Scott Stapp: Nature Of Perfectionist

Former Creed frontman Scott Stapp hears plenty of stories about how his music changed fans' lives. But, he admitted, he is tired of the ups and downs in his life that spur his confessional lyrics -- reports liveDaily.com.

"I get a lot of deep stories, and it's hard to put in perspective for me. I got a story last night from a guy who was [stationed] in Afghanistan. He said, 'Man, without your CD, we don't think we would have gotten through it,'" Stapp said.

"Or I've had people say, 'I had a gun to my head and this song came on the radio, and I stopped.' I just hope I don't have to keep going down to the low lows, and then coming back and fighting my way out to inspire songs, because I don't know if I can handle it anymore. I'm getting old," he added.

Stapp's "lows" have been fodder for supermarket tabloids in recent months. He was arrested for public drunkenness on his way to his honeymoon in Hawaii, it was widely reported that he was in a fistfight with members of the reggae-rock band 311 last November. And earlier this year, a sex tape involving Stapp, Kid Rock and a host of strippers appeared on the Internet (read story on UG).

Before a recent soundcheck, Stapp talked to liveDaily about his debut solo effort, "The Great Divide," playing Creed songs live, and bonding with a new band.

LiveDaily: How's the tour going so far?

Scott Stapp: It's going great.

It must be a lot less stressful being able to go out and do your own thing.

I haven't changed anything really. I just have different guys behind me.

"I know well enough to write my own songs and to show them to somebody else."

Did you write the songs for "The Great Divide" any differently than you did with Creed?

I worked with different guitar players. That was the only difference. I had to kind of develop a way of communicating with them. I play rhythm guitars with open tunings, and piano to write. But I'm not, like, a master guitar player or piano player. But I know well enough to write my own songs and to show them to somebody else. I sing parts to the guys, and, once we developed a relationship, they started throwing in some ideas. I think they really contributed a lot to the music on the record. I taught them my sound and the tunings that complement my voice.

How did you meet your band?

They were in a band called Gone Blind. They played on a side stage for us [Creed] when we played around '99 or 2000. We met those guys and became friends with them, and I just stayed in touch. It was important to me to try to find a cohesive group of guys. [They've] learned how to communicate within themselves. They've been together for a long time. They'd been together like 12 years. I thought it would be easier than to mish-mash a bunch of guys together that had never worked together. Another thing was, just meeting the guys, they're such positive, good people. They do this because they love it. That's what I want to surround myself with.

Do you play any Creed songs live?

Yeah, I do. Those are my songs. I play half and half. I play my whole new album, and then I play Creed songs. It's been great responses everywhere. The album is doing well. I just heard it went double platinum.

"On Creed's last album, I wanted it to be as perfect as I knew how to make it at the time with people I had around me."

Your album is very confessional. It seems that that would be very difficult to recreate on stage every night.

No, all my albums have been that way. It's just the way I write. My first single, "My Own Prison," [sings] "I've created my own prison," it's confessional. It's just the way I do things. Once it's released for me, it's kind of a cathartic experience. Especially on this album, in particular, I don't know why I couldn't jump back in to the feeling or the emotion that I felt when I was writing or making demos. A lot of my vocal tracks I used my demo vocal tracks. Like "Justify," for example. The first time I ever sang that song is on the record. I tried over and over and over again to capture what I had captured on the demo that I made, and I couldn't do it. It happened on some other songs, I can't recall right now. Whatever songs it did happen on, I just kept the demo vocal tracks. This album was more about feeling and capturing that feeling, and less about perfection. Also, I wanted to be even more straightforward and more clear in my lyrical writing than I had been in the past.

Were you a perfectionist with Creed?

I'm still a perfectionist. It's just it's my nature. On [Creed's last album, "Weathered"], I wanted it to be perfect -- as perfect as I knew how to make it at the time with people I had around me. [Creed guitarist] Mark [Tremonti] agreed. He wanted it to be sonically that way too. With this record, my approach was just different. It probably had to do with the frame of mind I was in. I finally came back into music, and just feeling it myself. All these songs -- any time there's some kind of glimmer of hope or saying "I still can go on" or "I believe" or whatnot -- I'm talking to myself. I'm trying to motivate myself. I never write about what I am or have an agenda. I write about what goes on in my head -- the decisions I have to make, the people around me who inspire myself, and experiences I went through and how I handle it. This is the way I know how to get out of a situation, but that doesn't mean I handled it that way. My writings are like diaries. I just share them with the world.

