Talking Into Infinity - A Dream Theater Podcast
by Jon Drake
Talking Into Infinity is a live video podcast focusing on all things Dream Theater! Album reviews, stories, discussions, concert reviews, opinions, you name it - if it's related to Dream Theater, hosts Jon and Brian will be talking about it!
Episodes
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 134 – Back to the Beginning Concert Film Review!
The concert film of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s finalshow from 2025 – billed as Back to the Beginning - was released in theaters on October 28th and we caught a local showing! Jon bought the pay-per-view last year and has seen the entire show, warts and all – but this is the first exposure...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 133 – School Of Rock Guitar Prodigy Invades Talking Into Infinity!
It’s a very special episode of TII as we invite an INCREDIBLE young musician onto the show! His name is Michael Lascu – he just started his freshman year at THE Ohio State University and, well… let’s just say that Michael can play a little bit of guitar. Jon saw him performing with his classmates...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 132 – It's 2016 And You CAN'T Have The Astonishing - What Are You Buying?
It’s 2016… you walk into the record store to buy DT’s newconcept album The Astonishing… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to buy something else… what records are you buying? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy when we can’t have what we really want – the new Dream Theater...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 131 – Cage Match #9 – A View from the Top of the World vs. Train of Thought!
We’re back at it – throwing two Dream Theater records intothe Octagon and seeing which one comes out on top! On this installment, will it be the divisive – and most heavy – album in the band’s catalog – Train of Thought? Or will it be Mike Mangini’s swansong A View from the Top of the World?…
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 130 – Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven Deep Dive!
We’re back and venturing outside of the DT world – alongwith our friends Wayne Joyner and Chris Akin - with our next installment of deep-diving the Pantera catalog! This time we’re digging into the very first “extreme metal” album to ever hit #1 on the Billboard charts - 1994’s Far Beyond Driven!
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 129 – Top Ten Favorite Dream Theater Guitar Riffs!
Let’s face it… we all know that Dream Theater is a veritable cornucopia of guitar insanity. However, some of John Petrruci’s riffs are so damned good that they rise above the rest. On this episode, we’re each giving our lists of our top ten favorite DT guitar riffs! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 128 – “Jeff Beck – The Original Punk” Interview With Author Steve Rosen!
Our good friend and world-renowned guitar author Steve Rosen has written a new book called “The Original Punk –Jeff Beck Stories – From Yardbird To The Guitar Shop” and is coming back onto the show to discuss his new release! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 127 – Master Of Puppets Deep Dive!
We’re forty years removed from one of the greatest in heavymetal history, 1986, and we decided to do some deep dives into some of the incredibly classic records that defined that year. On this episode, we’re digging into what is probably the best record to come out in ’86 – and an album some…
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 126 – Ranking the Songs Of Awake!
It’s our seventh installment of album song rankings and this time we’re tackling Awake! Brian is on record as not being a big fan of this album (and later deciding that he actually quite enjoys it) whereas Jon loves it – how will our lists compare? I mean, we already know that Brian will bewrong...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 125 – Operation: Mindcrime 3 Deep Dive with Chris Akin!
Geoff Tate is back with the final installment of his Operation: Mindcrime trilogy – this time told from the perspective of Dr. X! Some people are calling it the sequel that no one wantedwhile some fans are saying that this may be Geoff’s best post-Queensryche album yet! We’re digging into the...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 124 – It's 2013 And You CAN'T Have Dream Theater - What Are You Buying?
It’s 2013… you walk into the record store to buy DreamTheater’s self-titled album… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to buy something else… what records are you buying? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy when we can’t have what we really want – the new Dream Theater…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 123 – Ranking the Songs Of Falling Into Infinity!
It’s our sixth installment of album song rankings and this time we’re taking on Falling Into Infinity! Jon won’t be able to rank them all number one, and Brian isn’t nearly as big a fan of this album as Jon is, so how far apart will they be in regards to Jon’s favorite DT album? #johnpetrucci...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 122 – “Worst Van Halen Song On Each Album” With Author Martin Popoff!
