Stapp Confesses
 

Article from Rollingstone.com today. Maybe this marriage to his new lady is doing some good after all. :eek:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...on=6.0.12.1212

The day Scott Stapp decided to kill himself, his band, Creed, was the most popular rock act in the country. It was 2003. The group's third album, Weathered, had just been certified six-times platinum, making it the best-selling rock album of the past year. Stapp himself, though, had become the most hated man in rock. Long-ridiculed in the press for his Christian-tinged lyrics and Messianic stage persona, Stapp had also alienated his bandmates with increasingly erratic behavior. The Weathered tour had ended with a disastrous concert in Chicago, during which Stapp had been visibly intoxicated, at one point lying on his back in the middle of a song. Stapp admits now, "I don't even recall doing that show." After the tour, Stapp was dropped off at home in Orlando, Florida, where he lived in a plush gated community. "I was insane," Stapp says. "You saw Ray? I was shivering. All this stuff was coming out of my body."

While on tour, he'd been drinking heavily and had become addicted to Percocet. He'd also been taking Xanax and large doses of the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisone for throat problems. Once home, he quit all drugs, cold turkey. At which point, he says, "I wanted to end my life."

But he didn't stop drinking. One evening, after polishing off a bottle of Jack Daniel's, he removed two firearms from his collection. "An MP5 SD3 and an MP5 K," he says. "Machine guns. They're what SWAT teams use." Since the Chicago show, he hadn't spoken to anyone from Creed. He'd become convinced that everyone involved with the band wanted him to die, so that he would become a "Kurt Cobain martyr-type" and boost record sales. "I had crazy thoughts going through my head," he says.

Before he pulled the trigger, he looked up and saw a picture of his son, Jagger, the product of a troubled marriage. Jagger, then four, was staying with Stapp's mother at the time. "And in an instant," he says, "I just turned and shot the house up. And I just broke down. I was like, 'I was about to blow my head off. How low can I get?'"

Even this wake-up call turned out to be short-lived. In the ensuing months, Stapp would flee to Maui, where he became addicted to OxyContin. By the middle of 2004, Creed broke up. Stapp cleaned up long enough to get engaged and record his solo debut, The Great Divide. But last fall, when it came time to promote the album, he began to self-destruct all over again.

On Thanksgiving Day, after announcing his engagement to his fiancee's family, he got into a fistfight with members of the band 311 at a hotel bar in Baltimore. According to 311's frontman SA Martinez, Stapp was doing shots, being "loud and obnoxious" and made "a disrespectful comment to my wife that I'd rather not repeat." When drummer Chad Sexton asked Stapp to settle down, the members of 311 claim Stapp sucker-punched him and, in the follow-through, struck Martinez's wife. (Stapp denies starting the fight.)

A few days later, Stapp taped an episode of Casino Cinema, a celebrity poker show on the cable channel Spike TV. He was obviously intoxicated. During the episode, Stapp slurs his words, curses incessantly, claims Dave Grohl has "a little cock," demonstrates a bizarre series of kung-fu moves and demands a kiss from co-host Beth Ostrosky (Howard Stern's girlfriend), later telling her, "My son thinks babies come from my sac" and "I make more money than Howard."

After watching the show, Stapp entered rehab. Now, a few days after Christmas, Stapp, 32, is back in Baltimore, sitting in the finished basement of his fiancee's parents' suburban home. The basement, Stapp's future-brother-in-law's bedroom, is carpeted; a phalanx of ceramic Santas line the top of a big-screen TV. Stapp has dimmed all of the lights except for a silver lamp, and now he sits in the near-darkness, perched on the edge of a couch.

He's dressed casually, in faded jeans and a tight black jersey, with a white knit Chicago Bulls cap pulled low on his forehead, his long hair tufting out to his shoulders. His mother-in-law-to-be brings us sandwiches and homemade brownies on a tray. There's also a leatherbound Bible on the coffee table, with Stapp's name etched on the cover. He takes two heaping scoops of sugar in his coffee, his hand shaking as he works the spoon. His eyes, large and sad even when he's making a joke, begin to well up. He cocks his head and stares harder at me, ignoring the tears in a way that makes them more awkward. Eventually, his voice cracking, he says, "Before all of this happened, I think the last time I cried was 1991, when my grandfather died."

