Mike's love for music is infectious. I could listen to the guy talking for hours on end.

I could listen to mike talking about music for hours !

9 minutes of Mike Portnoy is never enough, this guy is a living legend, I could listen to him all day long

4:04 To Tame a Land. Underrated song

Mike is the reason that at 37 year old decided to get my first drum set awesome guy awesome musician.

I am so glad to see Portnoy mentioning Awaken the Guardian! An overlooked masterpiece of the 80's

00:24 VA - Rock'n'Roll High School 01:08 Van Halen - Fair Warning 01:58 Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz, Diary Of A Madman 02:45 Rush - Moving Pictures 03:59 Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind 04:35 Metallica - Kill 'Em All 05:49 S.O.D. - Speak English Or Die 06:49 Slayer - Reign In Blood 07:29 Fates Warning - Awaken The Guardian 08:00 Queensrÿche - Rage For Order

Mike Portnoy is badass!! I absolutely love Dream Theater and everything he does is amazing 🤘🖤

Love that you included Rage for Order. Queensryche was huge for me from the minute I discovered them opening for Ozzy. Playing Operation Mindcrime was a standard warmup for me for over a year straight.

Mike, for blizzard and madman, I just have to mention Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley who did both of the albums!

Rage for Order mention really hit a soft spot in me. Great to hear Mike's commentary about that masterpiece. 🙏

You know, Mike is such a really great person - not just a musician but a human being. What a great guy he is and has been ever since... Mike is honest, candid, forthcoming and true to himself and his fans and the music industry in general... Mike, you're a great guy who has been a huge influence in the industry and to anyone he comes in contact with. Just a great guy who is a super talented drummer, singer and musician in general and I thank him for this interview as well as all he has done and accomplished - best of everything to you man !!!

Mike is a class act, right now I'm buying up everything I can find by *The Winery Dogs* I love this band can't get enough of them...

I was like wow, I guess we're about the same age. His musical journey mimicked mine for the most part. Then he broke out the Fates Warning and Rage for Order.....F'n mindblow!

Confirmed...Mike's taste in music is as good as his drumming. These albums were all my go to's in the 80's when I was a kid learning guitar.

I envy the younger people about to discover Fates Warning for the first time through this video. Most underrated band ever!

Rage For Order was a true game changer. You listen to something like Neue Regel and you can hear the primordial soup that would become the sound of bands like Tool and others.

Holy Shit….FINALLY a legend gives RESPECT TO THE LEGENDARY FATES WARNING!…FW was so influential to me and my music as a kid…i am SO GLAD you gave them props Mike!!

The first half of the list was what I was into at the same time, minus Rush. Being Australian rush we’re a completely unknown band. I remember getting the hear ñ aid record and hearing distant early warning. I really liked it, but there were way too many keyboards. My mate had a kerrang magazine. I saw a picture of Alex lifeson with some new wave hair cut and that turned me off them until I saw docu on them on Netflix just before Neil’s death. It was interesting. A few weeks later, just before the pandemic I was in a shopping mall in Chile, killing time. Red barchetta came up as a suggestion, I watched it, really liked it, found out that it was off an album called moving pictures and bought it that night on iTunes. Three years later they’re my favorite band. I’ve got all their albums and really regret not having seen them live.

I just got kill em all on vinyl. Its the second record of my collection. I only have two cause i just started.

In turn, Dreamtheater was everything for me when I turned 14, the "Awake" album compelled me to become a rock singer, thanks Mike

4:51 so true Mike, when I was 17 and I heard „Motorbreath“ on a tape first time I can‘t believe. This was 38yeas ago.

Only 3 years older than me. Love the music that you like as well. Followed your career forever.

Always a treat to discover what makes a particular musician tick. Thanks for sharing.

