A Conversation with Derek Sherinian of Platypus

with Roger Lotring

February 3, 1999

Keyboardist Derek Sherinian comes from two distinctly separate schools of musical education. On the one hand, he is a self-taught pianist who began playing the instrument at the young age of five. And yet, at the same time, he is also a musician’s musician with a scholarship and subsequent study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music to his credit.

His first experience touring on a national level came in 1987 with Buddy Miles, the drummer probably best known for his work with Jimi Hendrix and the Tribe of Gypsies. But it was in 1989 when his former Berklee acquaintance, guitarist Al Pitrelli, recommended as the keyboardist for Alice Cooper in support of the highly successful Trash album. It was his first exposure to a large scale rock tour, and Derek came through with with flying colors, as Alice remarked, “Derek's great. He's an asset to any band he's in. I mean, the thing about him is that he can play anything.”

It would be on the road with Alice Cooper where Sherinian would first work with drummer Eric Singer, who, in turn, recruited Derek when Kiss needed a touring keyboardist for their Revenge tour in 1992. Subsequently, Derek was recorded as a part of the Kiss Alive III disc that resulted from those performances.

In 1994, the popular progressive metal band Dream Theater was touring in support of Awake, the follow-up to their immensely successful Images And Words disc. Sherinian was hired as a replacement for Kevin Moore, but the six month trial period blossomed into an invitation to join the band on a permanent basis. And yet, in spite of a musical aptitude that encompasses a broad range of influences, Derek did not sit well with a number of Dream Theater fans. Scrutiny of his performances was mainly over-critical, and many fans pointed an accusory finger at him concerning the musical growth of the band on Falling To Infinity.

With the live Once In A Livetime disc and accompanying home video in stores shortly before Christmas, Dream Theater set out on a series of five consecutive club performances that started on the December 26th. As part of the band’s continuing tradition of “Home For The Holidays” shows, the performances were inspired sets of relaxed fun. While infusing B-sides and unreleased tracks with a nod toward influential cover songs from the likes of Rush, Led Zeppelin and U2, staples like “Pull Me Under” and “Metropolis” were conspicuously absent.

Work was already completed on When Pus Comes To Shove, the debut disc from Platypus, a collaboration of Sherinian, along with Dream Theater bassist John Myung, guitarist Ty Tabor of King’s X, and drummer Rod Morganstein of Winger/Dixie Dreggs notoriety. Promotion for the disc had been scheduled to begin when on January 18th, Derek was dismissed from Dream Theater to be replaced by Jordan Rudess of the Dixie Dreggs and Liquid Tension Experiment.

Two weeks later, Derek talked to Prime Choice about the release of the Platypus disc, as well as his own forthcoming solo album to be released on Magna Carta records on July 13th, but the conversation naturally touched heavily on Dream Theater...

I guess the obvious place to start would be to ask what happened with Dream Theater?

Well, to be honest with you, I was recording keyboard tracks for my solo album. I got a phone call, and it was the other guys in the band. It was a conference call, and they just told me that they wanted to play with another keyboard player. I wish I could give you a more detailed answer. You’re going to have to ask them if you want more details, but that’s how it was told to me.

I saw the show in New Haven a couple of days after Christmas –

Yeah, everything looked fine, right?

Yeah, I never would have guessed that three weeks later you wouldn’t be a part of the band.

Nor I. But y’know what? I look back on my four years with Dream Theater, and it’s been a great experience. I don’t have any hard feelings towards the guys. I wish them the best, and I’m just ready to move on.

That’s really a great attitude to have, it really is, instead of being bitter or upset.

Ahh, life’s too short.

I think one of the obvious questions on fans’ minds is whether this will result in any lingering tension in Platypus?

No, John Myung is still my dear friend, and I think we’re gonna do another record in May. And we’re very excited about the release of When Pus Comes To Shove in February in America.

It’s interesting that for the last several years you’ve mostly been associated with progressive rock, I think largely due to your contributions to Dream Theater. And yet the bulk of your musical accomplishments leans more toward much more straight-ahead material like Kiss, Alice Cooper, and even Platypus.

Yeah, right.

I think a lot of fans are going to be surprised when the Platypus record comes out.

