di Meola,
and Allan Holdsworth.
John Myung's bass idols are Steve Harris and Geddy Lee.
As a band, they are influenced most (according to Portnoy) by Rush,
Queensryche, Yes, Marillion, Genesis, and Kansas. Those groups make a
few appearances here in this FAQ forasmuch as they relate to DT.
Petrucci individually likes Pantera. The whole band got on very well
with the Galactic Cowboys. Much like their listeners, they have very
broad and varied tastes. Portnoy is a regular concertgoer, and has
been met at Rush and King's X concerts by people on the Ytsejam list.
4.6 Andrea Held Leone and Ralph R. Dominici Sr. are mentioned in the liner
notes to WDADU as the dedicants. What relation to the band are they?
Andrea is Mike's late mother. Ralph is Charlie's father.
4.7 Marillion is thanked in the liners in IAW. What's the relation?
Dream Theater opened for Marillion at the Ritz in New York on
11/14/89. This was also Dominici's last show. DT also opened for
Marillion at Sundance in Bay Shore, Long Island on 6/9/90. They played
an instrumental show except that Steve Stone was introduced as the new
vocalist and he came out and sang "A Change Of Seasons." The band
promptly canned him after his horrible performance.
Since then, Steve Rothery and Steve Hogarth joined the band at their
Uncovered gig at Ronnie Scott's. Fish was also invited to sing "In The
Flesh?" at this gig but had to cancel at the last minute.
Mike Portnoy also said, "We're all really big fans. I really dig
Misplaced Childhood."
4.8 What musical instrument sponsorships does DT have?
Mike Portnoy--Tama Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Drum Workshop Pedals &
Hi-hats, Latin Percussion, Remo Heads and Hot Sticks. Mike originally
played Tama, changed his kit between IAW and Awake to a Mapex set, and
then changed back to Tama Star Classics.
John Petrucci--Ibanez guitars, Mesa Boogie Amps, Dimarzio Pick-ups,
Dunlop Picks, Wah Pedals.
John Myung--Yamaha Bases, Mesa Boogie Amps, D'Addario Strings.
4.9 Where did DT go to school?
The Johns, Portnoy and Sherinian went to the Berklee school of music
in Boston, MA, not the University of California at Berkeley as has
been erroneously mentioned on rec.music.progressive. Berklee is a
music-dedicated school that has produced the likes of Steve Vai, Al Di
Meola and Chris DeGarmo. Kevin Moore went to SUNY Fredonia, as has
been confirmed. Anyone know if LaBrie did college?
4.10 Now that Kevin Moore left, and the whole reason LaBrie used "James" was
to sidestep the confusion, will he go back to "Kevin LaBrie"?
Good question, but not likely. :)
_________________________________________________________________
5. Questions about DT performances/appearances
5.1 What are the Majesty demos?
Before they were Dream Theater, they were Majesty. However, there was
already a band called Majesty, so they could not release the demos.
They wound up on bootlegs and evaluation tapes. Between singers, Dream
Theater did still more demos. These are referred to as the Dream
Theater Demos due to the timeframe. Some of the songs DT has demoed
include:
A Change of Seasons
A Late Summer Rain
A Vision
Afterlife
Another Won
Creep With Tonality %
Cry for Freedom
Death of Spock, The
Don't Look Past Me
Gates of Babylon @
Golden Slumbers *
Grab That Feel $
Killing Hand, The
March of the Tyrant
Metropolis
Mission: Impossible
O Holy Night
Resurrection of Ernie
Schizophrenia
To Live Forever
Too Far
Vital Star
Ytse Jam, The
Your Majesty
Wanted: Dead or Alive (sort of a joke)
* Also called The Golden Weight
$ Later renamed Take The Time
% Later renamed Learning to Live
@ An old Rainbow song
5.2 What producers has Dream Theater worked with?
Terry Date produced WDADU. Terry Brown (Broon), the producer who took
Rush through their first eleven albums, mixed the promotional discs
from WDADU. David Prater produced IAW. Prater is the
ex-drummer/producer of Santana. Doug Oberkircher mixed Live At The
Marquee. Duane Barron and John Purdell produced Awake. David Prater
was enlisted again for the recording of ACOS. Kevin Shirley produced
Falling Into Infinity.
