For almost twenty-five years now Seattleís hard hitting rockers Queensryche have been entertaining audiences across the globe. The band recently released their sequel to the ever so popular smash hit album ëOperation Mindcrimeí, which no doubt put Queensryche on the metal map during the eighties. Almost twenty years on ëOperation Mindcrime IIí has finally been released and Queensryche have once again found themselves on top with another fantastic concept album that has been praised by fans and critics worldwide. For many fans this album has long been anticipated and no doubt it was worth the wait. The band recently made their first ever trek to Australia to perform sold out shows for fans who have waited far too long to see their idols, playing a selection of track from both Mindcrime albums among other hit Queensryche classics. I recently caught up with legendary vocalist Geoff Tate to discuss the bands time in Australia, the latest Mindcrime album, the North American Tour, working with Ronnie James Dio again and much more. Here is my verbal evolution with Geoff Tate. Metal Fanatix: Hi Geoff how’s things mate? Geoff Tate: Hey Cameron, it’s just slammin' right now, we’ve got the north American tour beginning in a couple of days and there’s tons of stuff to do and not enough time in the day to do it all [laughs]. Things have been really good though, we are moving gear today down into a theatre so we can continue our rehearsals down there. Metal Fanatix: Mate, I want to thank you for putting some time aside this afternoon to speak with me, let’s jump straight into it mate. Congratulations on the success you guys have had already with Operation Mindcrime II. Both fans and critics around the world have praised the album since its release. No doubt you guys were happy with the outcome? Geoff Tate: Yeah, well it’s been a labor of love doin' that record. Its got a long history, originally we were going to release it after the ‘Empire’ album back in 1993-94 but the project got put on the backburner and we released a few albums in place of that and its good to finally get into it, get it done and get it out of our systems finally [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs]. Listening to the album a few months on now from its release is their anything you would have liked to have done differently? Geoff Tate: No, I don’t think I would have changed too much about it, I’m really happy with the way it turned out. It was an eighteen month long recording process in itself so we thought a lot about all the aspects of it and all the music was really planned out and very inspired too. We were all operating on a full engine. Metal Fanatix: You guys produced the new album along side Jason Slater, you guys could have done the album yourselves or you could have worked with any producer in the world, why was Jason the right choice? Geoff Tate: Well, he was just there at the right time. He was in a band that opened up for us on a tour we were on and he and I just hit it off and we started writing songs together and talking about music and we really shared a lot of similar attitudes towards music that we all loved and he just fit in well with the organization. Everybody liked him and that’s a big plus right there, to be able to fit in to an organization that’s been a round as long as Queensryche. He actually kind of planted the bug in my ear and said at one point when we were on tour “when are you gonna finish the sequel to Mindcrime”? That got me thinking about it and before I knew it we were into it. Metal Fanatix: Geoff, tell us, what was the atmosphere like entering the studio for the first time knowing you guys were walking in to record the send up to such an iconic concept album? Geoff Tate: Well it was definitely a challenge, it had to be good. It had to be intense. First and foremost it had to fit the story. The music had to really get the story across and be reminiscent that the first Mindcrime stuff fitted. Everybody was taking it very seriously there were lots of times spent sitting in the studios just talking about ideas and mapping out how we were going to do it, comparing notes. Something’s coming back to the drawing boards and other things just fell into place. It was really a challenging record to make. Metal Fanatix: I would imagine writing for a concept album would be much more difficult then just penning 10 – 15 songs, After all these years of writing and recording how do you constantly come up with new fresh sounding material without falling into the trap a lot of other bands do by repeating themselves? Geoff Tate: We’re very critical [laughs]. Yeah, it’s gotta be inspired music for us to continue with an idea. We have a huge library of various ideas and pieces of music that we’ve never used and some pieces we have come back and used and other things are just sitting there. Something’s just get tossed aside and never get worked on again. And it’s kinda good though because you need to be very critical about what you do I think, to a point and then you have to let it go. That’s always a ritualistic moment when we listen back to the playback to the record and there’s nothing we can add to it and nothing we can take away. Everybody looks at each other and says ok is that it? Is that the record? And sometimes it takes weeks to go through that process [laughs]. Someone will come back in and say “ya know I’m not really happy with that bass part”. