Neil Peart ORRR Mike Portnoy

[break the prism]

Steve Gadd

i just diverged from the original topic. take that, society!

[ross666dreamcatcher]

Well, considering Mike Portnoy names Neil Peart as his biggest influence, one should probably like both.

completely true. i always find it confusing when people dont.... what i find when i ask people is the people who dont like both are originally neil peart fans that think mike portnoy is too much of a rip off of him but the original mike fans love peart! i will admit i found neil peart through mike portnoy but i love both their playing styles and when i first heard them both i was shocked how much my style is like theirs(not that im saying my playing is as good or anything). its also true that i think neil peart is alot more diverse as he does jazz n does that burning for buddy tribute. if i really had to choose between...... oh man i dont think i can let me put it this way. mikes passion and the message he sends to me through his playing connects to me more than peart, but peart is diverse and has amazing technique and i look to him for motivation to play as many styles as i can. so they both inspire me in different ways.

[ChrisNichols]

If you ask me, Neil's style is very basic.

Some drummers are great drummers on the merit of their simplicity. Neil Peart is definitely NOT one of them. He is a brilliant drummer but because of how complex he plays.

And I personally prefer Neil's playing over Mike's. Props to both, though!

[ViciousCircle5]

Neil Peart. He plays for the song and always makes the other members shine in his assistance.

I like Portnoy, but he is more of a showoff than Peart is. I don't like when people turn into hotdogs.

[WhiteOleander]

thats like comparing an apple to a pear =p can't pick betwen the fruits, can't pick between the drummers

[stump]

Both are awesome though I have been an avid Rush and Neil Peart fan since the early 80's. So I have to go with NEP. Peace.

[The Maestro]

I love Portnoy's natural ability but I'm blown any buy Peart's technical handy work.
But Neil was also display a level of power a kin to Bonzo or Moon.
(Which I like so ) I'm with Peart.

[Conor]

mike portnoy. its kind of a hard choice though, seeing how they're both amazing and have huuuuge drumsets

[WAR921]

Neil Peart by far. Neil is one of the greatest rock dummer's of all time. Just look at the body of work that he has done. His drumming on albums 2112 through Moviing Pictures, is incredible. I think people like Mike, were strongly influenced by Neil. I think that most rock drummers are gaged by their comparison to the works of Neil Peart, Keith Moon, and John Bonham. At least as far as I'm concerned. Neil was the original, the other guy is simply a copy. I think that Deam Theater is a really talented band, but I don't think they are nearly as good as Rush. I think Neil's drumming really made Rush what they are, which is Legends.

[loosesticks]

neil has it over portney by a long shot and just to stray a bit ian paice blows portney out of the water, just my opinion

[drummert2k]

neil never looks happy and he wears funny hats, but he does have my vote from a technical standpoint. although i like listening to portnoy and watching portnoy over peart. i still think that peart has the technical side of drumming down a little more than portnoy.

p.s. new dream theater disc came out this month...... these guys are still on the ball in the studio.

[break the prism]

i saw rush a few years ago.
i saw dream theater with yes a while ago too.

both great showmen, and both amazing drumemrs. even though they both play "prog rock", you can't really generally compare the two.
i like rush more than dream theater, but as far as drumming goes, i'd choose portnoy.
that's why i like liquid tention experiment more than either band. portnoy's work with that band is amazing.

[phoenix7289]

I swear by Mike Portnoy, he seems more alive when he plays, just like my favorite and biggest idol, Nicko McBrain. I haven't really heard too much of Neil's stuff though, so I can't really like say this and that about Mike, and this and that about Neil and be fair. But I can say, that I am always amazed with Mike's playing, it's like he has more than 4 limbs! I wonder if he ever hits anything with his dick.... do you think he has that talent? LOL But yah, you get my point, I think he is one INSANE drummer.

[xdoseonex]

If you ask me, Neil's style is very basic. Neil cant do one middle section of a dream theater song, the time signature changes, and not that, but what Mike does in those time sigs is nothing but incredible, I mean Going to half time in the middle of a measure, pure genious. And Rush now Is horrible, Rush dont write like they used to. And Dream Theaters music is so advanced on every level, concept albums, Musicians, Song structure. Its all perfect.

thats a dumb thing to say. mike portnoy draws most of his influence from neil peart. and peart can play anything mike can play. i'd go with neil peart by a longshot. you have to remember anything mike portnoy is playing, hes playing because neil peart invented it

[xdoseonex]

neil never looks happy and he wears funny hats

hahahahahahaa, i dont know why i found that so funny