STEVE PERRY Hasn't Had Any Money Issues Since Leaving JOURNEY

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry told Rolling Stone magazine that he hasn't had any money issues since he left the band more than two decades ago. "I wrote every single song with members of the band with the exception, I think, of one," he said. "And those songs kept selling. I don't eat out a lot. I only drive one car a time. I live kind of small, so financially, I never really had to work. There were certainly some sweet [royalty] checks as the years went by, but I'll tell you something else: I was probably one of the only guys who saved his money. A lot of people were living very extravagant lifestyles. I was not raised that way. My grandfather said to me when I was very young, 'It’s not how much you make, it's how much you save.' So I lived small and saved my money."

Perry also once again said that it's highly unlikely that he will ever reunite with JOURNEY. "The only thing I'm willing to be definitive about is that at this age I am right now, I have to do things that I feel really great about, that feel life-sustaining and give me passion," he said. "I really want to continue to move forward. I'm not too excited about going backwards. I'm more excited about moving forward to what is next. I've already written a lot more new material, in fact."

Perry recently told Rolling Stone that he couldn't imagine working with Neal Schon in any capacity again or even re-establishing the friendship.

The former JOURNEY singer, who originally left the band more than three decades ago, made his comments in response to Neal's frequent public calls for a renewed collaboration.

"I'm not sure that's possible without stirring up hopes of a reunion," Perry said. "Please listen to me. I left the band 31 fucking years ago, my friend. You can still love someone, but not want to work with them. And if they only love you because they want to work with you, that doesn't feel good to me."

Perry reunited with JOURNEY for the first time in years as they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. The iconic singer appeared onstage with his former bandmates as they each gave speeches, but did not perform with the group later in the event.

During his speech, Perry praised each of JOURNEY musicians as well as the band's current singer, Arnel Pineda, who was not being inducted into the Rock Hall. "I must give a shoutout to a man who sings his heart out every night, Arnel Pineda," Perry said.

Perry's final full concert with JOURNEY took place in early 1987. He later rejoined his bandmates for a brief performance in 1991 to honor late concert promoter Bill Graham. He also appeared with JOURNEY when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2005.

Perry's first solo album in more than two decades, "Traces", was released on October 5 via Fantasy Records (a division of Concord Records/UMG).

Photo credit: Myriam Santos