Kerrang Interview
 

As typed up by Glen5MD and posted at AlterBridgeBand.net:

On december 29th, 2002, Creed's Scott Stapp stepped out onstage in front of 15,000 people at Chicago's Allstate Arena and promptly sank to the floor, where he remained for the next hour.
Shortly afterwards, four horrified punters attempted to sue the band for damages, telling Cook County Court that the frontman of America's most successful band had spent the gig "rolling around in apparent pain or distress, so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single song".
It was at that point that Creed's guitarist Mark Tremonti, whose entire family had been at the show, decided he'd had just about enough of "Scott F*&%i*@ Stapp".
"He just became impossible on that last tour," shudders the guitarist, who's sitting with his new band Alter Bridge-namely former Creed cohorts Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips, plus a new singer, Myles Kennedy-in a darkened corner upstairs at London's Mean Fiddler. "He couldn't manage his moods. He was the hardest guy in the world to get along with. We'd built up this massive amount of success and we were watching someone day by day pull the bricks off. It's not something I'd want to deal again. Ever."
Hence Alter Bridge-the magic combination of Creed's powerful, rumbling dynamics, and the sudden knack of writing great, classic rock songs with massive choruses and Kennedy's Chris Cornell-esque vocals...but crucially, minus the preaching of yore that irked so many.
Ah, yes. The preaching. It seems to have irked Alter Bridge's ex-Creed contingent somewhat, too-especially as it may not have been backed up by his actions...
Stapp claims his behaviour that night was brought on by prescription anti-inflammatory drugs. Is that true? Or was it something stronger? There's a long silence. The band exchange glances.
Mark: "You know, what happens behind closed doors...(long sigh) All I know is that, when you see someone acting like that, you know they're not acting like a normal person. He says the thing in Chicago was a combination of his medication and a shot of Jack Daniel's, but...With Scott you never knew if what he was saying contained an element of truth, or if it was just a bare-faced lie."
At this point bassist Brian Marshall enters the conversation for the first time. He looks Kerrang! squarely in the eye.
"Scott Stapp," he spits, "is a pathological f*&%i*@ liar."
If ever there was a band with an image problem, it was Creed. Their bombastic post-grunge anthems helped them shift 30 million albums in less than six years-an astonishing feat. Yet Stapp's fondness for Christ-like poses and spiritual subject matter led them to being pigeonholed as a Christian rock band. In the conservative heartland of Middle America, that was an invaluable marketing tool. Everywhere else, it just made them a laughing stock.
Thing is, lots of bands find themselves as critical pariahs-Nickelback, Alien Ant Farm-but the venom reserved for Creed, in particular Scott Stapp, was something else. This was a real, passionately-felt loathing that even mainstream, non-rocking America joined up for:American alt-comedian Patton Oswalt used to do a routine about his vision of heaven. It involved eating at his favourite restaurant-and every time he took a bite, Scott Stapp got punched in the face.
Rock fans were in agreement:the guy was a tool. Turns out the rest of Creed thought so too.
Mark:"He had this personality where he'd want to rule the room. We tried to deal with it for years, but it just got worse. He didn't even like music. He used to yell at us for listening to CD's on the bus because he said music was supposed to be our job, not our hobby!"
"There was a genuine dislike for Scott Stapp," nods brian. "And we all took the brunt of it for years."
Mark:"We were always having to defend him. We had to keep saying, 'No, he's not really like that'. It got to the point where you just couldn't defend him anymore. He had issues with so many people-our management, our label, everyone. You couldn't talk to certain people because Scott had an issue with them. It wasn't just friends either. Even my family got involved. When that happened, it was just like...that's it. You can't go there."
He doesn't sound like much of a Christian.
"Well the whole Christian thing was an assumtion people made. It was just that Scott wrote the lyrics, and he mainly wrote about Biblical things. So people thought (adopts dumb redneck voice), 'If he's referring to Gabriel in one of his songs he must be a good ol 'Church boy'. But what happens when you go to bars and get in fights, you know? All that stuff was swept under the rug."
Yet you wrote all the songs together. You must have had some kind of chemistry.
"We hadn't been a team for a long time. We met up for three weeks to write (Creed's final album) 'Weathered'. And that was the only time we wrote together in five years. It was impossible because he never came to soundchecks. Yet he would take credit for music that I had written. and too see credits go to someone who doesn't put in a hundredth of the effort you do...it's very irritating."
So who ended it? You or him?
Mark:"Scott's very good at trashing you to other people and then letting it get back to you. I heard this same thing that he'd said from four different people, so i was like, 'Look, this is over. I can't deal with you anymore'. He called me a few months later and wanted to get together and write. I told him I had a new band and that Creed was over. That was October 2003. I haven't spoken to him since."
Before they could become Alter Bridge, Tremonti and Drummer Scott Phillips first of all had to mend relations with bassist Brian, who actually hadn't been a member of the band since 2001. He'd been booted out by Stapp and forbidden to have any contact with his former colleagues. In fact, Alter Bridge's debut rehearsal was the first time Tremonti and Phillips had been in the same room as their old best friend for nearly three years.
Brian is reluctant to discuss his sacking. But it's clear from the way he speaks that there were some truly dark things going on.
"There was a long history of Scott and I not seeing eye-to-eye. It just built up and built up. It was unbearable. For me, I had a lot of personal issues at the time."
Scott once told MTV:"Brian left the band because if he didn't I don't know if he'd be here right now on this earth". What do you think he meant by that?
"I think he's referring to my mental state. I was dealing with a lot.
Your talking about drugs, right?
Long pause.
"I was doing things out on the road I probably shouldn't have done. I was no angel out there, thats for sure." He looks up. "But you know what? Scott wasn't the angel he claimed to be either."
Later that night, after an ecstactically received end-of-tour show-and one that suggests Alter Bridge are twice the their former incarnation was-there is the kind of ecstatic joy that comes with relief. There's the feeling that they're finally free.
Meanwhile, Mark and Brian are at the bar, buying people drinks and regaling Kerrang! with more-sadly unprintable- Creed stories.
"It's like when old prison mates or war vets get together and talk about the old times," explains Mark. "When you watch someone like that throw away all that you've worked for...it was just hell."
"But it's funny," he continues, signalling to the barman for another round. "As much as we want to leave all this in the past, it feels almost therapeutic to get it out."

