Alter Bridge/Stapp Article From Metal Edge
 

This was written by Paul Gargano(Editor) in the Editor's Note section of this months Metal Edge Magazine. There is also a poster of Alter Bridge in this issue. Also, Alter Bridge made several of the top ten list of albums of the year in this issue as well. Enjoy.

Editors Note
By Paul Gargano
From Metal Edge Magazine

It was a Wednesday night, and Game Four of the 2004 World Series was in its waning innings as I drove to Anaheim for what would be an amazing night of metal with Anthrax and Dio. Being a New York Yankees fan, I lost interest after game three of the series, when Boston pretty-much locked up their first championship in 86 years—Hell, what are the chances of two teams coming from behind to win the last four games, after losing the first three? Hard feelings? I have none. The Yankees are still the greatest franchise in sports history, regardless of the fact that they've made a mockery of themselves in the past few post-seasons. "Hey, the sun's gotta shine on every monkey's ass someday," my brother said of the Red Sox well-deserved victory... So, I'm driving to Anaheim, and my phone starts ringing off the hook with calls and text messages, the first of which was my broth-er: "Are you watching this crap?" "No, I'm in my car... What crap?" "Scott Stapp is butchering 'God Bless America,'" he tells me. You see, since 9-11, it has become tradition in Major League Baseball to sing "God Bless America" during every seventh inning stretch. Apparently, some suit in the St. Louis Cardinals front office decided, "If we're going to go down, we might as well go down in flames— Someone track down that guy from Creed, who better to sing during one of the worst World Series performances in history?" While I didn't hear it sung live, I knew I was in trouble when we got back from the show, and my dog was cowering on her bed, her ears buried beneath her paws—I had left the television on when I left, taping the World Series. A couple of treats sped up her recovery, but it was-n't that easy for me.
A few days earlier, I heard Stapp make an on-air appearance on a local radio station. He's doing a promo tour to support his new single—his only apparent new song, "Relearn Love," from the Passion Of The Christ album—and has been performing that song on-air at Top 40 radio stations across America. So far, I've got no problems, other than the obvious hypocrisy of his portrayal as such a devout Christian who never curses, doesn't drink or do drugs, and lives the life of the average, everyday, holier-than-thou goody two shoes next door... But, that's not my point. I'm the first to admit, I've never been a Creed fan, but I'm objective, and I'll give anyone their fair shake. Scott Stapp got his when I interviewed him on Creed's first album, it was a cover story, and he then went on a national radio show and denied ever doing the interview, because some Christian called up and said he'd upset their community by saying "fuck" in the interview. "Metal Edge made that interview up," he said on the air for millions of listeners to hear. Funny, if he never did the interview, why do I have a tape of it? Gloves were off after that. I never liked the band anyway, but was softening up to them after the interview—Good interviews often make me appreciate bands more, and the Stapp interview was a good one. But, again, I digress...
Back to these radio appearances—He plays his one song, gets his ass kissed by the on-air staff, then proceeds to jump into acoustic Creed tracks. Now this, pisses me off. It's pretty common knowledge that it was predominantly Mark Tremonti who wrote Creed's music, and Stapp that wrote the lyrics. If you doubt that, just look at how prolific Tremonti's been as a songwriter, with an entire album of Alter Bridge material that puts Creed to shame, as opposed to Stapp's one song. Tremonti, former Creed bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips, and new frontman Myles Kennedy are out making a name for themselves apart from Creed, while Stapp is out there try-ing to keep a name for himself by clinging to Creed. Three quarters of Creed's original lineup have faith in their future, and their former frontman, he of so much faith, is clinging to his past—Alter Bridge are working their asses off across America, as a new band, distanc-ing themselves from Creed, and Stapp is floating through the late night television circuit, reaching millions of Americans via Top 40 radio, and doing it all on the strength of music that he needed a band to write. What's wrong with this picture?
What's my point? Well -inrr vou rend this for, I might as well 'fess up—I lost a bet. I I openly asserted that the Yankees would win the American League Championship Series in Game 5, and if they didn't, that I would write my Editor's Page in a Boston accent. Well, I couldn't bare to make anyone read a page where every R was replaced with an H, so I decided that, instead, I'd use another vocal 'evice common to the city's Red Sox fans—I'd whine. For years, they've whined inces-santly about the injustice of their team's cursed past, so now it's my turn... And what bet-ser to whine about, in a music magazine, than the injustice of a band working their asses off, while their former frontman coasts on their coattails? As for Boston? I do have to give them at least some credit—While the Cardinals went and got Scott Stapp to perform, the Red Sox handed the mic to Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyier to perform the Game One "Star-Spangled Banner." That just about says it all...
Psychobabble out of the way, thanks for another great year of Metal Edge—Hope you find this month's Year In Review as interesting to read, as we did to write. Until next month, when we'll begin celebrating Metal Edge's PO1" Anniversary—Happy holidays, and best wishes for the new year...