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: So then we will go back in and cut the bass again get what we like and sometimes it really does take a while to get it so that everybody is happy, because once you make a recording it’s there forever and you can of course augment it live and change some things around but the record is there forever and you want to make sure that it represents you in the best way possible as a musician. Metal Fanatix: With the writing process how does it work with you guys, do you come up with the music first, or it is based around lyrics, do you all sit around a table screaming at each other [laughs]? Geoff Tate: Well yeah it’s kind of all of the above [laughs]. For this particular record being that it’s a story we started with the story and I set the story into an outline form and mapped out each scene that represented the songs. For instance we’d all be sitting in the studio and I’d say during this chase scene we need to have a real up tempo track and it needs to have a lot of excitement to it and it needs to build to a climax, there’s a car crash and we need to take the listener on the ride. So I’d paint the picture for them and then everybody tossed around ideas and something’s would stick and we’d record those and other pieces we would toss to the side. It’s a pain staking process trying to find the right combination of riffs and melodies and rhythms. Metal Fanatix: I actually read in a recent interview that you said you would like to see the Mindcrime concept in a movie form, has there been any updates on that situation, has anyone jumped on board? Geoff Tate: Funny you should mention that, what really got the ball rolling on this record is I met a guy named Jeff who represents screenwriters in Hollywood and he cornered me backstage at a show and said “I’d really like to do a screenplay of Mindcrime, what do you think about writing it”? I turned to him and said “I think that’s out of my skills, I’d really need some help, do you know anybody”? Jeff gave me a list of different screenwriters and I read there work and out of that list I picked three guys that I sat down with individually. We talked about the project and I chose the one that I felt the best about, and his name is Mark Sheppard. Mark and I spent about six or eight months developing the screenplay for Mindcrime and it was finished around Christmas time. Jeff has taken it and passed it around Hollywood, and now we have the green light on the development of it. It’s in that stage right now that in movie terms means that it could be next year, it could be three years, it could be five years you never know. Metal Fanatix: That’s awesome news. I wanted to talk to you about Ronnie James Dio’s involvement on Operation Mindcrime II, from all the people you have worked with over the years why did you want Ronnie to be apart of the album? Geoff Tate: Ronnie Dio is a legend amongst singers. I had written the song ‘Chased’ which is the point in the story where Dr. X and Nikki meet each other after many years and Nikki is chasing him through the streets to the city riding a motorcycle and Dr. X is in a limo, and they are having a conversation via cell phone back and forth. I’d written the song and after I’d finished it I was patting myself on the back for being cleaver and then the horror struck me, “Who am I going to get to play this part”? I was thinking that there are not many guys that can sing that and out of those guys there even less who could deliver it with intensity and the authority that the character required and Ronnie’s name just popped into my head. I had his cell number so I called him up and told him I was doing the Mindcrime II. I explained the whole story to Ronnie then I played him the song over the phone. He was very intrigued with it and he said “Well Geoff, I’d like to say yes right off the bat, but I really need to hear it in my studio and see if it’s something I can really wrap my head around”. About a week later he called me back and said “I’m in, I really wanna do this, let’s set a date”. So Ronnie came up to San Francisco a couple of weeks later where we were recording and man what a pleasure it was working with the guy. He’s just a professional musician, he’s not just a great singer he’s a player to, Ronnie plays bass and he understands music, you don’t have to dumb down to deal with him, he’s really fast and quick to work with. The only really tough part was on my end, I had to record him and produce him and how do you ask a legend to do this and that [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] That’s a good point, Ronnie is one of a handful of guys that is looked up to by most metal bands and fans and to be his boss for a day would be surreal to say the least. Geoff Tate: After he gave us several takes, and he was very gracious about it. It was really difficult to pick which was the best one because there were so many great ones. It was really great working with him and we have made plans to work together again in the future so hopefully that will happen. Metal Fanatix: Geoff I want to talk to you about life on the road, only a matter of weeks ago you guys played your first ever Australian shows, how did the Aussie crowds compare to the rest of the world? Geoff Tate: It was very pleasing to play in Australia, the fans were incredible. It’s always a pleasure after many years of touring to go to someplace new. To discover a new city, to meet the people, learn the culture and the habit, all the little things you have no idea of until you go there. We were all just amazed with the generosity of the fans and how they really help you as a performer to perform at your best. Sometimes you go to a venue and the audience is just like a spectator audience where they’re not really involved and they kinda sit back like they’re watching a TV Program. The Australian audience give you back so much passion and energy when you play that you find yourself performing above your normal capacity, which makes for a much better show all around. I’m really looking forward to coming back, I fell in love with the country and the landscape and the environment and the general attitude of the people in Australia. Everyone I met seemed very happy to be there, happy to be alive, happy to be Australian. There are a lot of places I have been to where people are just walking around in a bad mood but not in Australia it’s like everyone’s happy.