A few minutes later, he adds, "It's weird. You can sell millions of records, be showered with all this love and admiration and still feel despised and unwanted. That's what I felt. I've made a lot of mistakes I'm not proud of. These aren't tears of sadness. I'm happy to get this out."

***

Since 1997, Creed have sold 25 million records in the U.S. alone. The group's sound -- post-Pearl Jam arena-grunge -- may have been generic, but Stapp, as a frontman, stood out, though not always to the band's benefit. Irony-deficient, Jesus-haired and often shirtless in a way that reminded people of the guy from Lord of the Dance, Stapp came off as arrogant in interviews and preening onstage, and his lyrics, while inspirational to legions of fans, sounded like embarrassingly sincere Christian rock to the unconverted.

The band formed in 1995. Stapp had been raised in a strict Pentecostal family in Florida and was forbidden to listen to rock music. After leaving home at seventeen, he began drinking and using drugs, and became obsessed with the Doors. In Tallahassee, he reconnected with a high school acquaintance named Mark Tremonti, who turned out to be a guitar player in search of a singer. They recorded their debut, 1997's My Own Prison, for less than $6,000; it became the first debut album in history to produce four Number One rock songs.

But by the time of the follow-up, 1999's Human Clay, Stapp's personal life had grown increasingly hectic. He'd married his first wife, Hillaree, six months after they met; they divorced fifteen months later, but not before having a son. Since the divorce, he has retained sole custody of Jagger. One of the last times they saw each other, in 2002, she was arrested for hitting Stapp in the face with a cell phone.

According to Stapp, the nasty breakup, the responsibility of single-fatherhood and the success of the band soon proved overwhelming. He began drinking heavily and taking prescription pills. Attempts to get clean -- including a celebrity detox program at a luxury hotel in Hollywood -- didn't last. "There are a few people who get so crazy when they party, they have a nickname for their alter ego," says Tremonti, 31. "With Scott, it was Rick. I don't know where the name came from. But it would be like, 'Uh-oh. Here comes Rick.'"

"Basically, Scott was a cool, normal guy," says former Creed sound engineer Kirk Kelsey. "But fame caused the biggest destruction of his personality. The more power he got, the more corrupted he became."

Stapp's ego raged out of control. After shows, he'd ensconce himself in the corner of crowded college-town bars, ordering his bodyguards to bring over girls and keep everyone else away. He constantly threatened to quit the band, saying things like, "I'm going into acting or politics. This is just a hobby." A jock in high school, he bragged about the number of fights he'd been in and drunkenly challenged people to trade punches. "Scott's a time bomb every time he walks out the door," says a source who worked for the band. One night, after Kelsey critiqued Stapp's vocal performance, Stapp playfully tapped the soundman on the cheek a couple of times, then suddenly gave him a real slap. He walked away before a stunned Kelsey could react, later bragging that he had "bitch-slapped" the much bigger man.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

"It's funny," says Tremonti, "how many people come out of the woodwork after a relationship is severed and say how much they hated your singer. Every band that ever opened for us pretty much said, 'Yeah, that tour was great, we loved opening for you guys, but Scott never even looked at us.' The Mayfield Four opened for us on one tour. I was talking to their bass player after a show and Scott came over and asked him to get him a Coke. He thought he was catering."

By this point, the band was more popular -- and more of a target -- than ever. Rock stars who had themselves been the objects of derision were delighted by the appearance of a singer more hated than them, and quickly, somewhat pathetically, piled on: Fred Durst taunted Stapp at a 2000 concert and Dexter Holland of the Offspring began wearing an EVEN JESUS HATES CREED T-shirt.

"That drove them all insane," says Kelsey. "They really, really hated the fact that they were doing something they genuinely loved, yet they caught so much shit for it."

"I'd always said, 'I'm not going to be one of those arrogant, asshole lead-singer guys,'" says Stapp. "But I really let that media stuff affect me. I developed a bitterness, and then I would walk into interviews with a chip on my shoulder. And I started drinking like I never drank before. I might have come across as holier-than-thou, but I was really just a messed-up kid looking for answers who fell back on his faith. It all hurt me, though. I felt like I was the reason these guys' dream wasn't happening. I think their rock & roll dream got screwed over by my lyrics."

