Christa Titus of Billboard spoke with former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate about the bandmembers finally settling their lawsuit in regards to who owns the band’s name. Portions of the interview appear below.
Billboard: How are you feeling now that the announcement is out about the settlement?
Tate: I think it’s great. I’m very happy that it’s over and done and we can all move on with our lives. It’s been a long, bitter two years, I’ll tell you. I’m glad it’s over.
Billboard: What was the turning point when everyone started getting on the same page with the settlement? I understand that for a while you guys were trying to work something out.
Tate: We’ve been trying to work something out for months and months and months, and it’s like any kind of lawsuit, it’s just slow going. But finally I think the realization that going to court over the whole thing was going to be a huge nightmare and huge financial mess for everybody that [we] really started to look at it more seriously and realistically.
Billboard: Once you filed the suit, that would say to me you were ready to go to court over it.
Tate: Yeah, that’s typically what it means.
Billboard: Some people are confused by the joint statement both parties released regarding who could do what. One of the points was being able to perform both Operation: Mindcrime albums live. Queensryche is permitted to play selections, but they can’t do a front-to-back version of either one live, correct?
Tate: It’s pretty similar to the Pink Floyd settlement where one group got the name and Roger Waters got The Wall. It’s very similar to that. I retain Operation: Mindcrime and everything revolving around that, and they got the name, so it’s a win-win for everybody.
Billboard: I don’t know what you are limited to discuss in terms of terms of the agreement. Is there anything you can mention in terms of being entitled to, say, future payments from the band? There were the three band corporations and things of that concern.
Tate: Honestly, I’d really don’t feel comfortable commenting on the details of the settlement. I think what’s out there is sufficient. I’m just really happy to be done with it all, and I think the other side is probably happy as well so we can turn the tide in this episode in our lives and move on to nicer things.
Billboard: One thing that does remain in question is, since you still have dates booked under the Queensryche name, on your Queensryche website you have dates into May.
Tate: We’re both allowed to do all of our pre-contracted dates as they were advertised, so once those dates are over then it all changes.
Billboard: I know that this has been a really long two years. Is there anything you think you would have done differently, looking back on it now?
Tate: Oh gosh, you know, the whole experience was such a betrayal and so negative that I’m really ready to get past it, not think about it anymore, and it doesn’t really bear looking back on in my mind right now. [laughs] That’s the last thing I want to do is think about it some more.
Read more at Billboard.
source: billboard.com
27 Responses
So, does this mean that Geoff is going to be joining the Vaudeville circuit now? What a douche bag.
Hmmm, I wonder what you do for a living.
Do you wonder Pete? What do you wonder?
Is having the exclusive performing rights to the Mindcrime albums really a victory for Tate? Is that what he’s going to rely on to draw fans for the rest of career? That’s sad.
You are so right, that is really sad.
now he can be like that scum bag Waters with the wall..everytime he needs money he can go out and sing jet city women ……( throw up sound )
Am I understanding this correctly? Goeff tate can perform mindcrime only, and the current queensryche can perform anythin but mindcrime? Is it me or do the fans end up on the loosing end?
My interpretation of the settlement is that Tate has the exclusive rights to perform both Mindcrime albums in its entirety. This however does not prevent Queensryche from performing select songs from the Mindcrime albums, just so long as they don’t perform the albums in full. Think of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album. When Roger Waters left the band, he ultimately gained the exclusive rights to perform that album in it’s entirety.
Tate can perform mindcrime in its entirety. ..latorre can only do individual songs….
This, my friends is what cocaine does to your brain and ego
He’s one of the best voices in rock.i hope he does well.same with the queensryche .I’ve been a fan since the warning album.the new singer is good.he sounds like geoff but not queensryche.ill still see them and support their music