5.3 What songs has Dream Theater made videos for?
Pull Me Under
Take The Time
Another Day
Lie
The Silent Man
"Another Day" did not make MTV's playlist, even though DT felt it had
the most MTV potential. "Pull Me Under" was shot live and has received
the most airplay. "Take The Time" was shot as a full-scale video
production, but the song had to be shortened a lot and many unexpected
edits in the song throw off the video's pace and consistency. "Lie"
got regular rotation. There is no video for "Caught In a Web,"
contrary to what was previously thought. "The Silent Man" was shown in
Europe - to our knowledge, it has not been sighted in the US on MTV.
Mike Portnoy directed the video to "The Silent Man." There is also a
live performance video for "The Silent Man." Again, this has only been
seen in Europe.
5.4 What songs has Dream Theater played live?
A better question might be, "what songs have Dream Theater NOT played
live?" Since they play just about all of them, here is a list of songs
that either haven't been played live, or have never been recorded live
at any known show.
A Vision
Too Far
Space Dye Vest
"Scarred" was performed for the first time at the Malibu Night Club in
Lido Beach, NY on December 28, 1995, and again the next night at the
Birch Hill Night Club in Old Bridge, NJ.
Here are a few songs that have ONLY been performed live, and never
recorded in any studio or demo (yet):
Bombay Vindaloo
Moon Bubbles
Barfbag
5.5 Who plays the saxophone on "Another Day"?
Jay Beckenstein of Spiro Gyra, who owned the studio where IAW and ACOS
were put to tape, Bear Tracks.
5.6 Will DT ever release production versions of the old Majesty demos?
In some cases, they did just that (see the discog). Mike Portnoy was
asked about this, and said that while they might be fun to play live,
it really wouldn't get the band anywhere to release new recordings of
them. Since DT is concerned with moving forward, he said, it will
likely not happen more than it already has. Half the first album was
production from the demos, but the remaining demos are "just too old."
They did play an instrumental "March of the Tyrant" at Palasesto in
Milano, Italy in November 1993.
5.7 What did the band have to say about recording "Awake?"
Japanese Awake Album Messages from the Band to the Fans:
John Petrucci:
Being prepared was a key element that contributed to the successful
recording of AWAKE. Unlike our previous studio releases, this one had
the benefit of hundreds of live performances shaping sounds and
developing new ideas for equipment and instrumentation. This, coupled
with a trusting relationship with our producers, resulted in a truer
expression of creative vision. We are very pleased with this recording
and excited about playing it live.
James LaBrie:
I had a great time recording, and working with John and Duane was a
pleasure because not only do they get amazing sounds, but they truly
understand the music.
John Myung:
With the recording of this album, sonically I think we've all made
individual improvements. Each of us has a distinct sound, you can hear
each instrument by itself and also hear how they all work together.
Mike Portnoy:
Upon finishing the never-ending world tour for I & W , the five of us
found ourselves bursting with creative excitement ready to explode.
The shrapnel of these ideas is what you are now listening to. I feel
that AWAKE is our most diverse and complete work to date, and I hope
it is as enjoyable for you to listen to as it was for us to create.
Kevin Moore:
I had fun experimenting with keyboard sounds with John & Duane. I'm
very happy with the raw quality we came up with.
5.8 What was the "Ronnie Scott's Uncovered Gig?"
The "Ronnie Scott's Gig" was a show in which Dream Theater played a
full show of cover tunes. Several special guests appeared as DT played
the music that has influenced their own writings and styles. The
complete set list (and guest list) was as follows:
Songs marked with (*) are available on the "A Change Of Seasons"
release. Songs marked with (+) are available on the Dream Theater
International Fan Club's Christmas CD.
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club - 1/31/95
* Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (Elton John)
* Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple)
+ Red Hill Mining Town (U2)
* Led Zeppelin Medley: The Rover, Achilles Last Stand, The Song
Remains The Same
+ Tears (Rush)
+ Damage Inc. (Metallica) with Barney Greenway (Napalm Death)
Happiness is a Warm Gun (Beatles) with Steve Hogarth (Marillion)
Easter (Marillion) with Steve Hogarth and Steve Rothery (Marillion)
Winter (Tori Amos)
In The Dead of Night (UK)
Yes Medley: Machine Messiah, Heart of the Sunrise, Close To The Edge,
Siberian Khatru, Starship Trooper with Steve Howe (Yes)
* The Big Medley: In The Flesh? (Pink Floyd), Carry On Wayward Son
(Kansas), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin
(Journey), Cruise Control (Dixie Dregs), Turn It On Again (Genesis)
_________________________________________________________________
6. Questions about the songs themselves
The Pre-When Dream and Day Unite songs
6.1 Who wrote "Don't Look Past Me"?
The music was written by Dream Theater, and the lyrics were written by
Kevin.