He’s written almost 8,000 record reviews… he has 135 booksin print… he’s been a research expert on pretty much every hard rock and heavy metal documentary anyone’s EVER watched… he’s Martin Popoff, and he finally crossed a line (as far as Jon is concerned.) He has put out a video listing theWORST...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 121 – Ranking the Dream Theater Albums – Based On Guitar Solos!
We’ve said for years that fans can submit show ideas to us –and someone finally has! Our good friend Johan sent us an email and asked us if we would rank all 16 DT studio albums solely based on their guitar solos, and we’re answering the call (get it?) We’re not gonna lie (sorry, had to do it...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 120 – Kiss Tribute Mr. Speed Interview and Best Ace Frehley Tunes!
We’re bringing on the Paul (Rich) and Eric (Rich) from one of the country’s hottest Kiss tribute bands – Mr. Speed! We’ll be discussing life in a tribute band, touring regionally as a self-sustained act and running down our top favorite Ace Frehley songs!
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 119 – Megadeth Behind The Mask Doc and Self-Titled Album Review!
We went to our local theater last week to catch thecareer-spanning Megadeth documentary Behind The Mask and get our first listen to the band’s new self-titled record! Jon was underwhelmed by the first three songs that were released while Brian enjoyed them – what’s the verdict now that we’ve…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 118 – Somewhere In Time Deep Dive!
It’s our first show of 2026 - a year forty years removed from one of the greatest in heavy metal history, 1986! We’ll be doing some deep dives into some of the incredibly classic records that defined that year and on this episode, we’re starting off with the fan-favorite Iron Maiden album…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 117 – 5th Annual Fan Hangout!
It's THAT time of year again... our fifth annual Fan Hangout show! This one is a freeform musical discussion about anything the fans want to talk about - driven by fans who have graciously agreed to jump out from the chat and into the limelight as they guest host the show with us! The…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 116 - You CAN'T Buy A Dramatic Turn Of Events - What Are You Buying?
It’s the next entry in our series of “you can’t have DT”, so… it’s 2011 and you walk into the record store to buy A Dramatic Turn Of Events… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy when…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 115 – Dream Theater Trivia!
We host a DT podcast, so you’d figure that we would know our stuff when it comes to all manner of trivia about the band – but do we? We test our qualifications and put ourselves through a number of online Dream Theater quizzes to how much we REALLY know about our favorite band! #johnpetrucci...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 114 – Parasomnia Tour Columbus Show Recap!
Jon recently caught the Columbus, Ohio stop of DreamTheater’s Parasomnia/A Change Of Seasons tour and he has plenty of stories to tell - including meeting the band! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 113 – Dream Theater News Roundup and Discussion!
There have been some recent developments in the DTcamp and we’re digging into recent news and interviews and giving our thoughts on all the current happenings! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #rush…
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Show Note - WE'RE STILL HERE!
Just a quick show note to let you know that we're still here and pumping out content - but a certain platform has been pulling down our episodes for some stupid reason, which is why nothing new has shown up on the audio platforms for a few months. We will be fixing this error in the very near...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 112 – Symphony X Paradise Lost Deep Dive!
With Symphony X embarking on their first proper U.S. tour in a decade, we decided to dive into one of the band’s most beloved and iconic releases – 2007’s Paradise Lost! Is it a little slice of heaven, as most fans agree – or is it actually a little bit of hell? We give our thoughts on this...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 111 – Top 10 Album Openers!
It’s another ranking show on TII! This time around, a discussion about ranking the opening songs on each of the DT studio albums got us thinking… what are our top album opening songs of all time – by ANY band? Some of our answers just might surprise you!
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 110 – Megadeth Retires!