I think so too. I think it’s a lot different than Dream Theater. I think there’s a lot more psychedelic influence to Platypus, and a lot more of a fusion influence, rather than classical influence that Dream Theater has.

I, in all honesty, was prepared to dislike the album before I heard it. [Laughs]

Oh, why?

I was prepared for an all-out progressive piece of work that just took progressive to the Nth degree, based upon the participants.

I think it has soul to it, and it has songs, unlike a lot of progressive. It’s very palatable. And even the stuff that is progressive, it’s very tastefully done, I think.

Well, it’s interesting, because I put it in, and within the first thirty to forty-five seconds of hearing “Standing In Line,” it’s like, “Oh, I like this.” It’s like, “Wow, this rocks!”

Well, that’s great!

How did the formation of Platypus evolve?

Actually, Platypus was put together by John Myung. He asked me if I wanted to be involved; I immediately said yes. And then he recruited Ty Tabor from King’s X, which, at the time, I wasn’t a King’s X fan. I didn’t really know much about Ty, but John was very sold on him, so Ty came in. And then John and I were huge fans of Rod Morganstein from the Dixie Dregs, so I was very excited to have him in there as well. Then we all just got together at Rod’s house, and we basically wrote and recorded that album in a two-week period.

No kidding!

Yeah, it’s pretty amazing that we didn’t even really know each other. It’s pretty amazing when I listen back to that record, thinking that we did it in that short amount of time.

It’s such a cohesive piece, and it just sounds so clean and well-produced. I would have never guessed that it was a two week album.

There you go.

How about touring? Are there any plans to take Platypus on the road?

I’ve heard we’ve gotten some offers to go play in Germany, and I hear offers here and there. I think, realistically, that the band would probably have to have a couple releases out before it would warrant a tour.

So that sounds like it’s an ongoing project.

Yeah, it could. I mean, I’m open for it. I had a lot of fun making that last record, and there’s talk of us doing it again in May. I’d look forward to it; I loved everyone involved.

Just based upon what I hear on this disc, I think the band would really tear it up in a live situation.

I think so too!

I understand that you’re also working on a solo disc for Magna Carta.

Yes. It’s going to be released sometime this summer. The title of it is Planet X, and it’s featuring Tony Franklin on bass, Virgil Donati on drums, and Brett Garsed on guitar. We basically – Virgil Donati and I wrote this album, and Virgil is gonna be a huge drum star; that’s my prediction. He actually already is – he’s going to be on the cover of Modern Drummer next issue. He’s from Australia. He’s been living in America for a couple years, but he is just so phenomenal, and I can’t wait for people to hear his playing on my record.

How is work on that project coming along? What stage are you at?

I built a 24-track studio in my house, and we’re about 80% done. We’re going to finish mixing on February 16th.

From what I gather, your musical tutelage ranges everywhere from Berklee to Buddy Miles, to Elton John, to Kiss, to Alice Cooper...

[Laughs] I like a little bit of everything, I really do.

Well, it makes me wonder, what result do you think such a wide array of influences will have on your solo album?

Well, I listen to it, and there’s parts of my solo album that sound like Van Halen; it sounds like Mahavishnu Orchestra; it sounds like Black Sabbath; it sounds like Zeppelin. I mean, it is a little bit of everything. I basically had no regard for commerce on this album, or trying to write commercial tunes. I just basically wanted to write the sickest album I could. There’s no barriers. I really have pushed myself as far as performance and getting the sounds. I really have poured everything into this record, and there’s a lot of feel in this record. Just because of the timing of when I was fired from the band, I just poured everything into it. So, I’m really anxious for some feedback on it.

Are there going to be vocals on it?

No, it’s all instrumental.

What’s your plan after that? Obviously, you’re really busy with promoting Platypus and your solo album.

Well, it’s very funny... it’s been a week since I’ve been out of the band and I’ve gotten three lucrative touring and recording offers, like within the last week. [Laughs] So I just basically want to finish my record, and then I’m just going to sift through whatever offers I have on the table.

Well, that’s got to be just a really, really wonderful situation to be in. You’re at a point where you’re regarded, that you don’t have to worry about working.

Yeah, well, you always have to worry about it. I mean, no one is that locked in. But it’s nice to know that people are aware of my name, and that people are calling.