6.2 Who sings on the satiric "Wanted Dead or Alive" demo?
John Petrucci originally recorded this demo as a practice tape for one
of his guitar students before IAW was released. The demo tracks laid
down by John were recorded with guitar and a drum machine only and no
added vocals. Eventually, Rich Kern, a friend of Kevin Moore's who
also played guitar on a few of Kevin's "Music Meant to be Heard"
demos, got ahold of the tape and decided to add some vocals of his own
to the background music. The final result is the "heliumfest" you hear
on the demo.
6.3 Who wrote "To Live Forever?"
The music was written by Dream Theater. The lyrics to the song were
originally written by John Petrucci. On the "Lie" single, there is an
additional verse (which starts at 3:37) which was written by Kevin.
This last verse was the last songwriting contribution Kevin made to
the band.
The When Dream and Day Unite songs
6.4 What is "A Fortune In Lies" about?
According to Mike, it was about a friend of theirs who was busted for
stealing and the experience he gleaned from it.
6.5 What does "The Ytse Jam" mean?
YTSEJAM is MAJESTY written backwards, and it probably refers to their
original band name in that ambiguous way instrumentals refer to
things.
6.6 What is "The Killing Hand" about?
John does not comment on it often, but Mike Portnoy opened up in an
interview about why it was written and what he thinks it's about. In
the interview, Portnoy was very careful to remind the reader that he
could be all wrong, but that it was not likely. Petrucci wrote it as a
sort of "Twilight Zone" story about war in which the main character
witnesses all these atrocities and sees the names of the dead on a
wall, and then realizes it's been him this whole time causing all the
atrocities... then he sees his own name on the wall. Very Rod
Serling-type of stuff.
6.7 Is "Afterlife" a Christian song? Is "Eve?"
While the band admits Afterlife has Christian overtones, it is not a
religious tune in the same spirit as the music of King's X or
Parallax. In fact when the band used to play Afterlife live with Chris
Collins, the lyrics were completely different. Eve, the piano/guitar
intro sequence used live for both Pull Me Under and Learning To Live
at different times, includes a lot of voice samples from James Joyce's
"A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man." According to sources close
to Moore, "Although Eve IS named for the "Christian" concept of Eve,
it was more inspired by James Joyce and their shared contempt of
Christianity than anything else."
The Images and Words songs
6.8 What is "Pull Me Under" about?
The current explanation goes that it was inspired by Shakespeare's
"Hamlet". Prince Hamlet swore vengeance on King Claudius for murdering
his father, the former King, and then marrying his mother, still
Queen. Hamlet's famous Soliloquy was the passage in which the conflict
in Hamlet's mind is detailed, and the second verse of "Pull Me Under"
coincides pretty thoroughly with it. The very end of the song James
can be heard singing this line from Hamlet:
"Oh that this too, too solid flesh would melt."
Furthermore, after seeing the video, in an interview, Portnoy said
"Who the hell was that wolfman guy in the video anyway? We had written
it based on something else entirely." Portnoy noted that while Moore
did not write "PMU" about Hamlet specifically, he DID write "PMU"
about what Hamlet was about. Same themes, ideas, etc.
The no-brainer explanation can be found at
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dthamlet.html.
6.9 What is "Another Day" about?
On a Long Island radio show called "Fingers' Metal Shop", Gail Fluge
(sp), who at that time was president of the Dream Theater fan club,
stated that the song was about by John Petrucci's struggle in dealing
with his father having cancer. John Sr. passed away in 1996.
Two other schools of thought have previously emerged on this subject:
Suicide is the most obvious meaning. Pretty much every verse supports
the theme of a person trying to talk someone out of killing
themselves. "so die another day... better to save the mystery."
Another equally valid point of view is that of mental illness, and
trying to cope with it as the sufferer and/or family. "they took
pictures of our dreams..."
6.10 What is "Take The Time" about?
"We decided to write a song about everything we'd been going
through for the past three years - looking for a new singer, a new
label & new management - just all the changes we made & all the
frustrations we went through...but, have it coming from each of our
four different perspectives. So, we broke it up, and said 'Okay,
you take the 1st verse, you take the 2nd verse,' went away, wrote
lyrics about our feelings about all the stuff we were going
through, and then put it together. Then [we] wrote the chorus
together. That was the 1st time we had ever done that, and it's the
only song on the album where the lyrics were actually written by
everybody."
