Creed Behind The Music: Behind the BreakUp
Jun 04 '04
The Bottom Line Why did Creed break up? Read here for the full story and reaction!
Rock music fans were shocked and saddened on Friday (June 4) when it was officially announced that Creed had broken up after months of swirling rumors about the band's future. For those who aren't aware of who Creed are, they broke through in 1998 with their debut album My Own Prison. With four #1 Modern Rock Radio singles, among them the album's title track and What's This Life For, the band went from nobodies to multiplatinum in a relatively short timeframe. They also were called "Pearl Jam ripoffs," for the somewhat similar deep vocal growl that lead vocalist Scott Stapp had when compared to Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. But in an exclusive interview, Vedder played down the comparisons:
"To compare me with him is just totally unfair," Vedder told me; "He's on a whole different plane...as good as Given to Fly is, I could never hope to match With Arms Wide Open...to be honest, I think he's overtaken Pete (Townsend) as my favorite songwriter."
Comparisons be damned, My Own Prison sold over five million copies. The band was on fire. But it was with their sophomore effort, Human Clay, that they became superstars. Thanks to the hit singles Higher and With Arms Wide Open, Human Clay was certified for diamond shipments by the RIAA. In a series of exclusive interviews for this episode of Behind the Music, fellow rock musicians were awestruck when Human Clay was brought up:
AC/DC's Angus Young: "Everyone says we were the best at writing the same song over and over again, but we ain't got nothing on Creed...they made it an artform unlike anything rock and roll has ever seen."
Soundgarden's Chris Cornell: "I never thought there would be a guy (Stapp) who would embody everything I wrote Jesus Christ Pose about."
Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland: "When I heard What If for the first time, I just thought 'man, I should retire.' The dude was able to ape me so well that I just figured I'd be better off going in and out of rehab for the rest of my days. It's a good thing Slash needed a singer...I wonder if he'll call Scott Stapp up now..."
As the band played to sold out arenas across the country, they began to look forward to their third (and what would be their final) album. That album, Weathered, would come to represent a lot about what the band had been through. Their original bassist, Brian Marshall, was fired for some disparaging comments about Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder in general. Weathered debuted at #1 and went on to sell 5 million copies, thanks to the hits My Sacrifice and One Last Breath. But as the band toured behind the album, problems arose.
The band was sued by a bunch of fans from Chicago who say that during a performance in that city, Stapp was intoxicated and unable to remember the words to some of Creed's songs. Stapp denied the charges in an interview with me earlier today:
"It's so f*cking ridiculous. Don't these people know who I am. I'm Scott f*cking Stapp, and if I don't feel like singing those songs, then I'm not going to sing them. I'm Scott f*cking Stapp, I put the fear of God himself into both the Devil and Jesus Christ, and no one is going to tell me how to sing my songs. Because I'm Scott f*cking Stapp, and I'll be as pompous an a*s as I possibly can and want to be. And don't any of you out there in TV land forget it, because I am your one and only true savior."
As the Weathered tour began to wind down, rumors began to circulate about Creed's future. Stapp began work on a solo album, and the official announcement came on Friday that Creed was no more. But why?
According to Stapp, the fault lies with Tremonti and Phillips: "I can only take the same damn guitar tuning so many times. I mean, dammit, I'm Scott f*cking Stapp, I need some different tunings so I can show the world how great of a singer I really am. I made a better album than U2 ever could with Weathered, even though my guitarist was a one trick pony and my drummer made Dave Abbrusseze (formerly of Pearl Jam) look like an amateur in overusing cymbals on a drum kit. Without me, Creed would be nothing, because I'm Scott f*cking Stapp, and without my writing With Arms Wide Open, no one would give two sh*ts about those other guys."
But Tremonti and Phillips say the blame belongs solely with Stapp.
"I feel bad for our fans man," Tremonti told me. "They support us like you wouldn't believe, but you know, Scott's on his whole 'I'm more powerful than Jesus' trip right now, and that's great. I'm happy for him. But I want to see what happens when I don't work with a singer whose ego is as big as the Goodyear Blimp.
"By the end, Scott was out of control," says Phillips. "He would just quote weird passages that were suppposedly from the Bible, but damned if I could find them anywhere. I think he really believes that he is Jesus Christ. I'd like to help him, but he doesn't seem to want it, so I'll just go on being who I am."
In an interesting epitaph, Phillips, Tremonti and former bassist Brian Marshall have reconvened as Alter Bridge, now with a new singer, Myles Kennedy, and will release a debut album, One Day Remains, in August. Marshall seems rather relieved to be back with Phillips and Tremonti.
"These guys are the sh*t," Marshall told me, "while Scott Stapp is a piece of sh*t. I wish I could take back what I said about Pearl Jam, and especially Eddie. I guess all I can say is is that Scott drools and Eddie rules."
Stapp, meanwhile, continues to plug away on his solo debut, while also working on a track for an album of music inspired by the film The Passion of the Christ. His solo debut is being produced by 7 Aurelius, a man best known for his hip hop collaborations. Is Stapp going "bling bling" on us?
"Well, I've always been down with hip hop. I just hope I can live up to the Chingys and J-Kwons of the world. Those guys are just so good. I don't want to let any of my homies in the hood down. I feel all y'all pain, no doubt, Scott Stapp, 2004, kickin' it fo' real."
However you remember Creed, no one can take away the sales and the fans they made in the 6 years or so that they were in the spotlight.
"They proved that third rate ripoffs of the good bands of the 90s could be more than one hit wonders. They proved that those bands could sell millions and millions of records, and thanks to them, I have a career," Nickelback lead singer Chad Kroeger told me in a phone interview.
Meanwhile, 3 Doors Down singer Brad Arnold had this to say about Creed: "When I heard With Arms Wide Open, I became so inspired. I sat down and wrote Here Without You. I just had to get a sappy ballad for our second album, and I think I wrote just about the worst ballad I could ever write. It's a good thing no one with taste takes us seriously, otherwise I'd have to answer to Stapp himself."
But not everyone is sad to see Creed go. Longtime friends of the band Sevendust are only too happy to see Creed break up. "Good," said Lajon Witherspoon when asked about the breakup. "Maybe that f*ck up Hanson (Jeff, manager for both bands) can spend some time and money on our career now." Maybe indeed.
Creed album reviews by moi:
My Own Prison
Human Clay
Weathered
Creed as done by others:
Human Clay, by jeff_wilder78
Weathered, by thevoid99
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Member: Matt Aucoin
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