Geoff Tate: [Laughs] yeah! Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Why did it take you guys so long to finally play here? Geoff Tate: Ya know, there are a lot of places that we have never played! It’s not really a big decision on the bands part, its more finding a promoter who is willing to put in the money to bring you down and who feels they can sell your show. You have to find somebody who is in the right mind or is interested in the type of music you do. So it’s really more about building business relationships. Over the years we could never come into contact with any promoters that we felt understood what we were doing and who was willing to bring us down until recently and now that we’re there, we’re definitely coming back. Metal Fanatix: That is fantastic news Geoff; it’s unfortunate that you guys didn’t get to spend a little more time down here. Did you get to see many of the sites? Geoff Tate: Very little because of the time that we were there, our front of house soundman is actually Australian. His names Matt West and he’s from Perth. Matt was showing us around the various cities and he was giving us a lot of insight, we definitely want to come back and explore, we met some people that want to take us in next time and do a few side trips. Next time we come down we will stay a little longer and have some days off so we can explore. Metal Fanatix: I recently read in the news section of your official site that the band was arrested at Amsterdam’s airport for smuggling illegal firearms, can you tell us what happened? Geoff Tate: No comment [laughs] Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: I should say that nothing bad happened which is good. We use firearms in our show they’re replica handguns. We were booking our fights at the ticket counter and I said to our tour manager “Adam, remember we’ve got this gun in our suitcase, you might want to tell them about that because it’s gonna be checked”. He said “Oh yeah” and he turned to the girl at the counter and said “um, not to worry but in the suitcase we have a gun” Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: Before he could explain that it was a replica, she had hit an alarm and all the cops in the airport came running down. Adam knew that we were on our way to a gig and he didn’t want us to miss it so he said “o.k. well it’s my gun, I’ll take responsibility for it”. The police handcuffed him and as they were hauling him off to what I suspect was a jail cell he yells over his shoulder “I’ll meet you in Onslow probably in a day” [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: They lifted the gun and realized it was a replica but they confiscated it and said in Holland if you’ve got a bunch of dope it would have been o.k. but a hand gun is different. Metal Fanatix: Have you guys had many problems with customs in the past? Geoff Tate: Not really, once years and years ago when we first started touring our bass player was arrested at Heathrow airport in London. He was actually taken off to Scotland Yard because he had a bicycle chain wrapped in some tape. He was moving out of his apartment and he had stuck it in his bag during the move and forgot to take it out. They arrested him for that but he wasn’t charged or anything. Metal Fanatix: I have heard that you guys will be filming shows during October for a DVD release what can you tell us about that? Geoff Tate: It’s a very cool DVD; it’s based on the North American tour which is going to be a very extensive theatrical production. It’s going to be presented in a musical form kinda like you would see a stage play or an opera or something like that. There are two sets that change through-out the show an interior set and an exterior set cause some of the action takes place in a warehouse and some of it takes place in an ally way in the city we have video screens that help tell the story, we have actors that join us onstage to play the various parts. It’s very cool it’s a very unique kind of show Metal Fanatix: Will there be much extra backstage, rehearsal footage etc? Geoff Tate: Oh yeah, there’s all kinds of stuff. Metal Fanatix: Tell us, when you look back at the very first Queensryche tour. What fond/horrific memories come to mind? Geoff Tate: From the first tour, let me see if I can go back that far. I would say that was for our breakthrough album the one where most people had heard about us at that point, when the album came out it sold the same amount that all our other records had sold, it was 250,000 records we were on tour with Metallica and that helped to expose us to a bigger audience at that time, but still it didn’t climb up the charts or really do anything, but a year later somebody at MTV in new York was a fan of the band and had said to our manager “Have the band make a video and I’ll play it”. So we did that and then the video for ‘Eyes Of A Stranger’ just took off. It was