Is it just me or do they seem to be more anti-creed with every interveiw, I mean im not stapps biggest fan but its getting really blown up in my mind. Either they are just now opening up or they are having fun with this and saying its a little more than it was, or maybe mark shouldnt have reached for the last drink, maybe him and the other guys were a little "loose?".

I was just about to post that! I, for one, am sick of all the Stapp bashing and anti-Creed stuff that Mark is spewing out in each interview. It's like, enough already. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Mark's, a fan of Scott's and a fan of Philips, but I'm tired of this. We get it, Mark, you're upset with what happened during the Creed days. You don't like Stapp. You've said that in numerous interviews. You've gotten that point across. Now enough already. Stop the Stapp bashing. Remember that saying:if you don't have anything nice to say about a person, don't say anything at all. Mark, judging by this interview, doesn't have anything nice to say about Stapp. So why say anything, Mark? Why not just say "I've already made my opinion of Stapp clear, lets talk about something else." For me, everytime I hear how "terrible" Stapp was during the Creed days(according to Mark, Brian and Flip) it's like it opens old wounds. Right now I'm not thrilled, as a fan, to hear what Mark is saying in these interviews. The only guy, in my opinion, that seems to be handling the interviews well is Stapp.(shocker considering he's such a bad guy) I can say this:at least Stapp is TRYING to put a positive perspective on the whole thing, while Mark and Flip are just being negative in every interview. Kinda annoys me as a fan, but whatever. That's my opinion of it.

i dont think its Stapp bashing, and I dont think its anti-Creed, or Mark wouldn't be in a band with Flip and Marshall.
Theyre just starting to answer questions about what happened, instead of remaining silent. Apparantly, as Mark said, its therapuetic.
Everything they say has some basis in fact, I dunno bout Marshall's pathological liar statement, but then again, I dont know Stapp....

