GEOFF TATE On QUEENSRŸCHE: 'It's My Creativity, My Vision, My Art'

May 25, 2013

Rachel Belle, a feature contributor and personality on "The Ron & Don Show" on KIRO Radio, recently spoke to QUEENSRŸCHE lead singer Geoff Tate about the legal dispute between him and his estranged bandmates over the rights to the group's name.

Tate, who was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 after fronting the group for three decades, sought to prevent his former bandmates from touring and operating under the QUEENSRŸCHE name without him.

"I had filed an injunction to try and get everyone to stop using the name because it's a brand and brands have a value and they can be damaged," Tate said.

Asked whether the existence of two different versions of QUEENSRŸCHE — one featuring him on vocals and the other comprised of Todd La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY),Michael Wilton (guitar),Parker Lundgren (guitar),Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) — is confusing for the fans, Tate said: "I think most people are pretty smart and they can figure it out."

Regarding how the two different versions of QUEENSRŸCHE differ from each other musically, Tate said: "I think one of the situations, creatively, that came to a head and caused the breakup of the band was that you have a camp that was still exploring and still working to redefine themselves with every record. And you had a camp that wanted to stay the same. Sort of rest on their laurels and play the same kind of songs. So it's philosophical difference, really."

On how the split with his bandmates came about:

Tate: "After 30 years, I think we finally just reached a breaking point where things went awry and everyone felt that it couldn't be fixed. Of course, going about it all wrong we had an explosion, it all got cut up in the media and there's a court case. It's all very messy."

On his chances of coming up victorious in November when the dispute over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name will finally be decided in court:

Tate: "It's a matter of who has put the most time and energy into it. I'm the major songwriter, I've written 81 percent of the songs in the QUEENSRŸCHE catalog. It's my creativity, my vision, my art. And it's about money. Down and dirty. It's about who has the money to buy the band."

"The Ron & Don Show" interview with Geoff Tate (audio):

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