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
Hey Johnny keep givin G-Off your money and defending him while he insults his fans from the stage, look it up on UTUBE. is all the spelling correct YOU TOOL!
Tate is a “loosing” “hasbin”. Roger Waters owns anything with Pink Floyd recorded, he can perform anything.
Geoff can also perform everything.
Are you kidding? All I can comment on is my very limited disclosure of the whole thing, but I see a drummer who is insecure and got someone other guy, who sounds EXACTLY like Geoff . It’s kind of absurd, it’s second rate. And then Geoff hastily assembles a bunch of guys who have no chemistry and can’t sing backups, more second rate. The losers are the paying customers, and somehow it’s like people are getting habituated to accepting this, and their ability for discernment gets confused to the point where music loses its value. It’s happening, contrast this with spirit of bands that we loved because of the chemistry. The pools of talent have been polluted, the sparkle has faded.
Who cares about either? They have both been garbage for years. So many bands destroying their legacies with these finger pointing fights. These 2 I can care less about at all. Saw them open for Maiden on Powerslave tour and they bored the hell out of me then.
Being a casual QR fan, from the looks of it, Geoff got the better end of the deal. O. Mindcrime is the only thing that anyone really will remember from them. Let’s face it, QR didn’t really have any real “fame” except for that record. Plus, he’s the voice of QR. Win/win for Geoff, not so much for the band.
A few problems with your post there Joe.
1. Empire 2. Promised Land -they both disagree with your real fame statement
3. Have your heard the “voice” of QR the last ten years? Sucks out loud and age has nothing to do with his Shatner vocals.
4. Everything from the disaster that was OM2 through DTC known as tateryche
5. FU listen to that garbage, especially the redone butchering of classic songs
6. Vest has publicly said he hates metal, good, go do cabaret and let the FOUNDING members Mike, Scott and Eddie go on as QR.
I’ll take QR as it is now the 2013 ST is the best release since PL, the next one will be even better.
Vest and the clowns coming to a lounge near you.