Find the entire interview, as well as dates for the INXS & Scott Stapp tour at liveDaily.com.

Comments

[phizzle]

i will never grow tired of the acoustic"whats this life for:

[ZOSOGuitarist01]

it just keeps getting worse and worse.

[sphinx81]

scott sux. just coz he cant pull a crowd on his own he brings out old creed songs...FAGGOT!
alter bridge hav the dignity to jus play their own stuff(WICH ROCKS!\m/)

[69.so.fine]

He's far from a perfectionist. He's a raging alcoholic.

[Acoustic#3]

Wow, I didn't know it went double platinum. Good for him.

I guess "It's good to be the king."

[GNR's Fan]

I heard The SEX Tape just went Gold

spam deleted.
tone it down guys

[steinmann]

^it went triple platinum

[prsfloyd]

Dude, he got defensive real quick when he asked him about playing Creed songs. THE ARE MY SONGS, oh yeah and my album is double platinum.

half of which are owned by soccer moms

[thegodfather]

rather a jolly good show i believe

[Spoonman!]

"My Own Prison" was the only creed album that didn't make me want to vomit. Excluding Scott Stapp, the rest of the band are, in my opinion, very talented. Scott Stapp is just a mega douche should probably be kicked in the nuts.

[thefinalcut]

Scott Stapp: "The album is doing well. I just heard it went double platinum."

Finally that's cleared up! ... though it still makes no sense.

[livinginpixels]

who the hell is buying his album????? i thought everyone hated this guy.

[z4twenny]

^^^ amen brother..... i'm hoping they find his smoldering rotting corpse very soon.... if i ever saw him in person i'd prolly wanna smack'em in the face with a brick for being such a *create your own expletive here*

The guys a cunt.
If the creed songs are HIS songs, isnt the guitar parts copyrighted to mark tremonti, the drumming copyrighted to scott phillips and the bass copyrighted to brian?

It just seems like hes too full of himself:

I taught them my sound and the tunings that complement my voice.

Nothing could compliment your voice

Yeah, I do. Those are my songs.

Fuck off.

I'm still a *edit* prick */edit*

[GuitarJunkie]

as much as i hate scott stapp he give me hope...cause hell if he can be famous...pretty much anyone can if they are in the right place at the right time.

[washingmachine]

oh god egotistical W*nker! I think the best thing we can do with people like him is ignore him. Then he might go away. Just let him continue to labour under the illusion that he is still relevant or ever was for that matter!

[MATTTHEMOP]

oh god egotistical W*nker! I think the best thing we can do with people like him is ignore him. Then he might go away. Just let him continue to labour under the illusion that he is still relevant or ever was for that matter!

why is everyone so harsh on him? can u guys please justify ur remarks? washingmachine, lots of people like a lot of creed songs, and he gave a couple of incidences when people have been positively affected by his songs. so clearly he is relevant, he does matter, but not to you.
seriously, think about the things your saying.

[JDFreeSoul]

"cause hell if he can be famous...pretty much anyone can if they are in the right place at the right time."
I so agree with that... and also if you're with good parents with a lot of money, it helps a lot as well.
Scott's lyrics always sucked, Tremonti was the best part of Creed.

[GuitarGuy876]

Those are my songs.

Somehow it would just not surprise me to find out that Scott Stapp just smoked a bunch of bowls while the rest of Creed were writing their albums. He needs a reality check. And who has bought this record!? I havent even heard a single from it on the radio!

[ooblah]

ahh musicians... love winning but hate winners.. he may not be the best vocalist in the world but that doesnt mean hes outright BAD..

[harry_manback]

Do you play any Creed songs live?

Yeah, I do. Those are my songs. I play half and half. I play my whole new album, and then I play Creed songs. It's been great responses everywhere.

Thats kinda like axl reforming GNR, without the origional band behind him it's not that great. Not that I'm saying stapp is good or anything. I personally can't stand his voice. I also think his a little bit egotistical (sp).

[Neon D-von]

Scott Stapp should pretty much die.

[goon316]

I have not heard this album or any singles off it. Does it all sound the same like Creed? This is not spam, I am asking a serious question.

[Mik3_D]

I wish I could have seen 311 kick his ass that one time. I would have helped.

[Friar Tuck]

This is brilliant, reading all these pathetic anti-Stapp comments you idiots come up with.

washingmachine wrote:

oh god egotistical W*nker! I think the best thing we can do with people like him is ignore him. Then he might go away. Just let him continue to labour under the illusion that he is still relevant or ever was for that matter!

