GEOFF TATE: 'I've Ripped The Rearview Mirror Off And I'm Moving Ahead'

Todd Newton of BigMusicGeek.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

BigMusicGeek.com: In hindsight, do you feel as if your former QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates "stifled" you creatively and musically?

Geoff: Absolutely. This is the first QUEENSRŸCHE record that I've done where my hands haven't been tied behind my back, ya know? It's ridiculous to have to wait so long without making a new record. Records, if you're a writer, just come out of you. You write a song, you write a record, you record it and then you put it out. You don't need to have two years between releases, ya know? That's a model that's definitely come and gone, ya know? ...That's a model from the past that archeologists will some day dig up and say, "Look! We found a fossil."

BigMusicGeek.com: What do you feel ultimately fueled the overall deterioration of the relationships with your ex-bandmates?

Geoff: I think it's like a lot of other businesses. You get used to your role in the business, what you do specifically, and you stop adding, you stop giving and you stop coming up with new ideas. You get comfortable doing what you're doing and depending on the person, some are happy doing that and then other people get bitter. They're, like, "This is all I'm doing," and then they start causing problems because they're upset about their own inadequacies. But me speculating on what other people are thinking is always dangerous ground, honestly.

BigMusicGeek.com: How have the negative reactions to "Frequency Unknown" affected you? Have you found it difficult to comprehend the motivation behind all of the negativity? Were you expecting such a large volume of detractors?

Geoff: No. There hasn't been that many negative reactions. I'm in a lawsuit, so there's a war going on. And what you're seeing the war, you're seeing the war on the Internet, ya know? There's a concentrated effort, ya know? There's a smear campaign going on, ya know? And that's what you're seeing. You're seeing a small amount of people with multiple Facebook personalities and Internet accounts having conversations with themselves. It's 21st-century entertainment. It's great. It doesn't bother me at all. You know what? We've had more sold-out shows on this QUEENSRŸCHE tour than the other QUEENSRŸCHE, with me included, have had in ten years. Yeah, go figure. It's just like (KISS vocalist/bassist) Gene Simmons said. Any publicity is good publicity. ...If you actually look into it, it's so simple, ya know? It's just one side trying to make the other side look bad. It's as simple as that. And saying whatever they think they have to say to win. But the joke is, there's nothing to win. This dispute is a corporate dispute that has rules attached to it laid down by the state and the federal governments. How do you solve a corporate dispute? You have to follow the rules. It's as simple as that. And all it comes down to in the end is an exchange of money. Who can afford to pay off who? It has nothing to do with art and it has nothing to do with music. It has nothing to do with anything other than the money, really.

BigMusicGeek.com: At this point, do you have any negative feelings regarding your ex-bandmates releasing their new music?

Geoff: No. Honestly, I have no feelings. Absolutely none. I'm done with that part of my life, ya know? I gave and gave and gave and I did my thing. And my dedication was to a bunch of people who in the end didn't appreciate it and hated me for it. And so I'm done with that part of my life. I've ripped the rearview mirror off and I'm moving ahead. I've never really been one for the past, ya know? I like to keep moving forward and doing new things. I'm actually already working on a new album that I hope to have out the first part of the year.

Read the entire interview at BigMusicGeek.com.