Say it ain’t so, Dave! Megadeth has announced thattheir upcoming album and world tour will be their last – on this episode of TII, we look back on one of the most influential and genre-changing bands in music history and give our thoughts (and personal stories!) about arguably thesecond-most...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 109 - It's 2009, You CAN'T Buy Black Clouds and Silver Linings - What're You Buying?
It’s the next entry in our series of “you can’t have DT”, so… it’s 2009 and you walk into the record store to buy Black Clouds and Silver Linings… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 108 – Saying Goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne!
The rock and metal worlds are in mourning as we allsay goodbye to the man who started it all for us – the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away last week at age 76 – just 17 days after his final performance. We talk about Ozzy’s legacy, his enduring impact, as well as tell some personal…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 107 – John Petrucci Solo Album Cage Match!
We’ve pitted a lot of albums against one another – especially a lot of Dream Theater against Dream Theater… but! We have NEVER pitted a single member of DT against themselves! On this episode, that’s exactly what we’re doing as we throw John Petrucci’s two solo records Suspended Animation and...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 106 – Interview with “Do You Know Who I Think I Am?” Author “Pyro” John Watkins!
He’s back with more explosive-fueled insanity and killer road stories – he’s friend of show “Pyro” John Watkins! This time around he’s got a kickass book to promote – “Do You Know Who I Think I Am? Memoirs of a World-Class Smartass” – it’s fantastic and engaging and Pyro is dishing all the…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 105 – Each Dream Theater Album’s “Best” Song!
We’re back with another list – this is one that we found online, and let’s just say that there are some interesting choices on it! What is it listing? Someone’s opinion of which song is the best on each of the 16 Dream Theater studio releases! Let’s see if we agree with their selections – or if...
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 104 - Sons Of Apollo’s MMXX Deep Dive!
We are back talking some Sons Of Apollo on TII! We’ve done our deep dive into Psychotic Symphony, the amazing debut from SOA - Sheehan, Soto, Bumblefoot and, of course - Sherinian and Portnoy – this time we’re going track by track through their acclaimed sophomore (and, sadly, final) effort MMXX!
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 103 – Fantasy Football-Style Song Draft – Mangini Era Only!
With the NFL draft having just taken place, we thought it would be a good idea to have another fantasy football-style song draft on the show – with a twist! This time, we’re ONLY allowed to choose songs from the Mike Mangini era of the band! The only question is… will Breaking All Illusions be…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 102 – Tonechaser Audiobook Breakdown with Author Steve Rosen!
We’re sitting down with our good friend and legendary guitarwriter Steve Rosen to discuss the third edition of his phenomenal Edward Van Halen book Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey With Edward Van Halen and digging into how he made the recently-released audiobook versions…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 101 - 40th Anniversary Tour Recap & Radio City Music Hall Show Review!
We are back from our adventures in New York City attendingthe final show of Dream Theater's 40th Anniversary Tour - and not only do we have some stories to tell, but we have some special guests along for the ride! John Raaness of DT Norway will be discussing what goes into setting up theirawesome...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 100 – Life On The Road with Van Halen Roadie John “Pyro” Watkins!
On this episode, we bring on legendary pyrotechnic technician John “Pyro” Watkins to talk about his life on the road with Van Halen, Kiss, Bon Jovi, Journey… just to name a few! We even delve into the Station Nightclub fire and what went so very wrong… John has some incredible stories!
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 99 – Parasomnia Release Day Reactions!
The wait is finally over! Not only do we have a new Dream Theater record to sink our teeth into, but we have our first new music with Mike Portnoy behind the kit in almost fifteen years! On this huge day in DT history, we turn the show over to the fans to get THEIR immediate reactions to the new...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 98 - It's 2007, You CAN'T Buy Systematic Chaos - What're You Buying?
It’s the next entry in our series of “you can’t have DT”, so… it’s 2007 and you walk into the record store to buy Systematic Chaos… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy when we can’t...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 97 – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Deep Dive with Paul Logue!
