Dream Theater stopped in Greece in August and James LaBrie was interviewed by Christos Karadimitris of Rocking.gr. Here is the interview, originally published here in Greek, translated by @nikatapi who must have spent a boatload of time doing so. It’s much appreciated Nikos!
Christos Karadimitris: Good evening James and welcome to Greece. I’m very glad you are here…
James LaBrie: I’m very happy we returned. It must have been 3-4 years since our last appearance here.
CK: Which was in fact during a festival…
JLB: Yes, and if I remember correctly it was in this exact place…
CK: Exactly! But for a headlining show we have to go back to the Octavarium tour…
JLB: Which was in 2006, 2005….
CK: Basically, it was the summer of 2005…
JLB: Wow!
CK: And I don’t know if you remember the place…
JLB: Let me tell you, what I really recall is the place we played in for the first time we came here, on top of a hill…What was its name…
CK: Lycabettus…
JLB: Oh yeah, Lycabettus. It was amazing…
CK: Indeed, a very nice place for concerts.
JLB: Lecabettus. I have to remember that name…
CK: Many people reminisce this first concert of yours as the most “emotional” appearance here…
JLB: Oh yeah, we were blown away by the place,the audience was amazing-–not that we don’t have a great time every time we come here–that night was something special, something new and fresh for us. It was enthusiastic and to enjoy all this responce was like ‘oh my God…,’ while at the same time you could see the stars in the sky…
CK: Since the fanbase in our country exists and you seem to know it based on your words, how come Greece was not a part of your regular touring schedule all these years?
JLB: Do you know what the problem really is? The problem is that we honestly want to return to places like Greece. Take Romania for example, we haven’t been there since about 2002. But, unfortunately there are so many places we want to go and play to–-something which is pleasant for us and not unfortunate of course–and when we plan about which places we want to go and play, the touring manager interrupts and says we cant play there, because we play in some other place, and the opposite.
So it is a matter of trying to fit everything in a schedule, but it is not always possible. There is a point where we go and say, ‘Wait a minute! We haven’t been to Greece for a long time, and we must go there!.’ On the other hand, there are constantly new places in which we are asked to go, like India and places in Southeast Asia, like Philippines or Indonesia, where we also want to go. So there are places where we always want to go and we can’t make it, but they are on our list. And ultimately, it is all a matter of time…
CK: And this is indicative of a fact very important in my opinion being a loyal fan of the band for about 15 years. This fact is that the name of Dream Theater during the recent years have gotten bigger and it has a special value..To me, Dream Theater has always been a big name, but, let’s be honest, your commercial status didn’t follow your reputation…
JLB: It’s true…
CK: Now I can say you enjoy what you deserved for many years but you didn’t have… Do you agree with me on this?
JLB: Absolutely. We feel that we are becoming bigger as time passes. But definitely the last three years there was a huge leap. And now with the attention and focus about our new album the buzz is even bigger. It also has to do with the kind of band we are, as you said it’s not something commercial. You won’t listen our music on the radio, and I’m not talking about particular cases like your show, but the average typical radio station that plays commercial music. They won’t play Dream Theater because they will say how can I play this 10 minute song? Do you have any songs around three minutes? The answer is yes… but no.
It’s tough, but look how it is. Dream Theater is a band that’s been built from the ground up and in reality it is based on the power of numbers, since he have millions of fans all around the world. This is something we kept really steady and during the years it is constantly increasing, because of the power of the internet and the fact that we tour continuously, playing live and having physical presence in all these places, all these countries. So, its about a procedure which was slowly evolving, always positively and is still continuing. All this is great and we owe this to our fanbase, we have absolutely amazing fans. I know that every band claims to have the best fans, but honestly what we have achieved proves what it means to have a really strong fanbase.
CK: You give me a good chance to mention something that I also mention in the review of your new album, which I am going to ask you later about. I mention that it is the blessing and the curse of Dream Theater to have fans who give so much attention to detail, something that shows their devotion…
JLB: Of course…
CK: On the one hand there are also the fans who defend anything you do and have many arguments on this, on the other hand I have the impression that you would feel like being in a trial with each new album, waiting to be judged to the finest detail. Is this some kind of burden for you?
JLB: No! You know, it is about where we belong. We are who we are, and the band has become known for its musicality, its complexity and technique. So it is natural for many of our fans who are musicians to sit down, and listen to every single element on every song. So it is something that happens in this genre and we know it. But in no case does this affect the way we write or what we consider important. We write from our hearts and we write something with which we feel connected and ultimately we just hope this will be something that the fans will appreciate.
The fans have accepted and appreciated the fact that we are unpredictable so no one can say based on one album how the next album will sound like. They definitely can’t! But to get back on the question, I have to say again that it’s about the space we move in and I think it works pretty well for us.
CK: So lets talk about the new album, which must be the most anticipated album in the history of the band since its creation…
JLB: Yes, it definitely is…
CK: It’s fantastic!
JLB: Thank You!
CK: You know, I tried to listen to it without any prejudice or thought…
JLB: Open mindedly?