Decent article, he could have cut out most of the baseball crap.

Paul Gargano is kicking Stapp`s ass writting this article...i loved it!!!!
:D

zing!

Cool. I'll have to pick up that issue. I already have their other two issues!


H-D :xmas:

Hey, thanks for the article, Michael. Also, there is an Alter Bridge Q&A in the February issue of Revolver Magazine, and the guys talk about branching out music-wise, a lot of the same stuff we've been reading, but there is also a funny part, tongue-in-cheek it seems, about Brian Marshall supposedly kicking Scott S.'s ass. Now, before all the Stapp backers get on my case, it seems pretty tongue-in-cheek. That said, Brian did say, as he's said before, that he and Stapp didn't get along too well.

Q: Brian, Stapp told MTV that if you had continued in the band, he didn't know if you "would be here right now on this earth."

A: (Brian) Stapp and I clashed a lot. We never were friends. I was no angel out on the road, but he's definitely not the angel that he wants everybody to believe [he is].

Q: Did you two have fistfights?
A: (Brian) A few, yeah.

Q: Did you ever kick his ass?
A: (Brian) Yup.
(Mark): Don't say you kicked his ass. When they fought, there was a punch thrown by each one of them. Nobody kicked anyone's ass. They were always too drunk.

Wow, very interesting article.

Wow, very telling. Exactly what pretty much everyone else seems to think of Stapp (except for those crazy-ass PBF-ers).

Tremonti IS a prolific song-writer, nice to finally hear that from a critic. The lyrics are the only weaker part of the AB album, but hopefully Myles will help him clean those up.

This article made me very happy. :-)

Mark is such a mother....i love him...always putting peace in war..... :)

Much agree with you what you said first....Stapp isn`t an angel.....just for that crazy, crazy ones.....hehehehehehe :D , i can see the bombs coming again....!!!!!!

Love the article - objective, honest, and informative...I didn't know about the interview with Stapp from the first album and what proceeded thereafter in denials.

i cant wait to see him with a kid, hes going to have *so* much fun, more parenting....
but it seems like he had enough practice in the past, and even now, lol.

Damn, I'm so sick of all this Stapp bashing. Seriously, like I've said, I'm an equal fan of Stapp and Alter Bridge. But I'm tired of this. AB has already released an album. Stapp has not. You can't compare what the two are doing right now until Stapp releases his solo album. Even then, I'm not sure the comparison is fair.

As for butchering God Bless America, everyone has their opinion of it. I didn't think it was terrible, but it wasn't amazing either.

The point is he hasn't released an album. I think that's what the writer was trying to say, that while AB has decided to move forward right away, Stapp hasn't.

The Fact that Stapp Doesn't Have an Album out says TONS... It Says Either:
1) He's Taking his Sweet Time
2) He's Stalling
3) He's Lost it
4) It's So Amazing That It will take as long as a new GNR Record to make...

My bet's On 1-3

Yeah, but maybe that's not Stapp's fault?(about not releasing an album yet) He's still working on his album. He's had his choice as his backing band(The Tea Party) drop out of working on the project. To me, you can't compare the two until February/March or whenever Stapp releases his solo album. I'm just tired of seeing the negativity when it comes to Stapp.

Well, the negativity will continue as long as he keeps performing poorly in public. I for one, thought the God Bless America song was done poorly, as I have said before. I haven't seen the NASCAR thing. And there are people who aren't happy that he's out there playing Creed songs without the rest of Creed.

I understand that. But I don't see the point of bashing him here, in the AB forum. I think the focus in this forum should be on AB, not the former lead singer of Creed.