- Mike Portnoy on "TTT"
6.11 What is being said in Italian in "Take the Time" and where is it from?
It's Italian for, "now that I'm blind, I can see much clearer." It was
taken from the film "Cinema Paradiso" as the following:
"Adesso che ho perso la vista, ci vedo meglio e di piu"
In Ytsejam Digest 1734, Matteo Gagliolo (matteog@usa.net) wrote that
even though these are the words seen in the video, the actual quote is
"Ora che ho perso la vista ci vedo di piu," which he says translates
to "Now that I have lost my sight, I can see clearer."
It's not a coincidence that LaBrie sings, "I can see much clearer now
I'm blind," right before the sample.
6.12 What was the original title of "Surrounded?"
Promotional cassettes for Images And Words had "Surrounded" labeled as
"The Longest Night" on the sleeve.
6.13 What is "Surrounded" about?
Exactly what the song is about is not known, but spiritual
enlightenment seems to be the major theme. During the IAW tour, the
band dedicated the song to Arthur Ashe, the pioneering
African-American tennis player, who life was tragically cut short by
AIDS.
6.14 What story is "Metropolis part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper" based
on?
It is based on the story of the telepathically-linked Romulus and
Remus from Virgil's "Aeneid." It has no relation to the movie
"Metropolis". Petrucci wrote it as a sort of fantasy epic, inspired by
the likes of, you guessed it, Yes and Rush. The story itself is
original (the twins are named Miracle and Sleeper and do not appear in
literature) but the story type was Homeric.
6.15 What is "Wait For Sleep" about? Who is the girl/woman in "Wait For
Sleep"?
Kevin Moore has said she was a friend of his who had a spiritual void
and a hard time filling it, reaching for something to believe in. It
dealt with her fears about belief and her grief over a loved one's
death. His explanation is longer, but that about says it.
6.16 What is "Learning to Live" about?
This has been the bigger topic of discussion on the YML because Myung
has commented briefly on it and Portnoy has, while not wanting to
confirm it, indicated that the premise is correct in an interview.
"Learning to Live" was inspired by the AIDS epidemic. Particularly,
the "From a common fear... reach for life" passage, but the rest fits
very snugly with the AIDS theme.
The Live at the Marquee songs
6.17 What is a "Vindaloo"?
A Bombay Vindaloo is a hot spicy herb/pepper served on Indian food,
usually chicken. It is also taken after drinks. My guess is DT got
blasted in Asia or Europe and got to try this most interesting spice.
:)
The Awake songs
6.18 What is "6:00" about?
"...that actually was inspired by a story that James told me about
one of his friends. He told me about one of his friends who he used
to work with at a factory... James, I guess he worked with him like
years & years ago. Anyway, this guy is still working at that
factory & he [James] just met him like, I guess, recently, and he
was talking to him about how he's got all these great benefits now
and everything, but... and so that struck me as... that struck him,
you know, it's kind of affected him and I thought about it too, and
I was just thinking about how people kind of let life live them
instead of living life sometimes, you know. And just get caught up
in just being secure and having money, you know, to survive, which
is a noble thing for some people. But some people don't even give
themselves a chance, you know, this guy happened to be a musician
who still had a dream about becoming a serious musician and making
a career out of it, but it was obvious that he was never going to
do anything about it. And this is kind of like a 'do something
about it' song."
- Kevin Moore
From what we have surmised, "6:00", of course is REALLY primarily
about Kevin's thoughts about leaving the band and the indecisiveness
that preceded this.
6.19 What is "Caught In A Web" about?
"...a person that's... it's not male or female, it could be either.
And it's dealing with a person who has suppressed their feelings
for so long and has finally had enough of it and feels that the
only way that they can really live life to it's fullest is to live
from the inside out. And that's basically what this person has come
to terms with. And they're sick of society inducements and they
feel the only way that they can go on with life is to live it the
way they feel is the truth..."
- James LaBrie
6.20 Anyone notice that "Erotomania" contains snippets of many of the songs
on the first half of Awake?
Yes. Also, part of "Erotomania" used to be contained within the solo
of the demo version of "Pull Me Under."
6.21 What is the song "The Silent Man" about?
Mike Bahr (durnik@goodnet.com) submitted a detailed comparison of "The
Silent Man" and the story "1001 Arabian Nights" to the YML back in
October of 1995. You can read Mike's in-depth analysis at
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/tsm.html.
