Extended interview: Guitarist John Petrucci on Dream Theater and 30 years in rock

one of the biggest bands in progressive rock music was started by a group of musicians from Long Island we're talking about the band Dream Theater [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] well they've been around more than 30 years that's right 30 years they've sold more than 15 million albums in the music Community everyone in that band is revered as a virtuoso player and they just last year won a Grammy this month they'll kick off the dream Sonic tour which begins which brings them to the theater at Madison Square Garden on June 28th and we are joined by the band's guitars and producer John Petrucci John thank you so much for being here you know what I was half kidding when I said 30 years making you know obviously highlighting that can you believe it has been that long such success but such a longevity no I I can't first of all thanks for having me and uh it's crazy like when I think about when we started and the fact that I'm still in a band with one of the guys I grew up from with uh from Long Island it's just insane it's really cool we're very lucky to be able to do this and we were really thrilled for you obviously with the Grammy Award talk to me about that because I mean that just kind of puts things in a whole whole different perspective it does really appreciate what you've done all the work and that is I mean a payoff to be standing there in front of your peers and people that you've known for decades and to receive an award like that right that was a crazy moment that was our third nomination um at the at the time we were kind of in between tour legs they had moved the Grammys from LA to Vegas and the guys were like I don't think I'm gonna go so I talked to my wife's like you want to go to Vegas for a few they said you know whether we win or not we'll have some fun in Vegas so she was there with me and I'm sitting there and you know you don't expect to win but then they call you name them next thing you know I'm running up there and I have to give the speech and it was just also surreal but what was so cool about it is is that we've been playing this crazy form of Prague metal you know we call it that I mean it you know it's weird to most people we write these crazy long songs it's all instrumental sections guitar solos we have concept albums and you never think that the recording Academy would really recognize that type of music and so it I felt like it was such a big win for you know Prague music and Prague metal and you know it was really a great movie and you go up against some you know like Rob Zombie stuff like household names and whatnot I'm sure it's kind of surreal to be sitting there and all of a sudden to hear right you're named coal like whoa wait a second yeah stand up and go up accept something right now congratulations because that must have been a just a great great you know crowning achievement the career is not over yet I love props and I just wanted to if you don't mind the old CD you know yes we talk about again you know 30 years you and I are at similar age and you know back in the day this is this is where it was at here I mean the CD was where it is when you look at some of these and you say my gosh how the business has come from this time to where it is now and how you've been to just kind of weather the storm so to speak throughout yeah you know what it it's it's wild because you know you're forgetting about cassettes too right yeah um and and we saw the change happen and of course the CD came out and that changed everything then when everything went to digital and streaming that was a whole another you know uh Advance advancement in uh in music delivery but here's the weird thing I guess things kind of come full circle all of a sudden vinyl not only coming back it's it's huge you know do you feel though it is the best sound I mean to really kind of capture the music what do you what do you think is best I mean I I love finals yeah and I love the little scratches yeah I said that I think it's you know the way music was meant to be heard there there is definitely a charm to that sound you know for me it it's it's funny that you know a lot of musicians might relate to this there's a moment when you're in the studio and it's like perfect listening environment yeah and it's as high res as you're ever gonna get and you're like I wish everybody could hear it like this yeah uh but then you know people are getting it streaming and everything else so can I ask you you know about musical influences for you I mean um you know I hear things and I can I feel like I can hear certain bands that I grew up listening to and I'd love to hear who were some of your Inspirations to see if I was actually right about that no problem you know with us I guess like the biggest one uh would be Rush okay all right that was yeah that was growing up all huge rush fans we wouldn't miss a concert when they played that you know at the Garden or at the Coliseum another big one for us was uh Iron Maiden same thing we go C Maiden so you know yes Metallica a lot of Prague you know stuff like that tiny bit of Boston at all yeah absolutely because that was when I when I first started listening weeks ago I'm like let me really listen to this stuff and kind of going back and for some reason I kept coming back to that yeah that was a big Boston fan growing up but I'll let you know but I uh you know made and listened to in high school exactly honey James Steele Aussie you know for us we were kids who were like we're really into like the progressive bands from the 70s out of the UK like genesis and Pink Floyd yes but then we were like teenagers so it was all about Ozzy and maiden and Metallica and you know and we just kind of stuck it all together and that was the sound growing up uh in Long Island and being this band that's stayed loyal to that region right still there you still record out that's right really telling you up and left for Hollywood or great passengers things like that when you hear about people who've made it big what is it about the region that's kind of that's kept you there and that that you feel is just such a part of your trademark right I mean Long Island New York is it's the greatest place on Earth as far as I'm concerned um I grew up here and there's something about being here and in in a place where you get all four seasons yeah you know if you want to go to the beach you're in the at the beach in 20 minutes if you want to go to the city you're there in an hour or so uh you know we have family here it's just great to be established here as a band and we have our own Studio here as well which is fantastic we can do everything right here and it's one of those places where you've got people that'll basically tell it like it is if people love you they'll love you exactly you have some signature spots out