really impressive watching the power of television at the time and watching how many people it reached, that put us on the road for about a year and a half and that was really interesting. We went to a lot of places that we had never been before and saw a lot of the world at that point. I’ve got nothing but great memories from that point. Metal Fanatix: Speaking of MTV, during the eighties I can remember seeing so many different hard rock and metal videos on our televisions but these days they are few and far between, do you feel it is still important to spend so much money making film clips that don’t get anywhere near the airplay they deserve I mean it seems MTV among others are more concerned with reality shows rather then showcasing any musical talent? Geoff Tate: Yeah, MTV have definitely changed. So I think to really live in the world of music nowadays I think you have to adapt to new frontiers. It’s easier for us to make videos now we do a lot of the production ourselves. Over the years we have invested in cameras and studio sets so we have our own visual factory, so it’s easier and less expensive for us to make videos nowadays and there’s quite other video channels now not just MTV but there’s a lot of things on the internet. I think it’s still beneficial to let people know what it is you do and give people a visual of the band. Metal Fanatix: No doubt you are a fantastic vocalist. Do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare for a show? Geoff Tate: I start warming up early in the day and getting ready for the show. I try to stay healthy and take care of myself. As a singer on tour you can’t have as much fun as the other guys, you have to keep decent hours and get plenty of sleep, keep your body in shape because your body is your instrument. I exercise a lot and go to the gym, run things like that, just try to stay healthy. Metal Fanatix: Over the years you have shared the stage with so many great bands. Who have you enjoyed touring with the most and could you share a funny road story with us from the tour? Geoff Tate: There’s lot’s of them some are rather embarrassing [laughs]. In the early days I think we probably much more lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, that was what people did then and when we were younger we could endure it [laughs]. When we toured with Metallica we had a great time, they were young and wild and so were we. There was lots of liquor involved [laughs]. We all had gotten out of high school when we started the band and our education past high school has been the rock ‘n’ roll world, we’ve really been fortunate to tour with great bands like AC/DC, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest And Iron Maiden. We’ve shared the stage with some great players. We always watched how people did things, watched how they protected their band and their business and tried to learn from their mistakes so that we didn’t make them. And we just tried to keep the band together which is really the toughest thing to do. Metal Fanatix: Oh no doubt, especially when you’re on the road and there are so many temptations and people pulling you aside saying this and that! Geoff Tate: Yeah! It really is. Just the stress of being away from your families and your loved ones for months on end, it really takes its toll on ya, if you’re not prepared and don’t have a handle on things, it can really destroy a band. We’ve been a band for going on thirty years now so we’ve been there for each other is all different situations, we’ve had children together, divorces, family members pass away, and it’s something that we really don’t take for granted. Metal Fanatix: I wanted to ask you about family life too. I know you’re married and have five daughters, how do you find a constant balance between touring, being a husband and a dad? Geoff Tate: I’m still workin’ on that [laughs].
Geoff Tate: It’s been difficult to keep the balance there. Luckily I have a really strong wife, she’s very together and very organized. She also managers the band so that tells ya what kind of person she is. She keeps things running really smoothly and that really helps. If I had to do it all myself I’d fall apart. Metal Fanatix: Well obviously your wife comes out on tour with you guys quite a bit how about your daughters do they hit the road with you too? Geoff Tate: Yes they come out on tour as well, actually all of us bring our kids out on tour mostly in the summer time when there not in school, we have big family get-togethers, barbeques, we take the kids to Disneyland when we’re in Florida. Just all fun things, its great to be able to share the lifestyle together. Metal Fanatix: Is there one band that you have always wanted to hit the road with but for some reason it just hasn’t happened? Geoff Tate: Ya know, I’ve always wanted to tour with Alice Cooper. We’ve never actually done a tour together. We have done many festival dates together but never a full scale tour. A really good friend of mine was the drummer in his band for quite a while and Scott our drummer plays in a band with Alice’s new guitarist Damon Johnson they have a side project together [Slave to The System]. Alice and I talk quite a lot about stage shows and were both fans of Broadway and we golf. But we have never been able to tour together. Metal Fanatix: You guys should try to double bill the next Australian tour with Alice. That would be great! Geoff Tate: Yeah, that would be fun! Metal Fanatix: Geoff, I have read that you guys are already in writing mode for the next Queensryche album, what can you tell us about it, are