6.22 Who sings backup vocals on "The Silent Man"?
As noted in the album's liner notes, John Purdell (Awake's producer)
sang these backup vocals. John Petrucci sings them live.
6.23 What is "Lie" about?
According to Moore, it's connected to the theme of "The Mirror."
Betrayal and disillusionment are the main ideas. There seems to be
religious symbolism in the lyrics. For example:
"At the bottom of a lake, it's a hundred degrees I can't breathe" =
Lake of Fire / Hell
"You tell me 'bout your two more coming" = The Second Coming
6.24 What is "Lifting Shadows off a Dream" about?
"...that song is more or less just reflecting the duality that
exists between a man and a woman; the spiritual side of the
relationship & how they both can compliment one another."
- John Myung (Japanese Radio Interview)
6.25 What is "Space-Dye Vest" about? How did Kevin come up with this stuff?
In Kevin Moore's words from a Japanese Interview:
"It was inspired by... I was looking through a clothing catalog &
saw a picture of a girl modeling this piece of clothing called a
space-dye vest. And, so, I fell in love with her [laughs] for some
strange reason & so the minute I did that, the minute I was just
like obsessed w/this person, I was like, 'why am I doing that?' & I
noticed that I was doing it a lot lately. And I think the prime
reason that I was doing that, and this is what I figured out at the
time, was that I had just come out of a relationship where I'd
gotten dumped, basically, and so I think the situation was that I
wasn't finished giving all that I was ready to give, so I was just,
like, throwing it around, you know, just aiming it in different
directions. It was a total case of projection. And this song is
just trying to sort it out & just kind of admitting that I'm just
kind of lost. So it's kind of a dark song. It was very cathartic
though."
A Change of Seasons
6.26 What is unique about the song "A Change of Seasons?"
Several things. First of all, it's the first song for which Mike
Portnoy wrote the lyrics. Second of all, it's the longest DT song at
23:05. This is a noteworthy distinction because it's very rare to find
bands comfortable with lengthy formats.
6.27 What is the song "A Change of Seasons" about?
When Portnoy has been asked about this question during his recent drum
clinics, he has said that "ACoS was part autobiographical, part
fictional." He has indicated that it deals, in part, with the death of
his mother.
6.28 Where does the "Gather Ye Rosebuds" stuff come from?
These lines are part of a poem by Robert Herrick called "To The
Virgins, To Make Much of Time." The full text of the poem is as
follows:
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
The higher he's a-getting
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times, still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time;
And while ye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry.
See Section 7.6 for the details of the sample.
6.29 Where do the various parts of "A Change of Seasons" start?
According to Mike Portnoy, these are the official start times of each
section:
I The Crimson Sunrise 0:00
II Innocence 3:50
III Carpe Diem 6:54
IV The Darkest of Winters 10:08
V Another World 13:01
VI The Inevitable Summer 16:59
VII The Crimson Sunset 20:12
6.30 What is this "Mercy Fuck" business I keep hearing about?
As we all know, in the "Another World" section of "ACoS," there is a
line that says "I don't need your sympathy to get me through the day."
On June 9, 1995, at a performance at the Birch Hill Night Club in Old
Bridge, NJ, James took the liberty of changing this line, and sang
instead "I don't need your mercy fuck to get me through the day." At
the same club on December 29, 1995, James changed the line again, and
sang "I don't need your fucking shit to get me through the day." Other
than these two performances, since the official recording of this
song, James has always sung this line the way appears in the ACoS
liner notes.
The Falling Into Infinity songs
[New!] 6.31 What is a Chapman Stick? On which songs is it used?
To quote the Stick Enterprises web page at http://www.stickent.com:
The Chapman Stick is a unique electric string instrument. Instead
of being plucked like a guitar, the act of fretting a note causes
it to play. This means that you can play notes with both hands
allowing you to play a much fuller arrangement. Emmett Chapman
created this technique on a self-built guitar in the late 1960s. In
subsequent years he created The Stick as the ultimate instrument
for tapping technique.
John Myung plays the Stick on the songs "New Millenium" and "Take Away
My Pain."
[New!] 6.32 What is Hell's Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen is the neighborhood in New York City where you can find
Avatar Studio, the site of the recording of Falling Into Infinity.
[New!] 6.33 Who is Anna Lee?
She is a fictional character that James invented after being "deeply
moved" by some books he had read about child abuse and incest.