You beat me to it Dogstar. But if Stapp would stop ripping off Creed songs with backup bands that are making jokes out of the songs we grew to love from the original then maybe the negativity would subside somewhat. As long as he keeps promoting his solo career with Creed songs then I WON'T support. He should trust in his own NEW solo stuff that's going to appear on his album anyhow.

Great article Michael, thanks. And Kerri, that Q&A had me laughing my butt off. Mark needs to come down here and make peacemaker with my kids (Damian and Satan for those of you who don't know). :flamer:

The article also mentions AB, so that's probably why it was posted here. And this is also a Creed board, not just AB.

Teri, that's a great idea! I wonder what he would charge ;)

Both of those articles are nice. I enjoyed them. They got me thinking also, so here goes...

Here's my take on why it's justified to be negative about Stapp.

As others have said, he has one song. Just one. According to several, even from what Myles says about Mark, Mark is always playing and always writing stuff. Sure, after Weathered and all that, the guys took some time off.

What I'm getting to is that if Stapp was as focused on the music as Mark, he would have an album's worth of material. He could have lyrics and, with his money, could have a backup band write the music part of that and get it down. He obviously is content with the millions of dollars he has, and doesn't have to make music to get on with life.

I believe that he wrote that one song because someone asked him to do it. He probably though that since Mark and AB had material on the way, he should get his name out there. The reasoning for this would be this: If Stapp didn't release any material...

1) The fans that heard ABs stuff when it came out would wonder "What happened to Stapp?" Then they'd see that NOTHING was happening and realize that Stapp wasn't a true brain behind the music of Creed.
2) Due to number 1, Stapp would fade into the background. His only hope would be the small amount of Stapp enthusiasts left.

This is why I think Stapp wrote (or someone else wrote it for him) this song. His name would be on the board during the arrival of Alter Bridge. This was the only way Stapp would be able to survive.

It'll only work temporarily, because if he waits another few years, he'll go almost completely unnoticed. When Mark was interviewed about how he moved from Creed, he mentioned something to the effect of 'if we were to keep going with this, it'd take years for us to get another record out.'

With "Relearn Love" being the only thing Stapp has to show for his musical drive and work ethic for music, it looks like Stapp will soon fade.

True. ;)

I'd say all this "Stapp-bashing" is fairly warranted by now. I won't bother to enumerate the reasons, as they've already been listed, by both Dogstar and XenoN. IMHO, it's not really Stapp-bashing so much as it is being disappointed with what we've seen & heard from him in the past year.

That's true, it's somewhat disappointing. I'm disappointed there hasn't been a solo album yet and disappointed with the lack of news about his solo album. And I do admit I'm disappointed he's playing Creed songs. If he played WAWO acoustically, you know just him playing and singing, it wouldn't bother me. But I still think you can't compare AB and Stapp right now. It isn't a fair comparison.

I, personally, am not comparing Stapp to AB as of yet. And I'll admit, the author of the article--though he admits to never having liked Creed and, esp, Stapp--does make some valid points. Stapp just seems to be all hella discombobulated right about now, with no real signs of improvement. It's like... it's like he's a pennypinching owner of an MLB franchise who wants to win the World Series... or something like that.

Yeah, I know you aren't. But some are. Like I said, I'm an equal fan so if this was happening to AB, I'd be saying the same things. I agree, Stapp probably is a bit messed up right now, maybe still adjusting to the break up, maybe in a little bit of denial over it. But who knows. I don't know the guy personally, so I can't comment on him personally. But I do know his music and I can say I like Relearn Love and I'm pumped about his solo career. I think he sounded good vocally at the Nascar awards and sounded okay at the WS. My opinion, though.

He's just so full of shit I don't know what to believe anymore. I was OK with him until the Nascar performance, but that was total sacrilege... I really doubt his album will be out anytime next year, or that he actually has any material other than "Relearn Love," which was mediocre at best. Someone needs to reason with those fucking PBF nuts... LOL

At least we have Alter Bridge :-)

You know, I was willing at some point to give Stapp a second chance. Everybody deserves a second chance. I think especially for me after hearing his comments about why he wrote Relearn Love, but I think after hearing stuff from AB and the article from the Tea Party (right?), it sounds like he is the same old Scott. He reminds me of a friend from high school, who was the kind of person that, depending on who was around, he was different. If he was around Christians, he was a Christian, if he was around guys who liked to drink and party, he liked to drink and party. But, thats another subject, I guess, and I think it is true that Stapp is riding the Creed wave. But hey, somebody has got to promote the greatest hits album right? Thats what it is. Too bad I can now sing better than him.

