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“He and I really came to an impasse. We were both unhappy and we both kind of quit”: Mike Portnoy and Neal Morse had a furious spat that spawned their greatest record
In 2016, The Neal Morse Band's drummer Mike Portnoy and bandleader Neal Morse had their biggest ever falling-out while making the album The Similitude Of A Dream, a double-length concept record inspired by John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Morse was determined to tell the full story across two discs, but Portnoy resisted extending the project once the first disc was finished, pushing the pair to what they later described as an impasse where both effectively walked away. The clash matters because it nearly derailed a record that both musicians and fans came to regard as one of their finest achievements.
The dispute centred on creative direction and scope, with Morse's prolific songwriting drive (he reportedly wakes at 5am full of musical ideas) clashing with Portnoy's reluctance to commit to a longer, more ambitious project. Despite both men "kind of quitting" at the height of the disagreement, they ultimately resolved their differences and completed the double album, which was released as the band's second record and went on to be celebrated as a high point in their catalogue.
In short
- Portnoy and Morse clashed fiercely while making 2016's The Similitude Of A Dream.
- Dispute was over extending the concept album to double length.
- Both "kind of quit" before reconciling to finish the acclaimed record.
Explained simply
The Neal Morse Band is a progressive rock group led by singer and songwriter Neal Morse, with Mike Portnoy on drums. Progressive rock often uses long pieces and ambitious concepts; this album draws on John Bunyan’s 17th-century story The Pilgrim’s Progress, about a traveller’s spiritual journey.
Morse wanted to tell the whole story over two discs, while Portnoy was reluctant to keep expanding the project after the first disc was finished. Their disagreement over the album’s size and direction brought the two musicians to an impasse.
The clash matters because it put a major project by the band at risk. They eventually worked through it and completed the album, which became one of the best-regarded records in their catalogue.
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