Miscellaneous
6.33 Has anybody noticed the re-usable riff phenomenon?
Yes. "Pull Me Under" and "Take The Time" share a melody, which is not
quite a riff, but they are identical if juxtaposed on a corresponding
major/minor scale. "Wait For Sleep" and "Learning to Live" also share
a main riff. Thematically, none of the songs interconnect. Mike
Portnoy has said that the music is written out before the lyrics are
written and set to melody. It is possible (any interviews mention
this?) that they were intended to be counterparts and that the
relation was either scrapped or made more subtle. The PMU-TTT
connection is not as direct as the WFS-LTL connection. The melody from
"PMU"'s "This World is spinning around me, this world is spinning
without me" in a minor scale sung by LaBrie is reproduced at 4:18 of
the "TTT" instrumental section in a major scale played by Petrucci.
So, the question remains, "are the 16-note melodies reproduced
completely by coincidence on the same album by the same band?" Also,
all throughout Awake, there is a lot of intentional riff sharing.
Without referring to the obvious "Erotomania", which is MADE UP OF
riffs from other songs, the "Space Dye Vest" piano melody was added to
"The Mirror," "LSOAD," and "Scarred." The section of "A Change of
Seasons" at 2:48 seems reminicent of "Erotomania."
6.34 Has anybody noticed the Another Song phenomenon?
Yes. DT has a knack, it would seem, for Another Song titles. "Another
Won" (from the Majesty demos), "Another Day" (from IAW), "Another
Hand" (prologue to "The Killing Hand" live and on LATM), and "Another
World", part V of "A Change of Seasons," are the factors of this
phenomenon. The album Awake seems to have escaped this trap of
nomenclature. Mike assures us that this is a coincidence.
6.35 Did the demos "Death of Spock" and "Cry For Freedom" ever go anywhere?
Yes. They became "The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun" and part of
several instrumental improvisations. (listen to "Bombay Vindaloo,"
"Moon Bubbles," and "Barfbag"... it's in there.)
6.36 Has anyone else sung for DT since James joined the band?
Yes. Mike had the dubious privilege of singing the end of "Surrounded"
after James walked off the stage at one of their 1993 England shows.
He also sang the beginning of "The Killing Hand" at Toad's Place in
New Haven, CT in December of 1996, when James "...got caught up
backstage."
_________________________________________________________________
7. Questions concerning the samples used in the songs
7.1 Where is the sampled voice in "A Fortune In Lies" from?
Mike Portnoy recorded it off a television documentary about the prison
system.
7.2 Where were the samples used in "6:00" pulled from?
They came from John Huston's movie "The Dead" which is based on James
Joyce's short story "The Dead" which is available separately (from
Penguin books in the US) or as part of "Dubliners" (a collection of
Joyce's short stories).
The words are (from the book):
--No, continued Aunt Kate, she wouldn't be said or led by anyone,
slaving there in that choir night and day, night and day. Six
o'clock on Christmas morning! And all for what?
--Well, isn't it for the honour of God, Aunt Kate? asked Mary Jane,
twisting round on the piano-stool and smiling.
Aunt Kate turned fiercely on her niece and said:
--I know all about the honour of God, Mary Jane, but I think it's
not at all honourable for the pope to turn out the women out of the
choirs that have slaved there all their lives and put little
whipper-snappers of boys over their heads. I suppose it is for the
good of the Church if the pope does it. But it's not just, Mary
Jane, and it's not right.
7.3 Where are the samples in "Space-Dye Vest" from?
The first sample in SDV is from the Merchant/Ivory film "A Room With A
View". The complete passage says:
"...he's the sort who can't know anyone intimately, least of all a
woman. He doesn't know what a woman is. He wants you for a
possession, something to look at, like a painting or an ivory box.
Something to own and to display. He doesn't want you to be real, or
to think, or to live. He doesn't love you. But I love you. I want
you to have your own thoughts and ideas and feelings, even when I
hold you in my arms...it's our last chance."
These lines are spoken by actor Julian Sands' character, George
Emerson. In this pivotal scene, he's trying to convince the woman he
loves, Lucy Honeychurch (played by Helena Bonham-Carter), who is
engaged to be married to someone else, that she's making a horrible
mistake and that she truly belongs with him instead.
Another interesting connection between SDV and "A Room With A View" is
that Kevin based most of the song around a chord progression that's
actually from the background music in movie! It only appears a couple
of times in very short sections, but it's definitely the same chord
progression that Kevin used in SDV.
This sample was taken from TV commentator Jim Hill of KCBS in Los
Angeles during the O.J. Simpson police chase.