there any working titles yet? Will it be another concept album? Geoff Tate: It’s just in the beginning stages right now, so I cant say too much other then we’ve started it, hopefully over the next year we will put this together, I’ll know more in six months. Metal Fanatix: What other projects are ahead for yourself and the band? Geoff Tate: Well, I have a solo project in the works which is pretty close to being finished, and I have another project that I am doing with some other people which is kind of a team based story record, I cant really talk about that much yet either but it’s hopefully the next thing that will be coming out in the spring I hope! Metal Fanatix: It’s been almost twenty five years since you guys released the first Queensryche E.P., why do you think you guys have lasted so long in an industry that see so many artists come and go? Geoff Tate: Well I credit it to tenacity, we like it, we love making records and we love touring so that glove fits really well. Honestly I think that what we do connects with people in some way, which is really hard to explain, but as long as the music connects we’ll keep doin' it. Metal Fanatix: Who have you been surprised to learn is a fan of the band? Geoff Tate: I guess we have appealed to people from all walks of life, from the clerk at the convenience store or an attorney there’s a big representative here in Washington State who is a huge fan. Eric Buell who designs motorcycles for Harley Davidson is a fan, there’s a whole bunch Metal Fanatix: Tell us something about the other guys in the band that we may not know? Geoff Tate: Well Eddie our bass player is an incredible chef, in fact I think he should open up a restaurant, he really gets into it. He’s always looking’ for an opportunity to cook, we rehearse at Eddie’s house, he has a big studio there, so we’re always there. He’s always looking’ for excuses to go in the kitchen rather then play bass [laughs]. But you can’t really turn him down cause’ what he makes you tastes so good. He’s always making incredible sandwiches or an Italian diner or a barbeque, you name it he can do it. Everybody has there own thing they do outside the band, Scott has his own line of custom made drums which is very cool. Michael, he’s really into coffee. He has a coffee company that imports coffee from Nicaragua or some place like that and me, I like to sail boats I have an old vintage yacht which I have spent the last couple of years restoring and I’d like to do some ocean crossing in the near future Metal Fanatix: Awesome, I have heard that you are quite a fan of classical music? Geoff Tate: Oh yeah, another thing I’d like to do hopefully in my retirement years is sing some opera professionally. I have been working and leaning in that direction the last couple of years. Opera is very demanding and you have to approach it from a different perspective cause’ you’re not using a microphone to get your voice across. Yeah I’d like to do that later on in life. Metal Fanatix: Being a member of such a successful band I would imagine you get asked some pretty weird questions from time to time. What’s the strangest/scariest question you have ever been asked? Geoff Tate: Well a guy from Estonia, which is in the Russian area asked me the other day in all seriousness, in my best Estonian accent “Geoff, I have a question for you” and I said “yes what is it”? “I wonder, why do you rock”? Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: I really didn’t know how to answer that so I just said “well I was born to” [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] yeah man that is a little out there, how about rumors, what’s the craziest rumor you had ever heard about yourself and or the band? Geoff Tate: Well, I’ve heard I was dead. Metal Fanatix: That really seems to be a popular rumor amongst many of the different bands I have spoken to, so many have said they have heard that themselves or another member of the band was dead! Geoff Tate: I know, I don’t know why people say it. It’s strange what people will do, human beings are just so bizarre. Are you familiar with that internet phenomenon myspace?
Geoff Tate: Well somebody just sent me a link to the Geoff Tate myspace which is supposedly my myspace site, but I don’t run it, I don’t own it, I don’t do anything with it. I went and looked at it and somebody is posing as me! That’s kind of weird. Metal Fanatix: I have heard a few different artists come out now saying that people are on there making out they are them on myspace in particular, for example Nikki Sixx has said there are 40+ Nikki Sixx’s on myspace and none of them are him! These days it is so easy to have your name dragged through the mud on sites like that I guess because of other people! Geoff Tate: That’s right. The disturbing thing is that they’re representing themselves as me! They’re answering people and talking to people as me and that’s just wrong! Metal Fanatix: The worst part is there isn’t really too much you can do about it either, I mean once they shut down the one page someone else just starts up a new one! Geoff Tate: I really don’t know what to do about it, if I could do anything I’d just ignore it and put out some message saying no this isn’t me, I don’t know? Metal Fanatix: It’s funny that we are talking about the internet. Look at how much technology has changed from those early days when you guys were first starting out. Technology has really come along way not just in the form of the internet but also it’s use in the studio. What other differences have you noticed in the industry since you guys started