Things only got worse when it came time to tour for Weathered. Kelsey, who co-produced the album, says, "We'd have shows scheduled, and then suddenly we'd have a couple of weeks off instead. It was a get-Scott's-act-together kind of thing. I assume he was getting de-stressed-out."

Stapp insists his health problems were very real. When the tour finally resumed, he says he contracted pneumonia and had developed nodules on his vocal cords that could have ended his career. "I showed the band documented medical reports," Stapp says. "But they were being told other things by management, I think, to keep pressure on me to tour. Someone actually stood up at a meeting -- I'm not going to say who -- and said, 'I don't care. I've got an effing house and wedding to pay for.'"

Stapp was having anxiety attacks and had become increasingly isolated. He also alleges shady "rock doctors" were brought on the scene, improperly prescribing meds to keep the tour going. "According to three doctors I've seen since then," says Stapp, "I shouldn't be alive."

Things came to a head at the infamous Chicago show. Says Tremonti, "Fifteen minutes before we went onstage, I saw Scott, staggering, slurring his words. I looked behind him, and there's a bottle of Jack Daniel's, half-drunk. I didn't even look at him again until we were onstage, because I wanted to wring his neck. He got all the words wrong and walked offstage after five songs. I had to get on the mike and say, 'Sorry, I'll be right back.' Backstage, Scott is laying on the couch with his eyes closed. I said, 'What the hell are you doing?' He was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry, dude. I thought the show was over.'"

Upon returning to the stage, Stapp removed his shirt and shoes (but not his socks) and lay on his back. Says Kelsey, "At one point, he was walking backwards while singing and fell over a monitor. You could see his socks flapping in the air."

"He was singing the words of 'Arms Wide Open' to 'Higher,' and the words of 'Higher' to 'Arms Wide Open' -- two of our biggest songs!" says Tremonti. "I don't blame the crowd for being pissed. That was the most embarrassing hour-and-a-half of my life."

"My problems were not what ended Creed," Stapp insists. "Creed was ended by egos and people wanting to do their own thing and poor decision-making. You have family members whispering in people's ears, saying, 'You're not getting enough credit.' In every interview I did, I'd say, 'This is easy to do when you're playing with the best guitar player in the world.' I meant it. And I still think he's a genius. But Mark was never happy. He wanted to do his own thing."

Tremonti, who formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with the other members of Creed, says, "The only reason to do a fourth album would have been to be greedy. We got into this to make music we were proud of, not to be the laughingstock of the entire industry because of our singer. We wanted to help the guy. But we'd been through that game so many times; eventually, you know, you're not your brother's keeper. We had a hundred people in that organization that relied on us. After a while, it's like, 'Are we going to live our lives like this for one person?' Then you decide, 'OK, I'll remove the cancer.'"

After the band's collapse, Stapp checked himself into a rapid-detox facility near Laguna Beach, California, for an expensive, controversial procedure in which all opiates are supposedly drained from the patient's body within twenty-four hours. In 2004, he moved to a waterfront mansion in Miami Beach. "Essentially, I was retired," he says. "I'd fired anyone who was involved with Creed. I didn't want anything to do with the music business. The entire press and industry hated me, so what was the point?" Instead, Stapp coached his son's football team, read film scripts and, while hailing a cab in Manhattan, met his fiancee, Jaclyn Nesheiwat, a pretty Jordanian-American who was Miss New York in 2004.

He also managed to stay sober for a record seven months -- until he returned to the studio. Ironically, it was to record a song for a compilation inspired by The Passion of the Christ. "Demons reared their heads, in terms of partying," he says. "I didn't have any boundaries."

Today, the sober Stapp is friendly and humble. "I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Mark's happier. I'm sober. There are still phone calls to be made, people I need to say something to. But everyone from Creed who I've offended or hurt, I ask for their forgiveness."