"Some people gave advice before about facing the facts, about
facing reality. And this is, this without a doubt, is his biggest
challenge ever. He's going to have to face it. You're gonna have to
try, he's gonna have to try and, uh, and, and, and get some help
here. I mean, you know, now no one can say they know how he
feels..."
The following is (unconfirmed) from a Conan O'Brien show:
"That's what they say that, like that in Houston, or something.
They say 'yeah, it's 180 degrees, but it's a dry heat.'"
"In Houston they say that?"
"Oh, maybe not, I'm all mixed up."
"Dry until they hit the swimming pool."
These samples have been identified as being taken from the documentary
"The Trouble With Evan," from a Canadian series called "The Fifth
Estate":
Evan's stepfather: (unintelligible talking)"...I'll get up with the
sun...she doesn't, she doesn't want you to sleep in...I don't care
what you do, I don't care what you say, you're grounded... that
door gets locked, that door gets locked at night by 9 o'clock. If
you're not in this house by 9 o'clock, then you'd better find
someplace to sleep...you think you can go to your mom's house and
sucker her into it?..."(unintelligible talking)
Evan: "I can move out on my own, uhm, get a job, get my own
clothes... I'll go to the mall whenever I like... they tell me I'm
much too young..."
Irene Raceu (majesty@voyager.net) explains that the documentary is
about child abuse. As Irene explains, "The show was filmed by some
researchers because the parents supposedly complained that Evan was a
problem child, had all sorts of behavior problems, etc. So they set up
cameras in the house for many months and filmed what went on." Sander
Moes (moes@geof.ruu.nl) also helped to compile this information.
7.4 Where are the samples from "The Mirror" from?
Mark "Itchy" Bredius wrote to the YML with the following information,
which to date has neither been confirmed nor proven wrong by anyone
else (so feel free to help out!). He says that the woman's voice
("Everything you need is around you. The only danger is inside you.")
is Mary Beth Hurt's, from a movie called "Lightsleeper," directed by
Paul Schrader in 1992. It also starred Willem Dafoe and Susan
Sarandon.
Mark also wrote that the male voice is Jeremy Irons' from the movie
"Damage," from Louis Malle, also in 1992. Mark transcribed the
passages this way:
(Jeremy Irons in Damage)
The feeling that (3:23) I HAVEN'T BEHAVED AS I SHOULD. You know,
what you were saying in Hartley about passion... You were right. I
was distanted. I know I was.
(Mary Beth Hurt in Lightsleeper)
(3:26) EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS AROUND YOU, THE ONLY DANGER IS INSIDE
YOU
(Jeremy Irons in Damage)
(3:34) YOU SEE, I THOUGHT YOU COULD CONTROL LIFE...
(3:39) BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THAT... There are things you...
(3:42) THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL
Mike Portnoy also pointed out that the man and woman saying "What are
you doing?" after the first verse are Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep
from the movie "Falling In Love."
The low spoken parts, such as "Resistance", etc., at the beginning of
the song, are Mike speaking.
7.5 Where are the samples in "Voices" taken from?
They're actually not samples. As noted in the liner notes to Awake,
the dialogues in the song were provided by Prix-Mo, who is a rap
artist that was recording in the same studio at the time of the Awake
sessions. He was reading lines from the book "Cultural Revolution,"
which inspired John to write the lyrics.
[New!] 7.6 Where are the samples in "A Change of Seasons" from?
Most of the samples were taken from the movie "Dead Poets Society."
The "Gather ye rosebuds" part is a reading of the poem "To The
Virgins, To Make Much of Time" (see section 6.31), and it was read by
the actor James Waterston, playing the character Mr. Pitts.
The part of the song after "Goodbye" and before the now-infamous
"Please Don't Go!" is a collection of lines taken from the movie
"Table For Five." The voice is John Voight's.
7.7 Where are the samples in "Don't Look Past Me" from?
The version of this song on Subconscious, with Jon Hendricks singing,
contains samples from two movies. The sample at the beginning of the
song is Robert DeNiro from "The Deer Hunter." The "Let me feel bad
about this" lines, spoken by Timothy Hutton, are from the movie
"Ordinary People."
_________________________________________________________________
8. Miscellaneous
8.1 Who is Mike Bahr and what's the deal with all these CDs I keep hearing
about?
Mike Bahr is one of the members of the YML. Sometime in 1995, he
decided that his collection of rare bootleg tapes and early demo
material could be edited into a really cool collection for the
die-hard Dream Theater fan. After some amazing editing and
remastering, he culled the best of his collection into a CD called
Subconscious. He created 500 of these CDs and sold them for $25 each.