Still relevant? I think double platinum says it all really. Maybe when you guys go double platinum you can take the piss, but until them I'd cut out the jealous negativity you're all too familiar with

[Mik3_D]

WTF? No one here is jealous of Scott Stapp.

No one anywhere is jealous of Scott Stapp.

Britney Spears went platinum too. Doesnt mean she's any good. Dumbass.

[jdsarge91]

Mik3_D wrote:

WTF? No one here is jealous of Scott Stapp.

No one anywhere is jealous of Scott Stapp.

Britney Spears went platinum too. Doesnt mean she's any good. Dumbass.

hahaha that made my day(=

[rock_metal_fan]

creed was a nice group, scott stap is a FAG i didnt know all of this stuff, WTF?? too bad "Credd"'s gone...

[lEcheloNl]

This is the guy that got arrested the other day in hawaii for being drunk.

[goth clash]

i made a 're-mix' of his single 'the great divide' and called it 'the great douche bag'...its much better than the original

*spam check

[Carpenter]

I think he's a good guy and his songs are good, so I'm happy for him.

[Killibinizik]

I'm not a fan of scott stapp either the way that he presents himself as a "perfectionist" (yea so I guess getting into a drunken brawl with 311 would make me one too?), and claims how creeds songs are his is absolutely ridiculous; he needs an ego check. However Im not going to say an uninteligible insult like half the dumbasses on this site.

[STRAT811]

I HATE THIS MAN

[AccidentsHappen]

I am mad that he was so gay, but I still love his music nonetheless. I am really disappointed in him...

[DanimalCrackers]

I thought the album flopped. Why are so many people buying it? It's a bunch of hypocritical crap.

[AwesomeGuy49]

as well as dates for the INXS & Scott Stapp tour

lol

[GN'R Dude]

He should join Van Halen, then his ego and Eddie's ego can cause a giant ego implosion.

[NvRShred]

thank god mark tremonti and the others got out of creed. alter bridge is so much freakin better.
oh, and im almost 100% sure scott didnt write the guitar riffs in creed. dont care what he says

[iammetal]

booooo

[MSTRKRFT]

this guy makes me cringe. he is one of the biggest hypocrites on the go

[Merge]

Logz wrote: "If the creed songs are HIS songs, isnt the guitar parts copyrighted to mark tremonti, the drumming copyrighted to scott phillips and the bass copyrighted to brian?"
The only thing that can be copywritten is guitar and lyrics. Drums and bass can't be copywritten. Technically, those Creed songs are half his.

[societies_worm]

yea well i really dont care when he was with creed they made great music i love their music, too bad he is calling it HIS music but still they were a cool band, and scott i love his voice very very great voice. well at least i think..

[washingmachine]

Friar Tuck wrote:

This is brilliant, reading all these pathetic anti-Stapp comments you idiots come up with
Still relevant? I think double platinum says it all really. Maybe when you guys go double platinum you can take the piss, but until them I'd cut out the jealous negativity you're all too familiar with

Thats why i said we should ignore his dumbass comments. If people like him well thats fine. But if he really wants to be taken seriously he has to stop appearing so egotistical in interviews. He never comes across as a nice guy. Its mainly because many feel he is a hypocrite. If you are going to preach a lot, you have to live by these rules yourself (stapp is always in trouble). Scott Stapp continues to produce works that neither pushes forward the progression of rock or expands the lexicon of his art. In this why it could be argued that he is artistical irrelevant. The fact that he has a multi-platinum album does not make him relevant. And as for "all to familiar negativity" I hardly ever post anything that is not positive. I normally stand up for a lot of artists who have a hard time on UG. I just dont like scott stapp.

[GoodCharloteSux]

Scott Stapp is a joke, he should seriulsy call it in a day I cant beleive people are buying his albuim.

[gunsnzeppelin09]

You know your washed up when you release a sex tape to get some attention...Do you really think that "leaked"

[iammetal]

BOOOOO

[trivium777]

I remember when i thought Creed was the %$^$ then i hit puberty and found out that Scott Stapps lyricsare crap and pretty much an exact replica of every other album he has ever made.

[colelamb_611]

he is a faggot i thought he was an actor ... u no thje one from broke back mountain

[metallica91]

is what i herd about the voice enhancers (sp) true...somthing about scott taking "voice steroids"...if its true then he needs a refund cuz his voice is equivalent to my baby sisters screaming.....ANNOYING!!