At first, I didn't have a problem with Mark talking so openly about Stapp. But now that he's only gotten more negative in his comments, it's kinda annoying to me. Like I said, we get that Mark doesn't like Scott anymore. So why does Mark continue to say the same thing, wording it more negatively each time? If it's because he's continually asked about it, he could always say "I've already made my thoughts about Stapp clear and I'd like to move on and stop talking about it" I wouldn't mind seeing that answer for once, or even him saying something POSITIVE about Stapp. That'd be a breath of fresh air if he actually said something positive about Stapp, or stopped talking about Stapp in interviews all together. Again, don't take this as me bashing Mark. I'm a fan of his. But I just don't like seeing all this division, all this Stapp bashing. Likewise, I don't like seeing any Tremonti bashing that goes on at Stapp boards.

like ive posted before as well, its not stapp bashing if its true, true events that actually happened.....
and what has tremonti done to deserve bashing?
it bothers me, because it seems people want equal treatment for two very different people

the most interesting part of the article i found was that he said he hadnt spoken to him since 10-2003......

I really don't know what to say. I've Creed has been my favorite band since the first time I hear My Own Prison. When they split up, It bothered me as much as it did the rest of you. We don't know what really went on behind closed doors, but it seems as if it is three guys from Creed with the same story, and Stapp still acting as if he is an angel or something. I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle of what both sides are saying.

I agree with fluttergirl that it isn't Stapp-bashing, because Mark, Flip, and Brian are among the handful of people that know the actual truth about what went on behind the scenes of Creed. If all that they said about Stapp in this interview is true, I couldn't blame them for having to vent. If it Scott was that bad, then It would kill me inside to have to cover it up to say that it was just creative differences.

Stapp has remained rather silent on the matter of the breakup. Apparently he doesn't feel that he needs to go public to defend himself, or to give his side of the story.

Either way, I could care less about what has happened. Sure I'm curious to find out what truely caused the breakup. However, the music is what is imporant to me, not the musician's personal lives. Even if I can't respect a man for what he has done with his life, I can respect his music. Do people not respect Curt Cobain's music because he was addicted to drugs?

I know. Hasn't he said before that the last time he spoke to Stapp was February of 2004? Or was that Stapp saying it.

I believe that some of what Tremonti says is true. But I also believe some of it is false. Same with Stapp. Like I've said in the past, we don't know Stapp or Tremonti. So we really can't judge what went on. I just don't believe Stapp was this awful person Mark seems to make him out to be. Hearing Mark say negative thing after negative thing about Mark kinda hurts me as a fan of Creed. You don't like seeing this happen to one of your favorite bands, you don't like seeing the members bashing each other. I just wish Mark would be a bit more positive about Creed and Stapp. It just seems like he's being way too negative about the whole thing.

And I can already see Stapp-only fans bashing Tremonti after reading this interview. That would be what would warrant the bashing I mentioned. I'm not justifying it, just saying Mark's negative comments about Stapp would warrant Mark bashing. Just as Mark's negative comments in previous interviews have warranted Mark bashing among the Stapp-only fans.

Stapp has talked about the breakup! Have you heard/read any of his interviews? He's talked many times and hasn't really said a single negative thing about Mark, Brian or Flip.

thats my point, dear, whats there to say?
that theyre work aholics, love what they do, and fully appreciate their fans?

Yup, I agree, I think that they all care about their fans(Scott included), love what they do and work hard. Maybe Stapp doesn't put in as many hours as Mark does, but I attribute that to him being a single father and really caring about his son.

But you're right, there's not really much else you can say about the whole Creed thing.

remember this also was kerrang...the anti-stapp anti-creed headquarters of america...how much of this article stretched and manipulated what the guys said to make it sound more to their style?