CK: Yes. And it absolutely won me! What are your thoughts now that you have finished the process of creating the album and some time has passed? Can you see from a different perspective what you have done or do you feel you are still in the process of creating it?
JLB: I think I can see it objectively. Definitely! From the moment we were entering the studio to start the new album we knew that it would be the album that would be examined more strictly than any other, especially given the recent turn of events. But regardless of the overanalysis or the arguments that would result, even before the record was heard we knew that this is the type of album we wanted to make, as we all talked and agreed about it.
The album style, where we wanted to go, the artistic direction, the general direction. So we were really sure that if we stayed true to ourselves, we would have the album that we needed to create. And I can sit and listen to it as a whole. In fact, I did it on the plane, as we were coming here in Greece. I sat and listened to the whole album from the beginning till the end, as a fan. Do you undersand? I went completely out of the fact that I am a member in this band. And when the listening was over, I looked confidently at John Petrucci, who was sitting next to me, and I told him, ‘I just listened to the whole album, and we did it. We really did it.’ (p.s.: at that time he tightened his fist and his eyes were shining). And John replied to me, ‘Yes, we did it. Absolutely.’
We all feel great about it and the reception so far is amazing. Every journalist that has listened to the album, like you, told us that it is fantastic and that they loved it. It’s exactly a classic, traditional Dream Theater album and it is fantastic.
CK: I don’t know If you’ll agree with me, but in this album it seems like you kept the balance between your progressive and metal elements…
JLB: Absolutely! And I am really glad you noticed this, because this is something we consciously tried to achieve. We said that the two basic elements of Dream Theater music had always been the metal and the progressive side. But, unfortunately in the past we were guilty to the fact that often one element overshadowed the other. One time we had more metal and other times we had more progressive elements, so we said that this should be an album that would be a perfect marriage between these elements. So both of those elements come and complete each other in a very balanced way. And even more than having the metal and progressive elements being controlled and mixed in a more positive way, we said that it should be an extremely dynamic album as far as the melodic element was concerned.
It had to have very accessible melodies, which would be very clearly heard. And when I say melodies I am referring to both the musical aspect but the vocals as well. So we focused on these things. I had the chance to develop melodically in this album with the vocals, besides that John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess were involved to a degree. But it was amazing, as even during the recording of my vocals I was saying, ‘Yes! This is fantastic’ (p.s: again with an expression of excitement).
CK: Personally I found some of your most mature performances in this album, with nicely fitted melodies and most of all without you trying to do things that don’t fit your voice and you don’t feel comfortable with…
JLB: Yeah, absolutely…
CK: On the other hand, I feel like you’ve heard, not exactly the complaints but the worries of some of your fans for some given elements in your recent albums, like that you sounded like other bands, that you used vocals that were not so much “Dream Theater” and other elements which caused some skepticism. So you focused on making an album which would have a melodic flow…
JLB: This is because I was much more involved in this album. I think you can understand what I mean. I wrote many of the melodies, of course with John Petrucci, and this time the melodic lines were writtend from the vocalist’s perspective. It’s somewhat like I do in my solo albums, and if you listen to these albums the melodies are really strong, while I take my voice to a place where it is reasonable to do so. So I don’t do something I shouldn’t do. As I said, when we wrote this album we had in mind that it should be very dynamic as far as the vocals are concerned. It should be undeniable that what I do with my vocals is perfect and it makes sense in the context of the songs.
CK: Is there really any song that stands out for you? I think that “Breaking All Illusions” will easily stand out between the fans, even from the first listen. But do you have any more emotional, personal moments in the album?
JLB: I feel that I love the feeling I got while recording the vocals for “This Is The Life”, for some reason. It is a very dynamic song from a vocal perspective. It starts softly, melodically while it gradually builds up and I feel the same for “Lost Not Forgotten”, the chorus of which had me with the back against the wall. But to be honest, it was an amazing experience to sing each one of these songs, as I was in my element, I was alone with my engineer, without anyone around me, singing these songs in Canada and I really felt that things were as they should be.
CK: Right, so let’s go to the next subject which we can’t avoid. You know, a month ago I was in about the same position, asking Rob Halford about the departure of the founding member of Judas Priest, K.K. Downing, and his opinion was in a few words that the songs and the history of the band are bigger than each particular member…
JLB: Oh yeah! Absolutely!
CK: So coming to Dream Theater, I would like to ask if you deal the same way with the departure of Mike Portnoy from the band.
JLB: Yes, of course. But let me make something clear first. The main composers in this band have always been John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess. These were the main composers. The seeds, the cultivation of the seeds and the development of the songs come from John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess. From their chords, their notes, their riffs. Because they have the main instruments. And it was always like this. You listen to this album and you say ‘this is Dream Theater.’ Well, of course it is! And this is because the two core composers are still in the band. And we should not undermine my and John Myung’s contribution, because this time he was involved more as well. I was more involved too.
So, it was a more collective involvement, a more united band as we wrote this album. And ultimately, I completely agree with what Rob said. The legacy of these songs is greater than what a single person represents. Absolutely! So I believe that when the fans will sit down and listen the whole album from the beginning till the end they will say ‘oh God, this is totally Dream Theater.’