Actually, i believe that stapp is currently WALKING, YES WALKING to Mount Siani in Egypt to write his next record, man will it be a doozie, ill tell ya what. There on that mountain, a flaming bush will appear....and write his lyrics for him.

From here on out, I'm not going to say that I'm a Stapp fan because you guys will burn me at the stake! lol j/k It was an honest article... but I still feel sorry for how much negativity is projected towards Stapp. Even his own fans... the people that used to defend him have turned on him. He needs to come back with an album that really shoves all of this negativity back into everyone's faces... he did that well while in Creed... let's see if he can do that by himself.

Well, I have not turned on him, but I have been disappointed with his recent performances and with Relearn Love. It doesn't mean I don't support him. There's a difference. I just hope he does silence all the negativity with a kick-ass album, but if his recent activity is any indication, I'm not that hopeful. I'll wait and see, though.

Dude, That is not Fucking Called For...
I respect Stapp Very Much for his Beliefs. His Current state of Talent may be Lacking... but once you poke fun at his faith... that's just fucking childish.

Am I wrong for actually finding that a bit funny?(I'm a Christian):D

Read the article on another bb and for my own reasons, it had me LMAO...just seems that everybody has to have an opinion about stapp...doesn't it?

reguarding this comment:


The negativity towards stapp is NOT by his fans...as i see it...it is by people that as long as they get what they expect from someone, they are happy as clams...but let that person fall or not live up to their expectations...and we get what we have been getting...

negativity has it's place and that is to balance the positive...and vise versa...but this in not balancing anything...from my observations it has become pure "dislike" for another human being that a bunch of people speculate about...or accept second hand information about....

from my observations...second hand info can be opinionated depending on the source and their relationship with the person or information they are discussing or relaying at the time...be it in an article...or verbally from one person to the next.

those that really get it are the ones that are willing to let everyone find their own level...whether they agree with it or not...and can continue to enjoy whatever is being offered without all the negativity...

Believe me....NO ONE has turned their backs on stapp that really attempted to understand or continues to...

peace out... :cool:

^^^

See this was my whole point about Stapp being held up on a pedestal in the Stapp Nascar thread. You are making Stapp fans look bad IMO.


Just because I say I have lost respect for Stapp as a person does not mean I am not a fan or make me less of a fan. There's making a distinction between the person and the music. The way you talk, there is no distinction.

Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor? I do not hate stapp, i like him, but he's been acting like a freakin weirdo lately. You have to remember, stapp was with creed and i love creed, otherwise i wouldnt have signed up for this forum, but sometimes I feel that there are certain things he does that needs picking on, believe me, if i really disliked him and disrespected his religion, i wouldnt have posted anything like that. Yes, I am agnostic, i dont believe in organized religion, there, im a "sinner" so to speak, call me what you will. I just like to pick on people who do stupid stuff. I've seen other people on here who have picked on stapp or alter bridge, or whomever, and they dont get fuckin roasted like i do.

Torn Daredevil could you please refrain from making negative commits about PBF! You can have any opinion about Stapp that you want and that's ok but don't judge other people harshly just because thay don't share you opinion. I happen to be on that BB and they are a great bunch of people over there.

And as for the "poking fun at his faith thing" Wylde-Tremonti, i wasnt picking on his faith, i was busting his balls about his writing process, because of how he always said My Own Prison came to him in his dreams and all that stuff, i DID NOT, in any way, mean to bust christianity, i may not be christian, and there are a lot of things about it that dont suit me, but i do not discriminate.

well maybe this will clear a few things up then...for me THERE IS NO DISTINCTION between the person and their music/lyrics...

someone that is creative is putting themselves into their creation...be it music, lyrics, poetry, etc...whether they are there at the moment they write it...or whether it is a place they WANT to be, sometime down the road...they are the creation and the creation is in them.

when such things are done without that PERSONAL connection...then it is just superficial and it shows...stapps lyrical work is way too passionate not to have been created without the connection i am talking about.

that is part of "getting it"...;)

this is, of course how i see it...and i realize that others out there see it differently...again...believe what you will...each of us will see it in our own ways...that's what diversity is about.