Mike Portnoy Quotes

I was a huge 'Pyromania' fan. You would never expect it, but I was in love with Iron Maiden; I was such a huge fan. I went to a lot of rock stuff like Van Halen, too.

Anytime rock and metal can get on mainstream TV at all, it's a good thing.

I was a hard rocker when I was in high school.

I love Aerosmith. I love Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, anything from that era, Led Zeppelin. So my guitar style is very much like Slash or Jimmy Page. I love playing that kind of music. It's where my heart's at.

You know, with bands like Kiss back out on the road and Aerosmith coming out, we are going to be a band like that, in the sense that it's a big rock band.

Spittin' blood, smokin' guitars, fire everywhere - Kiss is where I started.

I used to be into the Grateful Dead, so I understand the Phish thing.

We live in the realm where all the metalheads and rock fans know us, but we're not giants like Linkin Park or Black Sabbath.

I'm a huge Kiss fan.

That is one thing about playing with Guns N' Roses and Metallica: everyone wants to interview you.

You see a documentary, you want to see it on Aerosmith or Jon Bon Jovi or Kiss, a band that's been established and sold millions of records and done something notable.

AC/DC is a tough gig for everyone in the band.

I would play with Guns n' Roses anytime.

Back when I was working with the Stones and with Joe Cocker and Neil Young and Neil Diamond and all of those - 'the boys,' I call them - it was fun.

I've banged my head quite a bit. I liked Iron Maiden, Ozzy, AC/DC. And of course, Ratt and Poison.

Metal is easily my favorite thing - Exodus and Anthrax and Megadeth - so it just kind of organically came through in the standup act.

If someone told me when I was 16 or 18 years old that I'd be doing a side project with Tony Iommi, I wouldn't have believed it.

The Stones also still have a huge following. Mick Jagger leaps around like a crazy dude. And Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts are playing great too.

I loved hard-rock bands, and I loved songwriters who told stories.

At 15, I started listening to hard rock and heavy metal, but I would say it was more hard rock because I liked Kiss, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and eventually AC/DC.

Rock music is niche.

Everything you need to know about Iron Maiden is onstage.

My heroes were Eddie Van Halen - especially after Van Halen I, II, III, and IV - Randy Rhoads, Ace Frehley and dudes like that. My brother played drums and we jammed in the garage and started writing our own stuff.

I like Daughtry, I like Nickelback, I like Dave Matthews. I like Beyonce - she's a really good entertainer.

I think we all appreciate it now just how lucky we are to be in a band like Judas Priest.