We don’t really believe this, but apparently Dream Theater ex-drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy has no regrets about departing the band that made his career.
Portnoy left the progressive titans after nearly 25 years on the drum throne, citing a burn out as his main reasoning and went on to temporarily join Avenged Sevenfold before allegedly making attempts to return to the band. In a recent interview with Rocksverige, Portnoy was asked indirectly whether he regretted leaving the band:
“I don’t think I do,” Mike replied. “I think there’s a difference between regret and… Let me rephrase that. I actually have a tattoo on me that says ‘no regrets,’ and I actually try to live by that.
“I find that there’s lots of actions you take in your life and if it turns out to be something that brings a result that you didn’t want or you weren’t anticipating, it’s not something you should regret, it’s just simply something you should learn from.
“There’s a lot of things in my life that I’ve learned from and, ultimately, I don’t regret them, because they got me to where I am right now.
“I’m as happy as I’ve ever been and as musically fulfilled as I’ve ever been.
“There’s a quote that I love and I kind of used it in the song ‘Repentance’ and it’s ‘It’s better to regret something you’ve done, than something you haven’t done,’ and I absolutely love that.
“I’m not gonna use the DREAM THEATER example because I can already see the headlines, so I won’t say it. [Laughs] I’ll paraphrase like this: when I came to that crossroad four years ago, if I hadn’t made the decisions I had, I probably would’ve spent the rest of my life wondering, what if? What if I left the band?
“I think it’s better to follow your heart and take the risk than wonder what could’ve been.”
We know Mike Portnoy likes to talk, and we can never really know the reality behind his Train of Thought (Dream Theater pun intended). It’s comforting to hear that he is always open to a reunion, but whether this actually happens is another story as the band have enjoyed so much success with new drummer Mike Mangini.
