MIKE PORTNOY On Living With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder – "It's A Curse In The Sense That My Bandmates, Wife And Family Have To Deal With It"

Drum legend Mike Portnoy is featured in a new interview with Long Island Pulse discussing working with The Winery Dogs, his favourite albums and movies, and living with OCD. An excerpt is available below:

Q: You’re a self-professed control freak with OCD tendencies. Are you formally diagnosed? 

Portnoy: “I have discussed it with doctors. But I’m just one of those perfectionists that have to have everything organized. I like to make lists and if I’m into something I just get obsessed with it. My house is filled with tens of thousands of DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays, books, magazines and drum sets. I don’t need to be professionally diagnosed to know there’s something going on there!”

Q: So is it a blessing or a curse? 

Portnoy: “It’s absolutely a blessing because I’ve used it to my advantage. I’ve been able to use that nature to nurture my career. It’s a curse in the sense that my bandmates have to deal with it, and my wife and family have to deal with it, but the people around me who know me and love me accept it and let me do my thing.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Portnoy recently checked in with the following update:

“Wow! Just opened the new issue of Modern Drummer to find out that I won Best Rock Drummer (for the first time ever in that category!) making it my 30th Modern Drummer Readers Poll award! Even to have just won ONE in my lifetime would’ve been a dream come true and enough for me… but 30? I am beyond grateful, appreciative and humbled.

Thanks to Sabian and Tama for celebrating my 30th award in their ads, and most of all, THANK YOU for so many years of unconditional support! I work as hard as I do for you and couldn’t do what I do without you all.”