Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment guitarist John Petrucci

John Petrucci's complex guitar passages have been a driving force in the killer prog-rock of Dream Theater for many years. Side project Liquid Tension Experiment is also a showcase for Petrucci's talents. We got to sit down with the man and ask him some questions after a DT show a little while back...

House of Shred: So, where do you go from here?
John Petrucci: (Laughs)

HoS: What I mean to say is that a disc such as Scenes From A Memory is such a "climax" or the "peak" of so many years of work and past CD's for DT, how do you come back with a follow-up to this? One that would make fans come out to see you again next year on a new tour for a new disc and say, "These guys are even better then they were last year"?
JP: Wow...well... this is the first record that we wrote with Jordan , and I'm really looking forward to writing more, you know, in a way that its very experimental. Its like, he's a new member, even though Mike have written with him before with Liquid tension, it was the first time we've written with him in DT, so it was very experimental. I think its going to be really cool, now that we've had all this road experience together, Jordan has had a chance to acclimate himself to the band style and playing in front of the band and everything, I think the next record is going to be really interesting.

HoS: Is it going to be a concept record, such as SFAM is?
JP: No, it's not going to be a really heavy story like SFAM. We DO have a really cool idea, though, that will make it interesting and more special than just a bunch of songs themselves though. It's actually pretty cool; I can't wait to get started on it.

HoS: As far as SFAM goes, with a "heavy" story and such... there is a lot of confusion regarding exactly what the story is about. I know myself, the more I listen to it, the more I begin to "think" what its really about, and what's going on with Victor and Nicholas and all... can you fill us in a bit?
JP: Yeah, sure! Briefly... its about a guy, who has had these dreams through out his whole life, about this girl, or kid, who grows into a woman, and he's has a really strong feeling that her life story has something to do with HIS past life. His dreams are very vivid, and he really feels a connection between her past and his present. And then when he gets a bit older, and the dreams sort of stop happening, he gets a funny feeling that she died. The then spends his time trying to find out what happened and all, and he learns that he was in fact a real person, and he can put a name to her , and learns she was murdered, and there was this whole sort of murder mystery thing. So the album is really about him trying to figure out how she was really killed. Because it really doesn't make sense to him.

HoS: Cool.
JP: And in doing this, he's getting in touch with who HE is, by learning more about her life. So it deals with reincarnation, hypnosis, therapy and things like that.

HoS: Great... yeah... I've heard a lot of different people with a lot of varying ideas... our readers will like hearing the story from the horse's mouth. So to speak...
JP:.. Horse? Yeah, thanks Les...

HoS: Umm... I mean "guitarist." Really...
JP: Yeah, OK. (grins)

HoS: OK... as far as YOUR guitar playing goes... is there any one piece of equipment that can't live without? One that you take on tour with you that you just cant leave behind? A guitar? An amp maybe?
JP: Yeah, definitely... a couple of things like that. But funny you should ask, sometimes I can't take them with me, even though I really want to, and then I suffer (laughs). For example, there's my favorite Mesa Boogie head, a Mach 2 c+, my favorite head, and they don't make them anymore. They were made in the 80's. So if you ever find one for me, I'll BUY it from you! (laughs) But anyway, it's about 20 years old now, and it's just a great, great amp... and nothing I've ever heard sounds as good.

HoS: Do you own one now?
JP: Yeah, I do have one.

HoS: And you always take it with you?
JP: Yeah, but like, it's with my stuff, but for example, we played Mexico a few days ago, and I couldn't take all of my gear, so I had to leave that behind. I was pretty bummed. Then there's a 2290, a processor, its also pretty old. It's got the usual chorus, delay, phaser and such.

HoS: Rack mount?
JP: Yeah. It's another great piece.

HoS: When you switched from playing six string guitars to your seven strings, was it a gradual happening? Or was it like a revelation?
JP: Well, to give you an idea, basically going back to 19... 94... or whenever the hell it was, when I got my first seven string, basically we were in the studio writing Awake, I remember opening the case, putting it on, and right then and there writing "The Mirror," which was in fact the first song I ever wrote on a 7 string guitar. I remember feeling very comfortable with it, right from the start.

HoS: I've never played a 7 string before... How do you tune yours? Do you use an open tuning? Or do you just tune the extra string a bit lower than the low E?
JP: I tune it to a low B, I mean, you can tune it to whatever you want, but a low B is pretty standard for a 7 string.

HoS: OK, lets go back a bit. What is the worst experience you've had recording? I mean, what album?
JP: Probably my least favorite was When Day And Dream Unite, our first album. I mean, I had NO experience whatsoever.