After his wedding in February, Stapp will launch his first dry tour. (A sobriety coach will travel with him.) Though The Great Divide debuted at Number Nineteen, selling only 315,000 copies so far, Stapp says the album is doing great considering there has been very little promotion. He also says he could foresee a Creed reunion someday. Tremonti says fans shouldn't hold their breath. "I haven't listened to a Creed song in years," he confesses. "I can't stand it. I wouldn't want to play those songs again. It was a complete nightmare. When people from that era get together, it's like a convention of people who went through Nam."

Responds Stapp, "If he served, I served too. No one wins in a war."

the whoel thing was too long for one post.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

After having read the entire thing, all I've got to say is wow. Our suspicions(regarding alcohol and drug use) were, in fact, true. It is very sad and unfortunate that all of this had to happen in the first place. Stapp made some huge mistakes, but those doctors and other people(not in the band, but who were around the band).....how could they let Stapp self-destruct and drink like that? He's an adult, yes, but if you see someone acting like that...how can you not speak up and do something about it? Right when all of this started happening(in '99, I guess), management SHOULD have sent Stapp to rehab. They shouldn't have let this escalate like it did.

It is good to know that Stapp is finally sane enough that he got help for his problems(by going to rehab again). What should be real telling, though, is whether his new found sobriety lasts while he embarks on this upcoming tour. He definitely needs someone(besides his fiance) to keep him in check, so it is good to know that he's got this sobriety coach to help him. I will say this: it takes guts to come out in an interview and lay it all out like that. To be brutally honest and admit to all of the drugs he has taken, all of the drinking he has done, that takes courage. My only wish is that he would have admitted all this stuff a whole lot sooner, as I think it did him no good to wait so long to let it all out.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I agree with you, Titan. My first reaction was "wow." You know... I congratulate Stapp on a few things. He came clean... to the world. That has to be one of the hardest things for a person to do... let alone to his loved ones. Also, for him to keep a person on tour with him that will keep him in check shows that he is definately making attempts to change his lifestyle. I'm actually surprised that Rolling Stone, a once big critic of Creed... is actually publishing an article that is somewhat sympathetic to Scott.

Stapp made his own decisions to live a destructive life... but you have to realize that the people he called his "friends" didn't support him like they should. Substance abuse is serious, and having support is crucial. His management didn't do anything, nor did Wind Up or the rest of Creed. I believe that there was selfishness all around. It's sad. But this article was awesome and it gives Stapp some hope... some positive hope.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I think it's unfair to blame the rest of Creed for his drug abuse and for their supposedly not doing anything to help him. No one can really help anyone unless that person wants to help himself, no matter how much you love them or how much you think you can do. That's why they have groups like Al-Anon. It's extremely difficult and heartbreaking to cope with and live/be around someone who's slowly killing himself and you can't do a thing about it.

It's also naive to think management would ever give a shit about an artist. Money is pretty much all they care about.

That said, good for Scott for coming clean about a lot of things. I really hope he's on the road to recovery and can just be happy.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

It was surprising--I mean--surprises me in a very very positive way..because like the others guys here said --you do need much corageous to say these things in public...admitting his problems with drugs and alcohol... But its all positive because I think its not much late ...I think its the appropriate moment he found...because he is 32...he needs to act lke a mature man and in my opinion he started doing it, finally.
Congrats, Stapp!!!!;)

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Dam, now that one one article that worth reading. Seems like stapp had more demons in him than the exorcist...before you knew it his head would do a complete 360 and start spewing green gelatinous crud. I have always suspected what was going on with him and they were completely true. I hope his new and yet again found sobriety lasts.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

wow. thats some heavy stuff.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I actually had thoughts about Stapp being an alcholist. I never wanted to post them, 'cause I knew I couldn't back them up with any facts, and people would just get pissed off... But now when he puts it this way... I can finally understand him.

Creed actually seems to be quite a sad story. For some reason I can't stop thinking about Romeo And Juliet! :D Problably because I read that script a few weeks ago, but still... And I have to agree with Stapp, I don't think Creed was right for Mark either. Yes, he is a genuis, but now that he's in Alter Bridge, it's easy to tell he wasn't happy with Creed. I remember Flip saying in an interview that Mark have said: "I want you to come play with me, but only if we do at least two heavy metal songs". And now he's doing A LOT more soloing! But the reason he didn't do that in Creed, I think, is because; when they started out he wasn't that good. He said that himself in the latest TotalGuitar interview. And then when he became a good soloist Creed already had a style, and it was very hard to fit guitar solos into that style.