[Nybb]

Ok, chill out guys, some of these posts are getting retarded. I don't mind his voice, but I agree that he comes across as self-centered in most interviews. And I agree that it's silly that he just stole another band and is making them play songs that aren't his now.

Get your act together Mr. Stapp and maybe you won't have to deal with all those "highs and lows."

[MarkTremonti]

Lol.... He thinks he's good...

[INNOCENT VICTIM]

He has a great voice but hes too demanding from other people.

[hardhead73]

livinginpixels wrote:

who the hell is buying his album????? i thought everyone hated this guy.

No one admited to buying Yani's music either, yet he sold a whole bunch too.

[Xx_banx]

have some arrogance.

he's six feet from the edge and he's thinkin'...maybe 6 feet aint so far down.

IT REALLY ISNT. DO IT MAN. I'LL GIVE U THE GUN JUST DO IT.

[izolate]

I don't know why you all give him s***. He's really not that bad. I'm sure you're all metal heads who don't know what melodies are, but he has got you beat when it comes to tunes/melodies. He has talent.. he wouldn't have gotten so far without it. Creed was nothing without Stapp. Alter Bridge aren't nearly as famous as Creed was, or even Stapp is.

[Guitar_Guy00001]

I respect the guy for at least going on when he probably knows he has enemies or people who don't like his music. I think the new album's pretty good, I've only heard, like 8 tracks from it though... Logz, your contradicting your job, stop

[MarkTremonti]

^ It's not like he's paid. He's still entitled to an opinion douche. Anyways the first of the article seems like Stapp doesn't want to inspire people (although I doubt he never got those letters anyways)

[genresrforposer]

Guitar_Guy00001 wrote:

I respect the guy for at least going on when he probably knows he has enemies or people who don't like his music. I think the new album's pretty good, I've only heard, like 8 tracks from it though... Logz, your contradicting your job, stop

logz has always been good at being hypocritical and posting spam/ flaming(he didn't state nething constructive, he called scott stapp a prick, n told him to **** off, the rest of us wld get warned for that crap, damn that "anyone can be a modera.... wait, i have an idea)..... wtf i agree w/ him neway.

[redSG]

i like scott stapp. i love creed. creed was one of the few who saved Rock in the "90's. Seriously, without Creed, I would have been listening to rap or hip hop or pop or something. Along with Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, Creed was the greatest 90's rock band, and they wouldn't have been Creed without Tremonti or Stapp... so lay off him. Also he has personal problems due to his growing up under religously strict parents who degraded him and rock music. just give him a break, even though he doesnt read this crap.

[Bloody Mary]

I don't think much of him as a person but honestly I like his lyrics, they have alot of meaning behind them and I like that in a song.
But I agree that Creed would never have made it without Mark Tremonti, but I also don't think they would have gone far without Scott Stapp either.

[vanceboy]

what a grrrreat role model!!!

...sargasm.....

[axeslinger0u812]

ok, I for one, used to like creed, and musically, i can still listen to them and not vomit. but have any of you who think scott is such a great guy ever read the interviews with tremonti, phillips, or especially marshall? those three are some of the nicest most gracious guys, and appreciate every fan they have. they don't think they are the saviours of rock or anything, they just want to play music. it was stapp who pushed everyone to the brink of insanity. according to the band, who refused to mention any specific incidences so as not to come across as bad mouthing the guy, (which stapp seems to have no problem doing, especially in the initial interviews after the break up) he made life unbearable on the road and in the studio. he didn't want to have any solo's in the song, because he had no part in it, and it took away from him. they all 'loved the creed songs, when TREMONTI first played it for them. then stapp had to throw in his weight, and turn every creed song into 'his' songs. do any of us no stapp better? no. so i'm guessing they are better sources to his character than anyone on here. i'm not saying i wasn't happy to hear the first cd when it came out, and i'm not saying i hated creed. but just like michael jackson man, the ****er made thriller, doesn't make him an upstanding dude.

[punkrocker10115]

redSG wrote:

i like scott stapp. i love creed. creed was one of the few who saved Rock in the "90's. Seriously, without Creed, I would have been listening to rap or hip hop or pop or something. Along with Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, Creed was the greatest 90's rock band, and they wouldn't have been Creed without Tremonti or Stapp... so lay off him. Also he has personal problems due to his growing up under religously strict parents who degraded him and rock music. just give him a break, even though he doesnt read this crap.

don't compare scott and creed to nirvana and smashing pumpkins. they ARE way better then he will EVER be. they saved music..scott stapp is just another douchebag alchoholic whos ruining rock..

