Mike Mangini and Dream Theater didn’t have a troubled split. Mangini thinks his split was understandable and expressed his gratitude for his memories with Dream Theatre. In a recent interview with Ibagenscast of Brazil, Mike Mangini expressed his great pride in the achievements he has made during his 13-year run with Dream Theatre. He said:
“I’m so happy to have been a part of the lives of so many musicians, especially in a way where it’s all good, where the vibe is positive How fortunate am I? I went surfing for a while. That’s what I did. So, yeah, how great is that? And I can look at the Grammy (I won as a member of Dream Theater for the song ‘The Alien’) and say, ‘Ah, I remember working on the grooves for that four years.'”
Mangini Is Okay With Portnoy Replacing Him
Mike Mangini didn’t take Portnoy’s replacement as an offence. He describes his exit as straightforward, perceiving it as an original member rejoining his band. Mangini discussed his departure from Dream Theater and the return of original drummer Mike Portnoy on the 1 November episode of ‘Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.’ He said:
“All I know is the decision was made and when I heard it, all I pictured was, ‘Oh, this is an original guy going back to his band. Uh, okay. All right. Let’s go to the next thing.’ It was nothing more. I was told. It was just nothing more than — it seemed so simple to me. And maybe intuitively it’s, like, ‘Oh yeah, I get it.’ And that was that. That’s really it.”
Mangini added later in the interview that his departure from Dream Theather allowed him to focus on his other works.
John Petrucci’s Statement On Mangini’s Departure
John Petrucci, like Mike Mangini, is proud of their 13 years of experience together and the Grammy they won. In October, he shared his gratitude to Mangini in a post on the social media platform X. He stated:
“Mike Mangini’s drumming is otherworldly and I’m extremely grateful for the time he spent with us in Dream Theater. I’m very proud of all the amazing music we made together that culminated in our first Grammy win last year and the countless magical moments we’ve shared on stage. I wish Mike Mangini all the best of success in his future musical endeavors!”
You can watch the full interview below where Mangini talks about his departure from Dream Theater.