It's a shame though, that Americans, and at some points the world's most popular rockband never agreed. These guys all reached their top of their careers unsatisfied.

"Even if you loved us or hated us... Remember us" --Flip

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I never blamed the rest of Creed for Scott's drug use. But if the man has an obvious problem... why didn't they try to help him out? I haven't heard a thing about Tremonti or Phillips doing anything to help him out. The management agency is hired to do more than just booked concert dates. They should've put a hold on the Weathered tour and encourage Stapp to rest and clean up. By pushing Stapp during his state, they actually ended up having it backfire on him. That tour sealed the deal in terms of Creed's evident breakup and as a result of Creed's breakup... they were fired by Stapp and lost some revenue. Creed and Stapp helped put Wind-Up on the map... and have been Wind-Up's biggest success. You would think that they would try to do something to preserve Creed. A lot of people are to blame. Scott messed up, we know that. But at least somebody could had the courtesy to help a man in need.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

A lot of Americans agreed... I'm confused by that statement.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

There's a lot we haven't heard, until very recently. I'm sure we still don't have the full story. I didn't mean to say you blamed them for his drug abuse. I worded that poorly. I meant to say it sounded as if you were blaming them for their not helping him. As I said, it's really not fair to judge the rest of the band members' perceived lack of help. I'm sure at some point they did try to help him, but again, it's extremely difficult to help someone who isn't ready to help himself.

Again, at the risk of repeating myself, it's completely naive to think a management company would give two shits about a drugged-up singer. All they care about is making money, period. I still think there is plenty about the situation we will never know.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Someone have to make a movie out of this. This story is just unbelieveable and a great draft for a script! Stuff like "But fame caused the biggest destruction of his personality. The more power he got, the more corrupted he became" could be the starting point for writing this movie!! I see Spielberg as director, Howard as producer and Russel Crowe (since he used to be a singer) or Colin Farrell (cuz he looks the same) as Stapp. :cool:

I seriously got tears in my eyes when I read the whole thing! RS should make this their big headline! Well written!

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

id see it.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Dogstar said everything I wanted to. I have a sister that went through about 8 years of serious alchohol abuse. And my family is VERY close. But, if you think you can help someone that is struggling with a substance, you are dead wrong. The only hope they have is if they want to help themselves. .TRUST me.
Also, like Dogstar said, the management/record company/etc only care about $$$$$.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

how come is it surprising? There's nothing new about it, everybody knew it all along except for those who refused to believe the obvious. The only difference is that now it's coming from Stapp's mouth...

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Youre right...but I said it was surprising and also a good thing that HE finally admitted those things.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I was referring to other people Ana, not you! :)

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

;)

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I am a huge Tremonti fan I am very pissed that in this interview disses creeds music, i believe it to be totally fucked up!He can say what he wants but for him to diss creeds music is to diss the fans that paid to listen and to support them.Alterbridge is not as good of a band as creed was, they will never be, just like Stapp will never be either. They are at their best collectively! Lets just put the whole thing to rest because if I have to hear Mark dissing Creed I'd rather listen to Audioslave and forget about a crap band called alter bridge..I am so pissed!


"I haven't listened to a Creed song in years," he confesses. "I can't stand it. I wouldn't want to play those songs again. It was a complete nightmare"

Mark you Suck ! Time to grow up! If you can't stand creeds music, you should defintely stop listening to the crap music your making with a poser rock star wannabe because it's way worse!