I met Mike on the Images and Words Tour in San Diego at a small club called the Bacchanal and Mike’s energy and Love of music is still the same today as it was then. He was more the gracious with his time with me and a friend of mine as we talk music for a half an hour in front of the Club. Cheers Mike and keep Rockin’🤘😎🤘

Shout out to Kill 'em All for being in it's teenage years. Feeling old 😩🙏

Great video, Mike! I was fortunate enough to see the QR/DT/FW show. The “Dreams-Ryche” encore was a blast. Every album you mentioned here were great influences to most musicians of that generation. Great stuff. 👍🏼

Fates Warning Perfect Symmetry was the first CD i ever owned! '89 was a kickass year!

that s.o.d record was so bloody good, way ahead of its time

Always nice to see an album with such a positive, uplifting message for the world.

Everything Queensryche put out from the EP to Promised Land was, and is, epic!

Fates Warning never seems to have gotten the credit that they deserve. They are still churning out music that is as good as ever. Being just a few years younger, my list of bands would be very similar to yours. I will never forget the moment I 1st heard Metallica (in 85) and also when Reign in blood was released. Those early records literally moved my world.

I laughed so hard when he mentioned S.O.D. Incredible album but I was not expecting that at all. So now I have some of those songs running through my head, and for that I am grateful.

Seen Van Hale in 1978 when they came out with their first album. Kick ass show.

Great picks. No doubt Fates Warning and especially Queensryche released amazing album from 1986 forward. Rage For Order is awesome.

I've always appreciated Mike's laid back, cool attitude.

Absolutely love this kind of content!

My hero. I learned so much from Mike Porþnoy being a drummer for 40yrs and learning new tricks new lessons new tempos omgoodness he is one of my favorites along with of course NICKO MCBRAIN 🤘METAL GOD🤘 BROTHER 🐺 WOLF MAY THE GREAT SPIRIT BE WITH YOU ALWAYS

Actually that was Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley on those Ozzy albums, not Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo

Rage for order is insanely underrated. Also i saw that dt/qr/fw tour. It was indeed 2003

Thank you for sharing your inspiration during the teen ages. I just finished the book abt Dream Teater. I didn't actually know how much you used your energy and put efforts to make albums and preparing concerts. While i was reading the book i listened all the studio and live albums and I fell in love with your music once again. Thank you and I am looking forward your new album too!!!!

Wow! Fates Warning .. I remember my friend guitarist Derek Taylor introducing me ,1st and foremost to “When dream and day unite” by Dream Theater via a cassette tape , then later on we were heavy into the Watchtower “control and resistance” album. Somewhere along the way I was exposed to the Fates Warning “Perfect Symmetry” album and loved it..

I could watch mike talk about music forever. The series he did on his channel where he just goes through his vinyl collection is just a blast to watch

I love how my experience with rush worked at the same exact way! 😂

The clock struck April 1987 and I was almost 9yo lol Christmas 1993 I got my first electric guitar and started getting Guitar World magazine. That was my turning point, and I've rarely glanced back since. ✌💗🤘

If I made the same video, I would have "Images and Words" and "Scenes From A Memory" in my list. Wow, it has been so many years since I heard your drumming for the first time. I still keep listening to it. Thanks for everything Mike.

Mike and myself are the same age, and literally every album he speaks on, was also my favorite at that time. Great video, brought back lots of fun memories.

I'm a year older than Portnoy. Seen many of his favorites live in the 80s. Great decade for music. Can't wait to get my hands on the new Winery Dogs CD!

Thoroughly enjoyed this vid. Brought back some great memories...💚🎸

Gotta love Portnoy, such a nice and down to earth dude.

Nice picks, Mike. I respect your favorite teenage albums for Rock and Metal, and have a wonderful day. Rock on 🤘 🎸 🥁 🎶

Dude you rock love those albums also. Keep rocking.

When I was a teen Queensryche was (still is) favorite band & always said I want my Dream concert! Fates Warning & QR & DT-In Cincinnati Ohio,some how on the bench beside/behind me & wife was sitting with Myungs sister-The name of the tour was How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Miss you in DT still best drummer I'm 51 years old your son Max is going to be the drummer to reckon with awesome player

thanks for do what you do Mike, specially DT

You like many, Moving Pictures was the gateway album for Rush. I loved your performance last week with YYNOT covering 2112 and La Villa Strangiato at Bubba Bash 2023, So Good!!!