Exactly! Every single AB-related article I've read has been anti-Stapp in some way or another. It isn't Mark's or Brian's fault. It's just the way these things have been written. The problem is that at this point in Alter Bridge's career, there really is nothing else to talk about. The interviewers just keep asking the same thing. And don't expect Mark and the others to back down and remain tight-lipped about what went on. No matter how courteous one thinks they should be regarding the matter, it seems like they've already done that throughout Creed's career. It's time for them to get this crap off their chest. The simple fact is that everyone wants to know what the hell happened. Everyone's just going to have give it time before no one really cares anymore what the deal between them was.

lol
isnt kerrang british? :D

When his three former bandmates publically trash him in such a manner its clear there is a reason so many Creed fans no longer respect him, me included.

"Can't we all just get along"? :) (sorry, had to say it..)

I think both parties should move on, I LOVE Stapp and AB, Creed has broken up, and they should move on with their careers and just be HAPPY..:)

Exactly!

Oh, I forgot about Kerrang being the anti-Stapp, anti-Creed people. Kinda shocking AB would do an interview with them, huh?:laugh:

It was Mark. Mark made that comment after Scott said he has spoken to them since the break-up. Mark said the last time they spoke was in February (of 2004). So I don't know how he now claims he didn't speak to him since Oct. 2003. The story has changed yet again.

Also note that Mark said he didn't write a song with Scott for the 5 years before writing for Weathered. Well, that would mean that they didn't write a song together since 1996 (considering Weathered was written in early 2001). I don't understand how that can be considering WAWO was written in the Spring of 1998. This is just one example of the discrepancies in this article. There are a number of things that do not add up.

I am not saying that Scott was never at fault and he was the perfect angel. He wasn't. He has admitted himself that he did things he never should have. Here - another quote from Scott (he is talking about Jagger):

You can see the full article here: HM Magazine interview

I just don't see the point for Mark and the others to keep bringing up the past. Scott went to hell and back. He is trying to rebuild his life. Let him.

Titan I am impressed with your posts and appreciate the fact that you have not been drawn into all the negativity regarding Scott. You are right in pointing out that Scott has not publicly said a negative word about his ex-bandmates. In EVERY radio interview he did in October he spoke glowingly of Mark. You can find audio for all these interviews at PBF.

Here is a quote directly from Scott:
You can find the full article that quote was from here: Scott Stapp interview

You go Robyn. I agree with you, as usual. And titian9, I want to say that one, you rock, and two, you are defenately not alone in being tired of the Stapp bashing, or however some of you here would rather embelish it.
The sad thing is, I liked Alter Bridge's music. Well, atleast until some certain brother of some certain band member started posting some things he really shouldn't have, the things that mainly Mark and Flip have been saying, somewhat Brian but not as bad. I don't beleive I've even heard Myles say much of anything. Maybe because the media and some people and "fans" can't get away from the dirt to dig up from Creed. You know, I really just wish the ex-creed members would just shut up about the breakup, and let Myles do all the talking for AB since so far he doesn't have crap to say about people, but he really hasn't said much at all, and let Stapp just worry about his solo, and I guess the GH, since no one else bothers to support it. Apparently he's doing a pretty good job, concidering how well it's done.

Lately AB has been speaking out about the breakup. They've been saying a lot of negative things about Stapp. What is true, and what is fiction, we will never know. But I just don't see how you can stop liking a band's music just because of things they have said.

You know, I'm sorry. I did phrase that wrong. What was meant by that is, I did like their music, I still do like the music, but what they have said, and closely related people to the members have said has really hurt me. I do not respect them as human beings at all. It is impossible for me to have read all this hate, and understand all this hate that they have towards, it seems to me, what Creed was, and especially one of the main factors of Creed. You can say, well, you really don't know Scott, or whatever, but you know, there's just something about him that makes me know he's not some stuck up idiot that doesn't give a freaking crap about anyone else, as they seem to imply. I truly beleive he is a great person, a great dad, a great role model, and a great musician. There are still those things about him I see that are faults, but good greif, he's not Jesus! Since you can probably answer this, what kind of role models would you concider Alter Bridge to be?
To me, it just is not real when a person listens to someone's music, but can't agree or relate with the lyricist. I really can not relate with them because I do not want to be like them. I am truly dissapointed in them.

Oh yeah, I kinda have been noticing that AB has been talking about the breakup and very aware of how negativly they treat Scott. If I had not been aware of that, I would not have posted.