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I've always suspected it, I've always thought it was true, but I did not know for sure. Just because you think something is true, that's not always the case. That is why, in the past, I have said that if he has a problem, he needs to get help. Obviously, he did/does have a problem, and he did get help for it. Kudos to him for realizing his weakness and seeking help for it.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

yeah, kudos for him to always point his finger to someone else to justify the consequences of his own choices.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I am very happy for stapp and admitting that he has a problem, anyone who's anyone could see that. I just hope he can stick with it. I really do. I have a bestfriend that's fighting the same thing. I just hope stapp gets better, and I will pray that he does. The tour will keep him busy enough I think, so he wont think about drinking to much cause he'll be to busy having fun on stage again! :D

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Who is saying that he is still pointing his finger at someone else? He has admitted in the past that he has made mistakes, and did the same in this interview. The only thing I can find in this interview to back up your comment is when Stapp said that "his problems weren't what broke up Creed". And you know what? I think he's probably right. Yes, his problems probably contributed to the break-up, but I do not think that was the main reason for it. Mark was obviously moving in a different direction than Stapp was after HC. Even if Stapp had no drinking problems, no drug problems, who is to say that Creed would still be around today?

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

This really doesn't have to do with the topic everyone is discussing here but from the article:


That's exactly the story a friend of mine told me when his band opened for Creed back in 1997. :) Again, back in 1997! Before Creed was even popular!

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I miss Creed now after reading that..... im gonna listen to MOP again. BTW I'm gonna write a screenplay for the movie :)

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

it's funny. the more i learn about stapp, the more i can't help but think that we're related or something. besides the fame, it seems like we've been through the exact same things. he wanted to end his life because of creed, and my life was saved because of creed. drugs, alcohol, depression, abuse... damn. i've been there and it ain't pretty. i would love to sit down for just five minutes with scott and talk to him and hug him. let's just say that i understand exactly why he said absolutely nothing during the whole ordeal when we had so many questions. aside from everyone thinking they can help, becuase you know they can't, people going through this type of thing think that they are alone. can you imagine what the media would have done if they had gotten wind of it while it was going on? jeez. that definetly wouldn't have been pretty. i'm glad he's taking the recovering so seriously now. especially with things like having a sobriety coach on the road with him.

all i can really say is, scott, i love you man. keep up the good work and i hope to see you on the road!


H-D :pimp:

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

ummmm... no.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Okay so I need some clarification here....you're a self proclaimed fan of Mark right? And then I see your signature...which looks to be Stapp's signature way of taking veiled potshots at his former band mates.

Then you go on to diss a perfectly decent, in fact awesome man, who's now the lead singer of Mark's current band. I'm confused as to where Myles has shown a poser rock star attitude. If you're referring to his appearance at the end of the movie Rock Star....it's called "acting." Something he has not done at all with his performances on tour in AB. B/c he's genuine.

Tell me how Creed could have been at their best collectively if Mark, the person you profess to be a rather big fan of, wasn't able to fully utilize his talent and chops on the guitar b/c of the restraints put on him from the genre Creed was classified with and the musical style that the record company and Stapp felt they needed to stick with to sell the most albums. Yes I once loved the music too...I may again someday...but that's not the route that Mark wanted or needed to take anymore. He's had full creative reign with his skills and style since Creed dissipated and has truly shown what he's capable of. Fantastic guitar riffs and melodies that are hard core rock and still hail back to the days of classic rock as well. Yet now he sucks b/c he can't listen to the songs from a band he was in anymore b/c the frontman of that band has soured his whole viewpoint of that time with his now admitted abusive, delirious and downright egomaniacal acts?

I think it's sad that Stapp has reduced Mark's viewpoint of Creed to such a low state. Not just Mark's however....TONS of Creed fans who finally started to see the truth, a very long time ago, that was admitted in this article and realized what was going on now see the music in a different light b/c of Stapp's actions. And Mark sucks for saying what hundreds to thousands of fans have already said?