Right on Mike.... I'm a little younger but all those albums were what I was also into through out my teens.🤘🤘🤘🤘

Awaken the Guardian was the sound of Prog Metal entering the game and putting the ball in play. Rage for Order was a HIGH WATER MARK in metal.

We can't get enough of this Mike tyvm we love your sincere enthusiasm for our baby .... music 🤘

I literally just found out Mike here exists....via the David Bennett Piano channel...basically a music theory channel. And now I'm just binging...any of his interviews. I like him...immediately. And of the albums he talked about here...I'd say I haven't heard about 60% of it. And I am....going to remedy that starting now.

Mike, it´s always so great hearing from you!! So glad to see you talking bout good music

Great lineup. Slayer wasn't my cup of tea (preferred the other three of the big four) and I waited until Straw Dogs and Therapy? before punk eventually grabbed me. 100% on Awaken the Guardian as the quintessential Fates Warning album despite Spectre Within being pretty damn close. Operation Mindcrime was the more polished of QR's thematic releases, but Rage For Order was definitely the groundbreaker for Queensryche, IMO. It was my "Dark Side of the Moon".

Great list, Mike. Parallels a lot of my own listening. One complaint: that is Bob Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums on the first two Ozzy albums, not Sarzo and Aldridge. I know you know this, but as a drummer who was heavily influenced by Kerslake, I had to come to his defense. Keep rocking, brother!

dream theater died when he left. miss ya guy. octavarium and train of thought formed my teenage years. rock on Mike!!!

I'm going to see Queensryche with Marty Friedman opening in March and I couldn't be more excited.

Love this videos Mike!!!

Coincidencia 100% todos los álbumes de mi adolescencia!

Hah, that's funny that Geddy's voice overpowered the instrumental prowess of Rush for you when you first heard them. My introduction to Rush was the epic opening track on Hemispheres and although Geddy's voice is definitely way up in the stratosphere, it was Neil's percussion wizardry that really blew my mind! Also interesting that you picked Piece of Mind instead of 'Beast' which came out in 1982 when you turned fifteen...

I actually met you in Columbus ohio at Sam ash in 1999 when you did a drum clinic there! You showed how to play the intro to 6 o'clock on your legs in the cafeteria! You were such nice guy!

Mike ur are such an inspiration to myself and countless other drummers. Thank u Brother.

I was hoping you'd give love to Awaken the Guardian. I bought the re-issue where there's a foreword you wrote in the album's booklet about what the album means to you. It's my favourite metal album and it doesn't get enough love. The whole band is amazing and I love John Arch's vocals and lyrics. So creative. And of course the drumming is off the charts. Fates Warning evolved over time and were still good, but different. The Arch/Matheos albums are gold too. Which to my understanding is basically a bunch of current and former FW members. More people need to listen to that album. That goes for prog fans and fans of NWOBHM.

Mike Portnoy is not only one of the best drummers in the history of music (my favorite) but he is also a musical encyclopedia.

Saw the QR, FW, DT show in PGH! Great show at the Chevy amphitheater. Singer from FW sported a Ford t-shirt. 😂

That was just perfect... great choices... great insights... and trip back in time. Now, to listen to Reign In Blood... again.... and again...

Mark there a great drummers like you mate both you and GONZO will always be remembered as the 2 best drummers Mate cheers

He got me when he dropped Fates Warnings Awaken the Guardian. Still the best Heavy Metal Album of all time. But as i Thrash Fan i missed Exodus. Bound by Blood killed Kill em All easily. More hard, more fast, more technical, espacially the drums, more badass and the guitars man, riffing til the end. Still my faves nowadays. Nuff said.

Fair Warning, nice. My favorite VH too.

