- Member of: Dream Theater
- Genre: Rock & Alternative
- Followed By: Felix Mühle
- Similar Artists: Mad Capsule Markets
- Mike Portnoy is the drummer for Dream Theater. He was born in 1967, and began playing drums in his teens. He played for various small bands, including the group Inner Sanctum, which released one album. He attended Berklee Music College. He is a founding member of Dream Theater and has been with the band for the duration. He is also a member of the part-time prog supergroups Liquid Tension Experiment and TransAtlantic.
- Mike Portnoy was born on April 20, 1967 and raised in Long Beach, New York, where his interest in music started at an early age. "My father was a rock n' roll disc jockey, so I was always surrounded by music constantly. I had this huge record collection when I was real young and loved the Beatles and then later on Kiss. It was inevitable that I'd become a musician."
Although Mike taught himself how to play the drums, he did take music theory classes in high school. During that time he began playing in local bands Intruder, Rising Power and Inner Sanctum, the latter of which released their own album. Mike left the band after being awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee Music College in Boston.
An avid collector of many things, Mike has a vast array of Dream Theater memorabilia including bootlegs, posters, clippings and everything else under the sun with the band's name on it. He is also responsible for capturing everything the band does on video tape and DAT. His huge video collection includes favorite films as 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Jacob's Ladder and The Wall along with episodes of The Simpsons and memorable boxing matches.
Mike says his biggest influences are Rush drummer Neil Peart and the late Frank Zappa. Other favorites include drummers Terry Bozzio, Vinnie Colaiuta, Simon Philips, John Bonham and Keith Moon and bands such as The Beatles, Queen, Yes, Metallica, Jellyfish, Iron Maiden, U2 and Jane's Addiction. He is also a fan of rap music.PERSONAL INFO
Full name - Michael Stephen Portnoy
Birthday - April 20, 1967
Height - 5' 10''
Hair color - Black
Eye color - Green
Website - /
Equipment - Tama Starclassic drums, Melody Master Snares, Sabian and Sabian Max Cymbals, Remo heads, Iron Cobra Pedals, Pro-Mark 420 Drumsticks and Latin PercussionFAVORITES
Directors - Woody Allen, David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick
Actors - Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino
Sports - Boxing
TV shows - Twin Peaks, The Simpsons, The Twilight Zone, The Sopranos
Food - Fast food, especially Taco Bell
Drink - Used to be Jagermeister, beer. Does not drink any more.Dream Theater
Dream Theater Singles
Side Projects
Guest Appearances
Official Bootlegs
Fan Club CDs