Yeah, but I would think you’ve got more of a freedom to pursue things like a solo album than worrying about auditions and trying to get in. You’ve got people coming to you, instead of having to go to them.

Right. Yeah, that’s true. But there’s a big part of me – I mean, I don’t want to just be this solo artist that does one record a year and does my own thing. I mean, I love to tour on a big scale, and there’s no way I could ever tour on a solo album – y’know, do it on a big scale. So, that’s very important to me, to go out and play to the people.

And plus, there’s something to be said about the interaction of a band, too.

Absolutely. I can imagine what it would be like if there was like, camraderie.

[Laughs] I take it there wasn’t much of that with Dream Theater?

It’s just a different headspace. Dream Theater, you have to understand, all those guys are married and have kids, and they’re all pretty much in their own little thing. I’m a single guy. My background playing with Alice Cooper and Kiss, I mean, I like to have fun on tour. I’m more from a rock and roll headspace than a conservatory headspace.

Well, that will be very interesting to hear on this stuff that you’ve got coming up. Again, with the Platypus, I really didn’t expect it to be a rock and roll album at all. It quickly went from something that I was apprehensive about to something that I’m listening to a couple of times a day.

Well, that’s great! Is there anything that’s really standing out to you that you like?

“Standing In Line” I like a lot; “Willie Brown” is very cool; “Rock Balls” is really kinda neat. I mean, it’s hard to put a finger on anything because there’s just so much on here that’s going on. It’s diverse, but it’s the kind of diverseness that appeals to me somehow. It isn’t like there’s anything on here that I don’t like.

Right. Oh, that’s great!

Did you have a particular goal in mind when you went in to that project?

Just to write good music, y’know? That’s the one thing I’ve found is that when you start making goals and have expectations of what it is you’re trying to create, it ends up becoming stifled [and] you can hear it. I find that the best stuff is when you just let it flow. My best solos are when you just let the tape roll and just play. Don’t put too much thought into it because... I don’t know, when you start thinking, then it just doesn’t flow.

It has to be instinctive and not contrived. As you mentioned, your past work includes Alice Cooper and Kiss. I’m curious if you’ve got any really cool or funny anecdotes about touring with either that you would care to share? I’m sure there are probably millions of them.

[Laughs] There is. It’s hard to think of – all I can say is that I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with bona fide rock and roll legends really early on in my career. There’s just so much that they’ve experienced that I just tried to keep my eyes open and learn as much as possible so when I [went] off and did my own thing or whatever, I could have that experience.

Even with Alice, I just saw Alice on Labor Day weekend. It’s just amazing – I can imagine what it must be like to be in a situation like that, and all of that cool material that you get to have your hand in.

Yeah, awesome. Alice is great. It’s a real honor to have worked with him.

Well, I would imagine that’s always a possibility, that you’ll work with him again.

Oh, absolutely! I mean, even during my tenure with Dream Theater, I was still touring with Alice Cooper whenever possible.

I want to go back just a little bit to those last that shows you did with Dream Theater.

Okay.

I wanted to get your opinion on those, because personally – like I said, I saw the show in New Haven – I was just really blown away. I think that was probably about the most fun I’ve ever had at a Dream Theater show. I’m curious what it was like from your perspective.

Ah... y’know, it was just like I was going to work, y’know? To be honest, those holiday shows, I went – I think we did five of ‘em – and I didn’t think nothing of it, y’know? We were talking – we had dinner and we were talking about going into the studio in February. [Laughs] So it was very out of the blue, my dismissal.

No warning signs at all, huh?

Nothing. And you know – it’s like, if you’re in a job situation and if you’re not performing, you know in your heart if you’re not up to par, if you’re not delivering the goods. Or if someone’s dissatisfied with what you’re doing, they’ll pull you on the carpet and reprimand you in some way. There was never any of that. It was just like, four years of playing and then one day getting a phone call.

It’s just such a strange thing. I mean, I was pouring over the internet one night and saw the press release. My wife, who is a Dream Theater fan, I’m yelling out to her in the living room, “Hey, you’ll never believe this...”

Well, a lot of people – I mean, you should see the fan mail I get regarding it.

But that’s got to be a really neat affirmation.

It’s very cool. I mean... yeah, the fans are amazing, and a lot of ‘em, I think, are gonna be in my corner when my record comes out.