They sold out in no time. Since then, Mike has been hand-crafting rare
collectibles ever since.
New titles keep coming! Be sure to check out his web page at
http://www.goodnet.com/~durnik.
8.2 Did the band "Blind Melon" bash DT? What did they say?
Yes. In the magazine "Guitar For the Practicing Musician", two members
of Blind Melon were asked to listen and critique several recordings.
There is a transcription of the article at
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/dt-melon.html. You can read John
Petrucci's response to the article at
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/jp-melon.html.
8.3 What is the correct pronunciation of the word - 'YTSEJAM'?
Per Mike Portnoy, the correct pronunciation is 'yit-say-jam'.
8.4 What are "Ytsecons"?
Ytsecon I was an event that drew lots of those on the Dream Theater
mailing list together to meet the band at a 'convention' like
atmosphere. The event was organized through the Ytsejam mailing list
by Barb Battaglia (babs@sgenva.cc.geneseo.edu) and Jeff Chew
(jc309@columbia.edu). Ytsecon took place on June 3, 1995 at the
Smithtown Sheridan in New York. For the first hour, all of the
ytsejammers gathered in the "conference" room and mingled, got to know
each other, etc. Finally, Mike, John Myung, and Derek came in to meet
everyone. They signed autographs and there was a poster raffle of rare
Dream Theater European tour posters. Afterwards, Mike popped in a tape
of the studio recording of "A Change Of Seasons." No one else had
heard it yet because they had just recorded it a few days before the
Ytsecon. When everything came to an end and the three left, a bunch of
people were cleaning up, and Jeff Chew pulled out a freshly
autographed acoustic guitar and played the Silent Man, with everyone
singing along.
There was also a Tokyo Ytsecon on May 14th, 1995 in Shimo-Kitazawa.
Can anyone give me more details...?
YtseCon II was held on December 28, 1995 at the Holiday Inn in
Rockville Centre, NY, the day of a DT performance at Malibu Night Club
in Lido Beach, NY. The second YtseCon was organized by Trey Allen
(tallen@junix.ju.edu).
YtseCon III was held on October 12, 1996 at the LaGuardia Marriott in
Queens, NY, and was organized by Jeff Chew.
[New!] 8.5 Misheard Lyrics
"Did I really hear that?" Probably not. :) Taken from the YML and
compiled with the help of Scott Herman and various other Ytsejammers:
If you think you heard:
You probably heard:
"I want to blow you now"
"I want to know you now" (from "Status Seeker")
"Watching mortality, I mow the lawn"
"Wanting mortality, I'm all alone" (from "The Killing Hand")
"This world is spinning in sodomy"
"This world is spinning inside of me" (from "Pull Me Under")
"They took pictures of our trash"
"They took pictures of our dreams" (from "Another Day")
"The vulture has stood on his head"
"The fortune lies still in his hands" (from "Take the Time")
"Death is the first dancing turtle"
"Death is the first dance eternal." (from "Metropolis Part 1")
"She's been trying to leak again"
"She's been trying to link again" (from "Wait for Sleep")
"Sharing flashlights and vacations"
"Sharing flesh like envy in cages" (from "Innocence Faded")
"F--- this whore"
"Thought Disorder" (from "Voices")
"Breaking delicate winds"
"Breaking delicate wings" (from "Lifting Shadows off a Dream")
"And my son's not so bright"
"And my sun's not so bright" (from "A Change of Seasons")
"I was blinded by a pair of dice"
"I was blinded by a paradise" (from "A Change of Seasons")
"You ask me where's my hairspray?"
"You ask me why my hair's gray" (from "Burning My Soul")
"Strike up your best X-rated posture"
"Strike up your best angst-ridden posture" (from "Just Let Me
Breathe")
"They invite your hands to feel their knees"
"They invite your hands to fill their needs" (from "Anna Lee")
8.6 Have the FAQ Maintainers ever played any practical jokes on the readers?
Funny you should ask. For April Fools Day 1997, Chris replaced the FAQ
with a joke page, which you can still see at
http://www.cs.wm.edu/~cmerlo/aprilfools97.html.
_________________________________________________________________
That's a FAQ, Jack.
If you would like to mirror this FAQ List, please drop me an e-mail at
cmerlo@cs.wm.edu.
Again, for any corrections, information, or to discuss the NFC, mail
me at cmerlo@cs.wm.edu. :)
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