CK: This might be the reason I characterized this album as a victory. And I won’t hide that I had my doubts for the result as well. But how was I tricked to think that musicians like Labrie, Petrucci, Myung and Rudess had something to prove and…
JLB: …they couldn’t make it? (he laughs, chachacha)
CK: Yes. And I can’t understand why this doubt existed… How come so many people were tricked into thinking like this?
JLB: Yes, yes, I understand. Do you know what happened? Everyone thought that because Mike was the spokesman of the band and he gave most of the interviews, and he handled most things for the band, that Mike was everything for the band. But now they realize that the music comes from the BAND.
CK: So, the core as you said is here…
JLB: YES. Absolutely.
CK: Ok. Because our time is running out, let’s go to some more questions. Firstly, about the setlist. You know, many fans are worried by the fact that you have a steady playlist in this tour, while the constant changes were something that was a characteristic aspect of the band. People are wondering if you have changed in this or this is just a period of transition…
JLB: Are you talking about the current tour which is mostly about festivals?
CK: Yes.
JLB: To be honest, it’s not that we didn’t like this constant change of the setlists, but for this tour we thought we should do something new and with the exception of a few songs changing here and there we wanted to keep it steady. It makes us stronger as a band and it helps us give a stronger show. We knew that some fans wouldn’t like this decision, but on the other hand some other fans would appreciate it because it would give the change for a very dynamic show, not only on a musical level, but also on a production level. Because, we have the video engineer, the lighting engineer and in general we have a lot of things going which can create a very strong and focused show.
CK: Actually, the only song changing is the last, between “Learning To Live” and…
JLB: …”Metropolis”.
CK: So there goes the great debate among your fans about which is better and why don’t you play both of these songs…
JLB: This mostly has to do with the shows being part of festivals, where we have a limited amount of time to play, about an hour and a half.
CK: So can we expect to see both songs tonight?
JLB: Um, I cant tell you… (p.s. it was just a dream as it turned out)
CK: Better to save the mystery…
JLB: Haha, exactly…
CK: One of the classic cases in which I respond with expressions from Dream Theater songs (laughs from both sides). Really, since there is so many people out there, do you sometimes feel any responsibility to all those people who are so connected with your music?
JLB: Yes… (p.s.: a bit sceptically). The truth is that everyone in the band feels this. We understand how lucky we are to touch so many people’s souls by liking something, liking our music, liking the energy, feeling an attraction towards this. We appreciate it very much and we always take it very seriously into consideration. We all do. What you have to know is that we are totally aware of how lucky we are and that we take our job very seriously. Absolutely. We want to give to our fans the best we can, everytime.
CK: Also, James I would like to ask you this. I’m well aware that Greece as a market is small and non indicative for the music industry and Dream Theater. Being in touch with the music press and the general reception you had during the recent years, in the USA, as well as in the UK, on the one hand I am glad that you have become so well known, on the other hand I read some stuff I cannot comprehend, being a listener of your music and a fan for 15 years.
JLB: Umm, yes…
CK: Do you sometimes feel that some people appreciate you for the wrong reasons?
JLB: You know… it’s hard to say what someone is thinking when listening to a band’s music or what he receives from them… What I mean is that someone receives our energy and music in a different way and of course many people receive it in a similar way. This depends on factors like who conducts the interview, who is listening to the record, and why the listen to Dream Theater in the first place. If they really love what Dream Theater is, then this is all I can ask from someone. When I sit and talk with someone like you and it is obvious to me that I talk with a really big fan.
I can conclude that by your questions, I can tell from the things you mention and the things you know. There is history, a long time relationship. When I talk with someone else, depending where I am, in any country, I can tell if they just recently did some research or they are true fans who appreciate who we are. So, it depends mostly on the person. And unfortunately, there are cases where it is obvious that they don’t know who and what we are. But you have to accept that. Besides, what can you do about it?
CK: Ok, typically give a promise that you will be back soon and tell your thoughts to the fans that will read this interview…
JLB: It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places we have visited and every time we come here it is a very beautiful experience. We really have amazing fans here, we love coming to Greece and we would like to come a litle more often than it happens, but you know what they say, that absence makes the desire bigger! We talked about that on the road from the hotel here, that it is so nice we are here, that it’s been a while and that we should give a really great show to gain the touch again. That is why we are here, to keep in touch. You know what? We remember you, we appreciate you and we are back. Let’s keep it like this…
CK: And for the end I left something I thought looking at your posters being everywhere at the Download Festival, which is considered one of the biggest festivals…
JLB: Yeah, we have played there…
CK: So I was thinking that next year Dream Theater will be there and probably you would be the second name, under only Iron Maiden or Metallica…
JLB: Oh really? And why not headliners? (laughs)
CK: Yeah, you know that if it was my choice you would be the headliners…
JLB: We are already booking festivals for the next summer, mainly for June, but we have a long way till then…
CK: Of course, but my point was that Dream Theater are “there,” so high.
JLB: Thank you.
CK: Although now that you mentioned it I will wait to see you as headliners some time…It was a great pleasure talking to you…
JLB: And for me as well.
Source: Rocking.gr