there places that are just kind of go-to places that in all the years that you've been there growing up that you just you know you couldn't live without there's a there's a lot of signature places that there's a steakhouse that's our favorite it doesn't matter where I am in the world I gauge everything yeah based on that yeah this place called vintage Steakhouse which is so awesome so as far as like moving forward now you know writing or you know getting guys together right putting new songs out yeah things like that how I guess how much of of your day does that does that take up do you get is it like writing a book for instance like having not being a music writer or knowing how to put two notes together is it one of those things where you say to yourself okay I'm gonna go take a month now I'm gonna sit down and really kind of focus or is it something where you're in the shower in the morning it just kind of come up stuff enters your head and you're like let me write that down let me go put that down it's kind of a little a little bit of both I feel like it never really shuts off yeah so if an idea comes to me I always make sure that I document it somehow yeah even if if I don't have a guitar with me I'll sing it into my phone and just just kind of make sure that I have all these things so I can remember them but I think what happens is when we we go into write an album then you're specifically for the next five or six months there to produce and write you know your next piece of music so then it just it becomes all-consuming thank God you've written some of those things down right your phone so you can bring it all together and you really don't shut it off then all you're thinking about constantly you know you're at City you get home the thing's still going call your buddy hey all right so I'm not crazy then in some of the things no it's just the artistic process let's talk about the tour um you guys just got back from overseas you did um what was that like I mean you guys are I mean huge following yeah overseas countries huh yeah so we're lucky enough we've been doing this for for so long and and at the very beginning of our career we we toured yeah that was really important to us because we weren't like a band that had really pop success so our success was based on getting out there and playing yeah so we have such an international fan base out there we can kind of play anywhere so we were just in Asia for about three weeks we went to uh South Korea to Japan to the Philippines to Singapore Malaysia Thailand Indonesia and uh ever do you ever sit back and is it kind of that surreal moment of like I cannot believe how well we travel and how well the music travels I mean I know it's a worldwide thing obviously and anybody can can listen to you your music anywhere but the fact that you go to those places right and you're playing in front of you know packed houses it's got to be just an incredible feeling it is it's kind of surreal because you're looking out there and you see people just singing along yeah you know and meanwhile you're in like Jakarta yeah you know there's everything and is that the the I mean the ultimate the ultimate form of flattery there when you can actually look out into an audience in a foreign country and see them mouthing the words to the music that you've written you know what's great about it music you you kind of get that that realization that music is so Universal yeah you know what I mean it doesn't matter like what you think what you believe who you follow what language you speak what your culture is it's like you hear a song and you relate to that right exactly and there's that connection which I love so it's awesome you've got all tour dates here in the States now one of which we mentioned earlier in the in the lead to this segment you're going to be at the theater at Madison Square Garden that's got to be just really kind of an awesome yeah gum you know back full circle be right here right at home right right and it's you know it's such a that's an iconic venue that's it you're playing in New York of course Hometown show it's it's pretty wild because it's sort of a mix of you know all of your family and friends are there but because it's in New York as well there's a big International component so you have people coming to that New York show from South America and from Europe and from Asia and you look out and it's just like this amazing yeah amazing audience I love to talk about uh like some side hustles that you have going on and you got some other projects there the one is the uh is the is it that's right the beard oil and why did it take so long for you to figure out the beard oil would be something that you'd probably do very well with this is it right now so tell me a little bit about this and what do you need to how do you condition your beard yeah so so this is the funny thing so I got into beard culture if you want to call it okay once I started to like grow this thing and it's like it's kind of cool and if I'm you know you find out that there's this whole Community like obsessed with the care and the culture you know the scent and the shapes Sonia my wife Reina had gotten me some mustache wax as a gift from this company called Captain faucet out in the UK and I just loved their whole vibe their packaging so I started to buy more product and really get into it next thing you know I get an email from the company is a guitar player there yeah hey I'm a fan come here you're using my project right right it comes to a show uh in London and they do these Partnerships with you know models and Barbers and stuff and I say I'm like hey you ever want to partner with a guitar player a musician like how many musicians do you know they have beards yeah have you ever done that they're like no we've never done that and so we came out with nebula that's the name of the product that's awesome awesome I give you some but yeah you know what I got a long way to go it would probably take me about 30 years they'll blame your music career to get a beard that would actually I just started this a couple days ago is that right right don't trim that thing because it's working for you John thanks so much really great to see you and congratulations and continued success it's really it's great to see somebody local here like this make it so big and appreciate that thank you so we really appreciate Dream Theater if you haven't heard listen and if you tickets it's June 28th at the theater at Madison Square Garden and we will of course have all the information at dreamtheater.net you can go there and John petrucci.com so all that information is all right at your hands John thanks again thank you

Channel: CBS New York

Views: 34,790

Keywords: CBSN New York, Chris Wragge, Long Island, New York, Local TV

Id: keiJpTkM6uo

Length: 12min 2sec (722 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 06 2023