[Covin]

GNR's Fan wrote:

I heard The SEX Tape just went Gold

LOL

[Mother Superior]

LOL WHAT A JACKASS

[jackohlander]

I honestly can't understand why people would want to waste their time by reading something about something or someone they hate and then feeling the need to post. More so , I can't understand why the people behind this site let everyone post on a news story . For god's sake , you know it's going to start everything that you don't want to happen. Even worse , a mod ( who is not only there to moderate , but also there to lead by example ) has to say something that contradicts what they believe in. I'm surprised he didn't say which post number he was.

I , for one , didn't see the point in the article. It was a decent read and all , but I didn't learn anything from it.

[gtar_dude]

Bloody Mary wrote:

I don't think much of him as a person but honestly I like his lyrics, they have alot of meaning behind them and I like that in a song.
But I agree that Creed would never have made it without Mark Tremonti, but I also don't think they would have gone far without Scott Stapp either.

exactly, sure stapp has gone and messd his life up but hes got talent, u can't deny that. u couldn't hav a beta combination 4 a band then, and both scott stapp and alter bridge are still making good soundz

[shredbeyndshred]

who put this article up...?

[linkinmark]

Stapp: the album is going platinum..

I guess he was talking about his sex tape...

[salsa811]

go back to creed!!!!!

izolate wrote:

I don't know why you all give him s***. He's really not that bad. I'm sure you're all metal heads who don't know what melodies are, but he has got you beat when it comes to tunes/melodies. He has talent.. he wouldn't have gotten so far without it. Creed was nothing without Stapp. Alter Bridge aren't nearly as famous as Creed was, or even Stapp is.

That one comment just proves you know absolutly nothing.
Im not a metal head, i like almost everything, esp melodic songs. I dont care whether there metal, nu-metal, dance, jazz I dont care!

AB are relativly new, ergo, little recognition.
Creed were big because of extensive touring, alot of advertisment and a huge varity of mainstream, radio freindly songs.
Stapps just being an ass, and cant move on from creed. At least the other guys have

[tdragon316]

I've heard some of Scotts stuff and its good. I'm also glad he wants to clean up his life. But why does it sound like the only reason Creed was anything was because of him and it was "his" band when he talks? Creed was Scott's vocals and lyrics, Mark's guitar and writing abilities, Scott Phillips' amazing skills on the drums, and Brian Marshall bringing life to the bass tracks. It was a group effort just like Scott's solo career cause he's nothing without a band backing him "his own admission" and same with Alter Bridge who embrace the fact that it takes each of them to come together to make a great song, cd, and performance. When Scott realizes that he needs others he'll be able to start to work on his issues.

[threedaysgrace9]

tdragon316 :
I've heard some of Scotts stuff and its good. I'm also glad he wants to clean up his life. But why does it sound like the only reason Creed was anything was because of him and it was "his" band when he talks? Creed was Scott's vocals and lyrics, Mark's guitar and writing abilities, Scott Phillips' amazing skills on the drums, and Brian Marshall bringing life to the bass tracks. It was a group effort just like Scott's solo career cause he's nothing without a band backing him "his own admission" and same with Alter Bridge who embrace the fact that it takes each of them to come together to make a great song, cd, and performance. When Scott realizes that he needs others he'll be able to start to work on his issues.

^this guy knows whats going on.stapp is an amazing vocalist, tremonti obviously a shredder on guitar, phillips on drums is great, and brian marshall, well for the last three, just listen to Alter Bridge and you'll see why tremontis my fav guitarist

[kaushik312]

izolate wrote:

I don't know why you all give him s***. He's really not that bad. I'm sure you're all metal heads who don't know what melodies are, but he has got you beat when it comes to tunes/melodies. He has talent.. he wouldn't have gotten so far without it. Creed was nothing without Stapp. Alter Bridge aren't nearly as famous as Creed was, or even Stapp is.

Alter Bridge may not be as famous as creed but by hell their music is a million times better than creed u idiot..its jus a matter of time..alter bridge are gonna be bigger than creed ever was..

[Guitars_Rule93]

If you think Stapp's voice is bad then sorry but your tone deaf. I'm not sayin' i like the guy 'cause he's very self centered but his voice is aight. I liked creed and its a shame to see them go but I think Alter Bridge is waaaay better than the scott stapp debut.

[Fuel Collector]

Creed was freakin' awesome, but Stapp, in some ways, fails to deliver on a few of the tracks from "The Great Divide"