Bassist TIM GAINES Would Work With STRYPER Again As Long As 'God' Was Orchestrating It

Former STRYPER bassist Tim Gaines recently took some time out to answer 50 questions posed to him by fans. He addressess everything from his departure from STRYPER to his current projects and future plans. A couple of excerpts follow.

Q: Why did you leave STRYPER?

Tim: There were many reasons that were leading up to my departure from STRYPER. Inner struggles within myself, false promises, loss of power within the band unit, musical differences, personality differences, spiritual differences, etc During the 2003 reunion tour, I became grieved at some of the things that were going on that really started to bother me. Nothing bad mind you, but more of a lingering question that has haunted me for years, and was finally coming to a head. Did God really call us to be rock stars? (Idolatry is a sin.) Were we there to take the praise and glory away from what God was doing? Were we really leading people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ or were we just putting on a show and receiving the glory for ourselves? During that period I lost interest in putting on a "show" and I spent my time just playing the music in worship to the Lord and praying for His covering. I could hear God speaking to me each night on stage saying that my time here was almost over. After the tour was over, some events took place that further sealed my mind on leaving the band. We had a meeting and I gave STRYPER my notice.

Q: Do have any regrets for leaving STRYPER?

Tim: No regrets. I gave 21 years of my life up to STRYPER. We had a good run in the 80's. Sometimes I wish I could go and hang out with the guys. I do miss them and I have a great love for them. But I am also accomplishing things on my own now, and I feel I am doing pretty well.

Q: What do you think of the current bass player Tracy Ferrie?

Tim: From what I know of Tracy, he seems like a great person and a strong Christian. He is a phenomenal bass player and has good stage presence. From what I hear, the fans are crazy about him.

Q: Are you still close friends with the other guys in the band as well as stay in touch with them on a regular basis?

Tim: Yes, I am still friends with the guys. I speak to Oz on a regular basis and we get together whenever we are in town. I consider Oz one of my best friends. I speak to Michael fairly regularly. I have been keeping him and his family in prayer. The only person I have not had any contact with so far is Robert. I have not talked to him since the day I left the band. Hopefully that will change soon.

Q: Would you ever consider working with STRYPER again? If not, how about making a guest appearance at one of their gigs sometime in the future?

Tim: If God were to open the door for me to work with STRYPER again sure I would, but ONLY as long as He was orchestrating it. I still have my yellow-and-black bass and spandex you know. Will that ever happen? I don't know. Obviously, they would need to ask me. I know a lot of things have changed within the band since my departure so who knows? They are doing pretty well without me.

Q: Who is/was the most influential person on your musical career?

Tim: I grew up listening to '60s and '70s pop radio. Those songs from that era influenced me more than anything else. In the early '70s I was really into Elton John, and wanted to be a piano man. But I found I was really attracted to the bass lines from his songs. Elton's bass player was Dee Murray and that is where I really got interested in the bass guitar. Some other big influences were Geddy Lee from RUSH, John Deacon from QUEEN, John Paul Jones from ZEPPELIN, Craig MacGregor from FOGHAT, and later on Jaco Pastorious, Jeff Berlin, and about a million other players.

Q: How do you handle the typical road temptations? (sex, drugs, booze, etc).

Tim: I handle them the same way I do when I am home and that is I try to live the best I can by a value system I have a beautiful wife whom I love dearly and I value our relationship more than the fleeting pleasure of a one-night fling. I value having a sound mind over getting high or passing out drunk somewhere. I try to live by God's standard and not the standard of the world, which is "if it feels good, do it."

Read the entire question-and-answer session at this location.