Yeah, I figured he was the one who said it. Thanks for the confirmation.


That's true. I don't believe it when Mark says they hadn't written a song in five years prior to Weathered. Doesn't add up, and I question the truth of that.


It seems like people always dwell on the negative stuff Scott's done. The Stapp fans are, it seems, constantly accused of putting him on a pedastal. That's not really the truth.


Thanks for the complement! It's true, it seems like alot have been drawn into the negativity concerning Stapp. I choose to ignore that stuff and just appreciate the music. But I just don't believe Stapp is this awful person everyone makes him out to be. I hate seeing all this negativity, all this division. Everyone really ought to just focus on the music....


Yeah, I know I'm not alone in being tired of it. I just hope it ends soon.

And, by the way, it's good to see you two(Shadow and Creed_defaultgirl) back. I thought you left after all the Stapp bashing that has taken place on here in the last few months.

sorry amber i misspoke. the anti-stapp, the anti-creed center of the world...thats what i meant

Its been like 10 minutes since I finished reading the interview, but I recall that Mark stated he decided in october 2003 that Creed was done, he didn't state that he hadn't spoke to stapp since 10/03. Also we know that creed was in the studio in January, right? Anyway, right now I am starting to see stapp as the person I always thought he was. It's amazing that I first heard Creed and thought they rocked, still do. But there was always something about stapp. I think the silence from stapp, and him saying he isn't gonna talk about the dirty laundry is like when you get in an argument with someone, and then say, well I'm gonna be the bigger person and not argue, when really your just trying to get in the last word. I also don't like people one month claim that they are Christians and then almost seem to mock Christianity the next. My own personal issue though.

Who the hell cares? I don't see why this always has to be talked about, noone will change the other sides view. (Talking to everybody)

Oh, but see its like fans from rival teams getting together and arguing over which team is better. On one hand we have AB fans, and on the other we have stapp's fans. And I say my team is better than yours! So eat it!

This is very true.

It doesn't prove anything.

Well, I tend to think of it like this. Who did the other 2 members of creed rally around, Mark. Take that how you will, but don't you think they would have some loose ends to tie up with scott if it were tremonti's fault, or the things that tremonti said arent true? I always liked stapp, but i always thought there was some other agenda to him besides what he shows to the public. Hell, don't you think at least Bret Hestla would have stayed closer to stapp, where's his story? I would love to hear an unbias approach to the inside of creed. And i think Hestla would be a great person to interview. Stapp is going to tell you one thing, tremonti is going to tell you another, its the way music works, they are competing for popularity. I, on one had, tend to believe tremonti, i got to meet him and the other members of alter bridge, and they seemed like genuine, humble people. I never met stapp, but the only time i saw him live, he was acting like an asshole, in my eyes anyway. I walked away from that concert really not remembering anything noteworthy except that stapp swore a lot, and i got to stand right in front of tremonti. I'm not saying i think stapp is a bad person, maybe things are blown out of proportion. But, at the same time, dont you think that phillips and hestla would have at least stayed with stapp? Why would Tea Party get rid of stapp, he was their damn ticket to the big show! It all leads back to something weird on stapps part, but i'll stop here because im not taking heat for stapp bashing anymore.

lol, uh huh...
thats right
i mean....i dont know....lol

Dek, I love you......

Alright ti everyone that has said mark and the band are just telling what really happened or are just now getting it out, I understand that and it may be true. All im saying is (IMO) its getting more violent and hostile with ever interveiw, now like i said it COULD be true, we wont ever know, it just seems like theyre enjoying the attention or theyre really pissed off. Dont get me wrong i love alter bridge (yes even more than Creed) and i liked stapp alot when he was with creed, but i really liked creed because of the music more than the singer, so i am still a stapp supporter, but not really a fan. Anyway what im trying to say is im not just another post-creed clinger, trying to keep creed alive, Id rather move on but its obviously going to be a challenge, peace.

Holy smoke, did Brian take drugs?

Apparently he did. Never knew that before.........