out? Geoff Tate: Oh it’s night and day to what it used to be, it’s lost a lot of the magic and I think it’s because so many people can access so much information now that there isn’t any mystic to what we do anymore. So many people talk and rumors get spread at a frantic pace. Even the AP Wire, [the Associated Press Wire] they just run with things now there’s no investigative journalism. They just run with a story, people read it and they think it’s truth. there are these rumors that are perceived as truth when there’s nothing to substantiate it at all Metal Fanatix: What's your take on downloading and file sharing? Do you think it hurts artist like yourself or do you look at it as a great way to get your music out to so many more people around the world? Geoff Tate: Well, it’s one of those things that’s a new frontier and it’s defiantly changed the way in which we make our income. Record sales not just ours but everybody’s has dropped 40 – 50% which is staggering. There’s really nothing you can do about it, it’s just the way the world is now so you have to learn to adapt and find other ways to making what it is you do happen. I don’t agree with file sharing and downloading and things like that, it’s illegal, it’s piracy but people just don’t seem to get that or don’t want to get that! It’s like trying to fight the wave in the ocean you just have to roll with it and learn how to adapt. Metal Fanatix: I am one person who does download a lot of music and in this field of work it really is the fastest way for me to get reviews done or prepare to do an interview on a new album etc. But when it comes to the general public, the fans who I have personally spoken to who download music most of them still go out and buy the albums anyway to have the artwork and lyrics. I personally have never really thought of it so much as a bad thing for so many people to download as long as attendance at the concerts are going up, do you guys find that even though your album sales may have dropped you are getting more people attend the shows? Geoff Tate: No actually it’s the opposite, there’s less attendance at the shows and less record sales. It’s completely devastated the industry. That’s to the band who has made a living out of the industry for a long time, but for a new band just starting out, downloading’s great because it’s promotion. It’s letting people know that you have something out there, where for an established artist, someone who collects royalties and things like that it’s a massive hit to the income. Metal Fanatix: So how the hell do you guys make an income these days? Geoff Tate: We still make an income, but we just make a lot less [laughs]. You just have to adjust your lifestyle and goals around it. Metal Fanatix: It really makes you wonder where the industry will be in another 10 – 15 years! Geoff Tate: Oh yeah, I think in the next five years you will see the end of record companies as we know them. They’re really all breaking up and going there own ways literally because they can’t make enough money to support there network that thy need to do business. The industry is in a real growth pattern right now and it’s changing and going into something else and I’m not quite sure where, I can’t predict where it’s going but it’s defiantly changing. Metal Fanatix: Geoff, there has been so many highlights in your career, what would you say have been your greatest achievements to date? Geoff Tate: Probably still being here, still making records and still touring, that’s a massive achievement for any band to last as long as we have, and to be able to go to work everyday and rehearse with people that you really like and that you have fun with. It’s a great way to make a living. Metal Fanatix: Geoff, we were talking about Ronnie earlier, I wanted to ask you about the Hear n aid project. ‘We are stars’ is still one of my favorite metal songs to date and is the song that introduced me to Queensryche. Working with so many iconic musicians on that song must have been a blast. Even though you only got a few lines in the song what do you recall from the sessions? Geoff Tate: I recall being incredibly self aware, and sub conscious and very scared Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: No really, Ronnie was great to work with, he set me at ease, he was very professional and just a really cool producer. It was funny when we were doin' that they gathered all of the musicians into this hotel suite; we kind of took over the whole floor of this hotel in Hollywood. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: We were all sitting around and chatting and somebody popped there head into the room and said “O.k. the busses are here to take everybody down to the studio, so everyone come down to the lobby”. We were all “yeah, yeah will do that”. So we all made our way out into the hallway there by the elevators standing around talking and talking and the door to the elevator opens up, I guess it had been about fifteen minutes that had gone by. When the elevator door opened the same guy who had told us about the busses was there and he said “Guys they have been waiting for you down in the lobby”. It was really funny because here are all these rock stars all combined in one small area and nobody had pushed the down button [Laughs]. Metal Fanatix: [Laughs] Geoff Tate: [Laughs] yeah kinda funny but pathetic huh! [Laughs]. Metal Fanatix: Oh [laughs] nuh that’s a good story mate, going back to you being self conscious laying down your vocals on the tracks, I guess it would have been a surreal experience with Ronnie there and