HoS: But you did have the BIG HAIR, the big POOFY hair. (laughs)
JP: Yes, I did have "large" hair. (laughs) But we all did, so I wasn't alone there! You know, I didn't even play my own guitar on that album. I played borrowed Ibanezes and borrowed this and that. I mean, it was a good time, in that it was our first time recording. That part of it was cool and very memorable, but I was just so young and inexperienced. Ugh.

HoS: What was your best experience recording?
JP: That's easy... Scenes From A Memory! With Jordan in the band, there were doors opened that we never had open like that before.

HoS: Was it a difficult project to record?
JP: Not really, it was a lot of fun. It was kind of great, there was no pressure with no producers (John and Mike produced the album). We did it all ourselves. I mean, it was intense because we were writing it in the studio and then recording it right away, so when you do that you can challenge yourself. I have a habit of writing stuff that I can't even play, but you just gotta try to nail it as quickly as possible. Sometimes I think to myself, "wow, that's going to be really difficult to play. I hope I can do it."

HoS: And then you do.
JP: Well, I "try" to do... I try to do it well. I really don't want the fans to hear something that they don't want to hear coming from my playing. I wouldn't be here talking to the House of Shred if it weren't for fans like your readers. Our fans seem to be really cool, nice and decent people.

HoS: Well, I think you have a pretty intelligent fan base, and as such, your fans follow by example. Personally, I have found that with a lot of progressive rock, it take a special kind of listener to really appreciate all of the subtle nuances that prog rock throws at your senses. I mean, an ape could listen to Kid Rock and enjoy it, not needing to understand what his trash is all about.
JP: You're comparing a Kid Rock fan to an ape... (laughs) Cool... that's funny.

HoS: Aside from Kid Rock (laughs) who are your main influences?
JP: Well, my main influence is Steve Morse and the music of the Dregs. I mean, that whole rock, instrumental, experimental classical genre is very influential on me. Alex Lifeson also inspires me. He's a great player. As far as bands, number one would be Rush, and then Yes. I think that Dream Theater really, really kind of modeled ourselves after them both, especially Yes. We are a LOT heavier than them, but we have the same instrumentation, we use the same 1970's prog, really long song, big instrumental movements and things like that.

HoS: OK John, we've come to that part of the House of Shred interview that we ask of everybody. Its tough, it's pressing, and well... it's your turn.
JP: Yeah... I think I know what's coming.

HoS: It's the five CD's question.
JP: Five CD's?

HoS: This usually gets us some great answers. Here we go. You're on a cruise ship with ALL of your CD's, and the boat sinks. You only have time to grab five CD's to take with you to a deserted island, where you'll spend the rest of your life, listening to only those five. What five do you grab? Remember, the ship is sinking... and you're really pressured. Quick! What do you grab?
JP: FOREVER?

HoS: Yep...
JP: Oh my god. That's... I've never been asked such a difficult question before. Are you serious? Forever?

HoS: The ship is sinking...
JP: Man, you're tough. Ouch. Well... Oh my god... This is really tough... Umm...

HoS: Your ankles are getting wet...
JP: OK, OK!
(Mike Portnoy chimes in from the background: "Dude, that's a bitch. Wow..." John and Mike kind of laugh at each other a bit, then Mike says, "You're on your own."
JP: That's my drummer. He's my friend.

HoS: Looks like he's on a ship that's not sinking...
JP: Heh heh... lucky... OK, I would take 5 CD-R's and a CD burner, and... (We all start laughing. Even my girlfriend Lisa, who was the impromptu photographer, thought this was funny.) OK... um... well... man, this is tough. OK... 1) Yes, Fragile. 2) Peter Gabriel, So. 3) Rush, Hemispheres... definitely Rush Hemispheres, what a great prog album. 4) Metallica, Master of Puppets. 5) Well, number five would have to be a Dregs one, now wouldn't it. I mean, ya gotta have your dose of Morse... Umm... probably Night Of The Living Dregs.

HoS: A little fact for you... when I caught your show at Toad's Place a few months ago, I was talking to Steve Morse on the side of the stage, and while you were playing a solo, he stopped mid-sentence and started to play air guitar.
JP: Really? Wow, that's cool. That's really cool.

The House of Shred's Les Robertson mugs for the camera with DT's John Petrucci.

HoS: Well John, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the House of Shred, and all of our readers. It was really cool for you to take the time to sit down with us after such a grueling show.
JP: Hey, I should be thanking you. You gave SFAM a rocking review — we all read it. The House of Shred are welcome to chat with us anytime we're in town. Stay cool and healthy, it was nice meeting you... Lets go grab some food... I'm starved...

The House of Shred would like to thank John Petrucci for this interview. We'd also like to thank Dream Theater and their management for providing us with the ONLY photo pass issued for this particular show!

Check out the Official John Petrucci Website.

Visit the Official Dream Theater Website.