You forgot to mention that there are some(like me) who are equal fans of both. If Tremonti was getting all the bashing Stapp has, I'd be defending him the same. I'm defending Stapp in this topic because I just find it hard to believe that Stapp was this completely awful person that Tremonti and Philips seem to make him out to be.


How exactly is Stapp trying to get the last word? He hasn't said a single bad thing about Tremonti or Philips. In fact, he's really said nothing but good things about them and Creed. He COULD bash them, but he obviously prefers not to talk badly about guys who were once his best friends. Tremonti's interviews have made me respect Tremonti as a person less and less, while Stapp's interviews have made me respect him as a person more and more. Kinda unbelievable since Stapp is this terrible person. Stapp's actually, to me, coming across as someone who's truly thankful for what he has and someone who is truly sorry for any mistakes he made in the past. That says alot about Stapp today......and Tremonti's anti-Stapp interviews say alot about Tremonti.


Since when did he mock Christianity? Maybe you're thinking of that MTV interview where he talked quite openly about it and I believe said "maybe I'll don a 'God man' costume" He said it jokingly. Not mockingly. He seems to have really re-found his faith. Every interview since the breakup that he has done, he has always talked about how he re-found his faith. As a Christian, that makes me happy for him. It's always great to see people come back to the Church, and this is no different. Nothing in these interviews that Stapp has done mocks Christianity.


I agree, I would like to hear an unbiased opinion. You're right, Stapp will tell you his side, Tremonti will tell you his side and really, you don't know who is right. I believe some of what Stapp says and some of what Tremonti says. I think there's some truth and some lies there. That's where Hestla's opinion would come in handy.

This is the bottom line. The interviewers keep asking the same things. That's it in a nutshell. If the interviewers would drop it and ask questions about the FUTURE instead of dwelling on the past, maybe everyone else would follow suit. I can understand Mark's point when he says:

"As much as we want to leave all this in the past, it feels almost therapeutic to get it out."

How many times can they dance around it, walk on eggshells and be polite before they get sick of skirting the issues? I can understand them getting to the point where it just feels good to get it out in the open.

Obviously, Stapp has issues. It was clear to the other members of Creed, and apparently it became obvious to the members of The Tea Party or they'd be with him right now. And what can Stapp say in his defense? His silence is his answer, IMO.

Lol

Right on!

I think the original poster may be referring to the fact that he put out the Christian persona and is then found getting in bar fights, etc.

This whole Kerrang thing acheived what it set out to do...get people talking, and paying attention to both AB, and stapp...from a publicity point of view, good or bad...it is publicity...and that is what "sells" (ok..so does "sex") but, think about it...a good soap opera can really draw in a crowd.

I posted how i felt about this at another bb...and after reading what has been posted since my remarks, came to this conclusion...people will read it and believe what they want to believe.

We may have our opinions about what was said, and reacted to it...but at the end of the day...the only ones it really matters to is the people THAT WERE REALLY THERE, and even then..."there is no Truth, only perceptions"...to borrow a phrase.

Mark, purging himself to the media because he feels it's theraputic, at the expense of someone he called "brother" in another time. Stapp, not expounding on the "dirty laundery" because he says he doesn't feel it needs discussed in public...two sides of the same coin...with totally different approaches.

I've always wished AB well, tho i've not agreed with their methods, nor do i like their music...and i've always stood behind stapp...and will continue to do so...

So, lets get on with life...forgive and let go of the pain....because it didn't kill ya...but it did make you wiser...and for that everyone should be thankful... :D

Maybe Stapp isn't airing his dirty laundry because what Mark is saying is completely true and Stapp can't afford to admit that because he'll lose his angelic persona.

Stapp himself has NEVER claimed to be perfect...that is something that has been assigned to him by some, possibly due to the personal expectations they held him to...and felt he should fulfill.

Airing dirty laundery in public...is rude...true or not, as in most cases, whether it is celeberty or one of us, there is no difference. Got a problem...work it out between yourselves, and if you can't...then JUST LET IT GO, and talk to a therapist if you need to "free" yourself...they have the cash to afford one.

again like i said, conterversy makes for great publicity... ;)