*edited to add*

I think this was a very good move on Scott's part to FINALLY fess up to some of this stuff that people have known and suspected for years. It clears the air of some things. He's still taking potshots with it but hey....zebra can't change it's stripes completely. I really do applaud him for admitting what he has in this article. I think this may have started out as a forced effort from Windup as damage control after seeing the debacle on Casino Cinema but those are only my own suspicions. This is the most honest article I've ever seen from Scott and I loved it! I sincerely hope he's able to go through the tour completely dry with the help if Jaclyn and his sobriety coach b/c it will only do him that much better.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

and the talk of people not helping him with the drinking...it's tough to do when the guy locked himself up in trailers and backstage dressing rooms to himself and rode on a separate bus on the weathered tour than the rest of the band.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

All I can say is that its a relief to finally have some factual knowledge of the events in that article. It is interesting that all our specuation about Scott had some basis in truth. On the whole, it is a really sad and alarming story of the demise of a truly great band. But for me, and hopefully for all Creed fans, this information will bring some closure to the troubled past and the breakup, and will now direct focus on the promise of the future for all the members of Creed. :jam:

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Amen!!! ;)

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Did you read the interview? it's pretty obvious he blames a few other people.

I'm not saying Creed would still be around... never did.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

So true! SO true!



Good! Be sure to give it to give it to the right people then! ;) I can see many Oscars coming your way!

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Yes, I read the interview twice, to make sure I am not missing something. Here's some quotes from it to back up what I said:


There he admits to making a lot of mistakes in the past. He isn't blaming someone else....he is saying that HE made the mistakes.


Right there he admits that he felt he was the reason why the band was hated. He felt guilty about it because not only did the hate hurt him, it also hurt the other members of Creed.


Maybe in that quote you feel he is blaming someone? Here's my interpretation of it: he is making sure that people know that yes, he did have a ton of health problems before, during and after the Weathered tour. These problems(the car accident, the vocal nodules and such) were documented. However, like Stapp said, apparently the management told the rest of the band(Flip, Tremo and Brett) that wasn't the case. Given how screwed up Stapp was at that point in his life, they probably chose to believe what management said and thus did not really care about the health problems. Not really their fault, because if I were in their shoes and had observed the heavy partying, I'd believe management as well. But, really, all Stapp is doing in this quote is affirming what he has said for years now: he had health problems during the Weathered tour, and instead of taking time off to heal, he kept going at it because he didn't want to let the rest of the band down.


That's probably another quote where you think he is blaming other people for his mistakes. Well, the way I interpret it is this: he is saying that Creed was ended by egos(management, the band, the label etc), people wanting to do their own thing(namely Mark wanting to shred and really showcase his ability as a guitarist) and poor decision-making(Stapp doing the Weathered tour despite the health problems). What he says about Mark never being happy seems to be the case. Look at what Mark has said since the break-up....look at what he said in this interview. It was obvious that he was not happy with the direction Creed was heading toward. He wanted to shred. He didn't want to be so hated by the music world. He wanted to do his own thing. That isn't Scott's fault and I don't think Scott is blaming his problems on Mark.

Unless I am completely missing something, I don't see how you think he is blaming other people(for his mistakes and problems) in this interview.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

I'm interested in the part where he says there's still phone calls to be made. That is a major step in recovery. With his past, I pray for him he can hold on to his faith. You know he knows what his faith is, and he fights it so hard sometimes. I hope this time, he can hold on. He needs prayer, and so does Jagger and the rest of his family.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Thanks for posting this Sarah!!!

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Jerry Cantrell, though not naming Stapp directly, also said something similar when he toured with them in 2002. He mentioned how the Nickelback guys were great to tour with, friendly, always wanting to hang out. He said he never got as much as a hello from Creed.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Zia, the bassist for Mayfield Four, is the one who Stapp asked to get a coke for him - according to Julia.

Re: Stapp Confesses
 

Well, I can't see what makes you a Tremonti fan when you always bitch at him... And I think it would be wrong of Mark to diss Creed's music, yes. But he really didn't! I think Stapp did most of the Mark-didn't-like-Creed-statments himself. And did Mark say he didn't want to play Creed songs because he didn't like the music? It was HIS music Goddamnit! He said it was a complete nightmare to him, and what the hell do you know about it? Really...? He doesn't want to listen to Creed, because towards the end of Creed it was a negative experience for him. I can't recall him saying: "Nobody should listen to Creed". He didn't even diss Creed's music. He just said it was a nightmare, and I understand him. That Chicago show can't have been fun for him.

And hey, no one's even forceing you to listen to either Mark or AB.

Oh, and I agree a little bit with Marcos. Even though Stapp took responsibility for many things, he still did blame some other people for some things.