rob Halford… Geoff Tate: Oh well Cameron, let me just paint the picture. You’ve got I had to do the solo part right, so I walked into the studio and Ronnie’s tryin' to make me feel comfortable “Here’s the microphone, here’s some tea, be comfortable”, “Do you want the lighting different”? “Do you want it low”? we were runnin' the track so I could familiarize myself with it and I’m looking back at the control room through the glass window and there’s the legend Ronnie Dio standing there looking at me, there’s Halford, there’s Ted Nugent all these guys are standing there watching [laughs] . Here I am thinking to myself they’re probably thinking ok kid show us what you’ve got [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: In your honest opinion what do you think about the direction that hard rock and heavy metal music has taken over the last few years? Geoff Tate: It’s kind of gone underground again, it’s not commercial music anymore and that’s kinda cool I think! I can’t see rap and hip hop lasting forever
Geoff Tate: Yeah let’s hope not [laughs]. Metal Fanatix: What advice would you give to up and coming rock/metal bands trying to break into the industry? Geoff Tate: Always follow your heart. Be true to your music and true to your beliefs, don’t get sidetracked by what all these other people think you. Metal Fanatix: Geoff I know you have a lot to do today so I will let you go, I want to thank you again for putting time aside to speak with us today, it’s been a true pleasure. Do you have any last words for our readers? Geoff Tate: Thanks so much to everybody who came out to the shows recently we had a great time and it made a real impact on us as a band, we really truly felt very close to people in Australia, we met a lot of great people and can’t wait to come back and play again. Cameron it’s been nice talking to you to. Thanks so much. Queensryche’s latest album ‘Operation Mindcrime II’ is out now. Grab your copy where all kick ass albums are sold. To keep up with all the latest Queensryche news go to the following websites: http://www.queensryche.com - Official Queensryche Site http://insideout666.mysite.freeserve.com - Dedicated to 40 years of hard rock & metal music Don’t miss Queensryche on tour ripping it up at the following venues. All dates are subject to change Sun 09/17/06 Mount Clemens, MI Emerald Theatre Tue 09/19/06 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino Thu 09/21/06 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square Fri 09/22/06 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square Sat 09/23/06 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues Mon 09/25/06 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre Tue 09/26/06 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater Wed 09/27/06 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre Fri 09/29/06 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium Sat 09/30/06 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot Sun 10/01/06 Albuquerque, NM Kiva Auditorium Mon 10/02/06 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre Wed 10/04/06 San Diego, CA Humphrey's By The Bay Thu 10/05/06 Universal City, CA Gibson Amphitheatre Fri 10/06/06 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues Sat 10/07/06 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino Sun 10/08/06 Kelseyville, CA Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa Tue 10/10/06 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues Wed 10/11/06 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre Thu 10/12/06 Portland, OR Roseland Theater Fri 10/13/06 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Sat 10/14/06 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Sun 10/15/06 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Tue 10/17/06 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort Wed 10/18/06 Boise, ID Big Easy Thu 10/19/06 Spokane, WA Big Easy Fri 10/20/06 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre Sat 10/21/06 Billings, MT Shrine Auditorium Wed 11/01/06 Toronto, ON Kool Haus Thu 11/02/06 Albany, NY Palace Theatre Fri 11/03/06 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Sat 11/04/06 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Sun 11/05/06 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live Tue 11/07/06 Greensburg, PA Palace Theatre Wed 11/08/06 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre Thu 11/09/06 Boston, MA Avalon Fri 11/10/06 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre Sat 11/11/06 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Sun 11/12/06 Montreal, QC Metropolis Tue 11/14/06 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues Wed 11/15/06 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium Fri 11/17/06 Saginaw, MI The Dow Event Center Sat 11/18/06 Covington, KY Madison Theatre Sun 11/19/06 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre Tue 11/21/06 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues Wed 11/22/06 Corpus Christi, TX Selena Auditorium Fri 11/24/06 Austin, TX Hogg Memorial Auditorium Sat 11/25/06 El Paso, TX Abraham Chavez Theatre Sun 11/26/06 Tucson, AZ Music Hall Tue 11/28/06 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot Thu 11/30/06 Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues Fri 12/01/06 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues Sat 12/02/06 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues Tix from the usual outlets © Cameron Edney September 2006 Not to be re-printed in any form without written permission. |
