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: 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:

Non-DT abbreviations you should know:

Current Dream Theater Personnel

Former Dream Theater Personnel

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:

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:

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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