Awesome!😎🫴🏻🔥

Damm brother. All those are great... Se timeline as me.. Rock on

That's really a cool video. I agree with his taste and I like how he talks about the stuff.

Infectious, yes. And MP giving credit to Fates Warning......humble, and awesome.

Look at his man cave. Not only is he a rockstar, he is a collector and true music lover. Would like to have a beer and talk with this guy about music.

it's so cool that he is getting them on vinyl, i hope i could do that too...

Yes! Moving Pictures changed my life!

80s for metal n rock was a banging time

Big Blizzard of Ozz Band fan here! Sons of Apollo's version of Diary of a Madman blows me away every time I listen to it!

Thank you thank you thank you . . . I already KNEW that *Fates Warning* was a huge inspiration for you and DT, and for me they are still my fave Prog Metal band. I was a *Queensrÿche* fan since the debut Ep, all the way to "Promised Land" (and the LaTorre years), but their counterparts/purveyors of Prog Metal, FW I got to know from "No Exit" because of the video for "Anarchy Divine" on MTV Headbangers Ball, and went out and bought the Lp. But I was visiting a friends Record Store in Claremont Calif., and _his_ friend recommended me to hear the John Arch era, especially "Awaken the Guardian". Totally blown away by John's vocals and his lyrical prose, as-well as the John Alder era - I became a FW Fanatic for life. Also a *OSI* and *Arch/Matheos* fan. Also saw Fates Warning _open_ for Dream Theater in LA. I just don't understand why they didn't become HUGE, and play bigger venues (well . . . they never played formula or by the rules), but I got to see them for about 5 or 6 tours. If I ever get to see Arch/Matheos or FW w/Arch . . . I'll probably be in tears. They became the benchmark and gauge to judge all those that followed. After I saw an ad in the back of a Kerrang Magazine, it said *"If you like Rush and Queensrÿche you'll LOVE Dream Theater",* and it was for their debut "When Dream and Day Unite", went back and forth to that store in Costa Mesa (Music Market) and finally got the LP in my hand, I was just floored by Charley Dominici's vocals and all the musicians. I still have those Lp's mentioned, and have various versions and prints. From a Progressive Rock fan (1977 *Kansas* - Point of Know Return), to early Metal 1979-80, to Thrash, Doom, Death Metal, "Math Metal" and Prog Metal, and _most_ subgenres . . . Thank you Mike, your peers and former band mates, to all the bands you have been a co-founder of - Thanks man for being part of the music I treasure. - \m/

God. Mike’s choices are amazing. I love all his picks. The guy really knows his stuff and I love his enthusiasm. Amazing guy.

It's amazing how immaculate every album and cd look. Mike, did you buy all of them yesterday?? Rage For Order remains my favorite Queensryche album. Absolutely NOTHING sounded like it.

Cool collection!!! 🤘🤘🤘 All those bands influenced me too when I was a teenager!!! UP THE IRONS🤘🤘🤘

*Great to hear Stormtroopers Of Death get some love!*

Here are the albums of my teenage years: From May 22, 2006 to May 23, 2013: Road to Run - The Ramones Definitely Maybe - Oasis Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath (Dio era) Permanent Waves - Rush The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden Kill ‘Em All - Metallica Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor - Rob Zombie My teenage bio: Visual artist, writer and metalhead.

That DT/Ryche/FW '03 tour was my first concert ever. I was 14.

You're amazing Mike and of course you're my favorite drummer of all times, thanks for sharing the albums that influenced you during your teenage years, great taste by the way! keep on rocking and hitting the drums hard! \m/

Mike is so cool!

nice to hear the origin of his influences, great stuff

Rock N Roll High School, such a classic movie.

Welcome back man. Fucking missed ya.

I remember MTV's "Headbanger's Ball" used to play S.O.D. as their break music between commercials. I never knew who it was but wanted to know so bad (of course you couldn't just Google it.) Then I was at a party and some dude put it. I immediately recognized and I was floored! It took a month but I finally got a copy.

Great vid, thanks.👍