We’re back for our first show of 2025, and we’re bringing back our good friend Paul Logue of Eden’s Curse and James LaBrie’s solo band! After the success of our Empire deep dive, Paul asked if he could come back and talk some Van Halen – twist our arms! Paul chose 1991’s banger For Unlawful…
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 96 – 4th Annual Fan Hangout!
Gorilla Farts, DT talk, music talk, the fans/viewers/listeners guest-hosting the show… you know the drill! It’s our favorite show of the year – at our favorite time of the year! We’re giving the fans the mic and letting THEM host the show with us and ANY topic is on the table! We’re celebrating…
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 95 – Dream Theater 2024 In Review!
We’re nearing the end of what has probably been the busiest year in DT history – at the very least in terms of news and events for the fans! A new album announcement, two singles, a new live album being recorded – and of course the return of Iron Mike himself; Mike Portnoy! We give our thoughts…
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 94 – Most Underrated Dream Theater Songs!
With fifteen studio albums under their belts, Dream Theater has a massive catalogue filled with hits, fan favorites… and underrated gems! On this episode, we dig deep into the DT archives to give our lists of the most underrated songs in Dream Theater’s storied history!
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 93 – Dream Theater News and Best Rock/Metal Soundtrack Songs!
It’s spooky season, so we’re each giving our lists of our ten favorite hard rock or heavy metal songs from Halloween movie soundtracks! However, there’s also a lot of news in DT world right now, so we’ll also be running down all of the current topics and giving our thoughts!
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Talking Into Infinity - Breaking News! Night Terror Single Release & Parasomnia Album Announcement!
We FINALLY have our first taste of the new Dream Theater record, which we now know to be titled Parasomnia! This is a quick announcement to let everyone know to head over to our YouTube channel for a full episode react from our viewers/listeners with Jon and Brian as moderators!
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 92 – Distance Over Time Song Rankings!
It’s our fifth installment of album song rankings and this time we’re tackling Distance Over Time! Brian and Jon both agree that this is one of DT’s strongest albums – but will they agree on where each song should be ranked from 1 through 10?
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Talking Into Infinity - Episode 91 – Queensryche’s Empire Deep Dive with James LaBrie cowriter Paul Logue!
We're back with a special episode deep dive into Queensryche's multi-platinum classic Empire! To help us out, we are bringing on friend of show and James Labrie cowriter Paul Logue of Eden's Curse! Everyone is familiar with Jet City Woman and Silent Lucidity - are those tunes the BEST that this...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 90 - It's 2005, You CAN'T Buy Octavarium - What're You Buying?
It’s the next entry in our series of “you can’t have DT”, so… it’s 2005 and you walk into the record store to buy Octavarium… and the clerk tells you that you CAN’T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we’d buy when we can’t have...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 89 – Top 25 Metal Albums of All Time!
Jon recently discovered a list of the top 25 metal albums of all time – and Dream Theater made the cut! It got us thinking… what other albums made the top 25, and are they good choices? We break the list down and give our thoughts on each selection – along with the most metal guest host we could...
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 88 – Top Ten Van Hagar Tunes!
With Jon having recently attended Sammy Hagar’s Best Of All Worlds tour, it got us thinking… what would WE list as our top ten favorite Van Hagar tracks? We each provide our list – and we’re bringing on Steve Wright, host of the Podder Than Hell podcast to provide us with HIS favorites!
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Talking Into Infinity – Episode 87 – Ranking the Live Releases!
Brian is off tonight, so Jon is rolling solo – with a little help from the viewers/listeners! Brian isn’t as well versed on the live stuff as Jon is, so… tonight we’re digging into the ten live DT releases to see which one comes out on top! Everyone knows that Jon has a soft spot for Score, but…...
About this show
Talking Into Infinity is a live video podcast focusing on all things Dream Theater! Album reviews, stories, discussions, concert reviews, opinions, you name it - if it's related to Dream Theater, hosts Jon and Brian will be talking about it!
Hosted by
Jon Drake
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