Brace yourself -- not a gear or transcription question. The question about the splash in "Don't Hate Me", where you answered that it was Chris Maitland on the track and not you, got me pondering about your take on stepping in and playing some of the older songs. I've seen the "Arriving Somewhere" video, where your playing on "Hatesong", one of my favorite older songs in the PT catalog, is brilliant. And obviously, you're stepping into huge shoes (Bill Bruford's, to be precise), over in King Crimson.
What's your thinking when coming into drum positions with so much history? How closely do you think you have to hew to the recorded version, or have the continuing bandmembers/leaders been pretty permissive in letting you retool the parts? (Again, the answer looks like yes to me, but if there were any interesting moments in the process, it'd be interesting to hear.)
And a followup: When you think back on all these recordings and live shows, is there one record or one performance that really stands out in your mind, where you feel you really hit it out of the park, to use an Americanism? That magic gig or session where you felt you could do no wrong?
I've been driving thousands of miles in the past six months for work, and the Porcupine Tree playlist seems to get the very most airtime on my long, lonely drives. I appreciate you and your work.