Geoff Tate - Queensryche
 

Darrin: Geoff, it has been about 26 years or so since you played a few shows with  the Mob. Did you think that you would still be at it here nearing the end of 2007?

Geoff: (laughs) Wow, no, you never really think of it as being a career. It just works out that way. I am VERY glad it did, and we have had a wonderful career so far. It has been incredibly challenging and a great learning experience.

Darrin: I am still finding it strange to hear a Queensryche track on a classic rock station

Geoff: It is a different thing to get used to.

Darrin: 2007 has been a pretty prolific year for Queensryche, with a ton of touring, releases of Mindcrime at the Moore, Sign Of The Times, and a 3^rd release in early 2008.

Geoff: Yes, and we also have a November release of cover songs called Take Cover.

Darrin: Is there a reason behind the multitude of releases in 2007?

Geoff: Uh, you know, umm..no! (laughs) I guess when it rains, it pours. Of course, out main thrust of work has been capturing and recording Mindcrime at the Moore live, and to go on the road with the show, performing both records, was really our endeavor. All of the rest of the stuff started happening probably as a result of that. Just getting that project done allowed for it.

Darrin: You guys have survived through some pretty extreme changes in the industry, and you would have known the Seattle/Grunge scene better than most. That whole movement really took a bite out of the momentum of metal and rock. It never came back to what it was pre-90’s. Queensryche has seemed to have been able to maintain a strong following not in just the European and Japanese market, but here domestically. What do you see as factors that have helped you maintain yoru following?

Geoff: Umm, we have just never given in to other people’s perception of us. I think we can talk about the late 80’s and early 90’s was a time where the record industry was a lot different than it is now. It has gone through a major, major change.  You used to ship 900,000 to 1,000,000 records when you released an album, and now, when you ship 10,000 the record company is high fiving each other and patting each other on the back. The numbers are drastically different to what they used to be.

We just never gave up touring. We have always seen that as a very important part of what we do. We tour more now than we used to. We tour and sell records in 26 countries. We just never stopped. I credit the success of the band to tenacity. Don’t worry about what everyone else thinks, just keep moving forward.

Also, you have to look at different ways to market the band.

Darrin: Kind of like Prince, selling out a string of shows in the UK, where the ticket price covers a copy of the new disc. They pulled all the discs from the shelves in the UK to make sure the concerts sold out.  I guess that is the opposite, using the disc to sell shows, than the shows being the vehicle to move albums…

Geoff: Right.  Because on one hand, record sales number shave dried up so drastically, that you have to keep looking for something new, or you die. You have to be able to invent new ways of marketing. Nobody is going to do it for you either.  The record companies sure won’t.

Darrin: Are you guys looking more at the digital realm, digital delivery etc? Perhaps the ability to download all of the tracks for a release, and the ability to download artwork for it?

Geoff: Yes, and a lot of that is happening now. In fact, a lot of the things we used to take as standard, such as releasing Cd’s is going to go to the wayside. You are starting to see less of that all the time now. It seems the public these days is more geared to downloading single songs. I think you will start seeing bands just releasing individual songs over the web.

Darrin: I guess that will be very beneficial to the band, it is cost effective, to release a song digitally, and not forcing said band to be segued away for months at a time, and now more able to get out there and play, and work on other things also.

Geoff: Right! And one thing that I think that happens to people is that they get discouraged by times changing. They want things to be the way that they used to be. That is a very unrealistic way to look at life. Things are always changing. You have to be versatile and go with the flow and look ahead to see what is happening and jump on the wave. That just does not happen for a lot of bands.

In the 90’s it was made clear that a lot of bands just can not play live. They really depended on the record sales to generate income. They were having that image to sell, not actual musicianship. So, with record sales down, bands are having to rely on touring to make a living. If they can’t play, they can’t tour. (laughs) So, it kind of weeds them all out.

Darrin: I have to admit that was one of my biggest issues through the 90’s was the total disregard to playing the music, the musicianship and dedication to learning one’s instrument.  Sure, it let hacks like me be in a band (laughs) but something was lost.

And speaking of musicianship and the old days, has there ever again been any thought put towards the possibility of seeing the Three Tremors, yourself, Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson working together?

Geoff: Well, that was actually just dinner conversation, that kind of got stretched into a sound byte, and got passed along, that the media ran along with. It was never really a plan. BUT, so many people have talked to me about it, that now I am starting to think “Wow, that may be a really great idea”.

Darrin: What was it like working with Ronnie James Dio as Dr, x on Mindcrime II?

Geoff: Oh, it was fantastic.  The guy is a brilliant musician. And not just a great singer, of which he is, and a legend. But he is actually a wonderful musician. He is very able, very skilled, a pleasure to work with.  I played him the song (The Chase) over the phone, and when he came to the studio, just incredibly prepared. He had a game plan in mind and it was a great one, and he just really took over the character and made it his own. I love that guy, Ronnie is one of the bright spots in my life. He has always been a good friend and a supporter of our music, and given us an introduction to an audience when we were first starting out, as one of the first tours we ever went on. He also gave us an introduction to the life of rock n roll on the road, which I will always appreciate.

Darrin: Was he the one and only choice to play the role of Dr, X? Was there a short list?

Geoff: No, he was the first guy I called. In fact, I wanted his voice, because he has a certain “sinister” quality in his delivery.  I just thought that he could really play this character. Luckily, when I called him, he picked up the phone. I just started talking, “ I have this character, and this story, you might have heard of Mindcrime, here is the story, it kinda goes like this, here is the song…what do you think?” (laughs).

Darrin: Another aspect of Queensryche, is that it seems to write to the current mood or disposition of the band. In the early days, the band could get a very political feel to it. Promise Land has always felt dark, and I remember there being turmoil in the band and your loves at that time. Does the writing still go that way? Orr does writing go more towards the scientific approach of riff and hooks, built up in rehearsals?

Geoff: Oh, it is totally inspired by events. Usually social events, things happening within the culture, I find to be incredibly inspirational. I like to observe human nature, and see what is going on with people and write from that perspective.

What we do, that works very well for us, is we sit around and talk a lot. During rehearsals. We kind of talk ourselves into a song. We will talk about a situation or an event, and explore it that way, from different angles, and after an hour or so a riff will come out of it, and out of the riff comes a rhythm comes sort of an arrangement.  It just kind of snowballs from there. It ALWAYS starts with a conversation about a topic.

Darrin: Back in the beginning, when you were playing with The Mob, I remember reading that perhaps metal, or that type of music was not your first choice of what you wanted to be doing. What was your original direction, if you will that you wanted to follow when you got into the business?

Geoff: Well back then we did not have all of these catch phrases, to describe music, the way it is done now. Everything is so niche oriented now. It was all rock music. I was not necessarily not into the metal thing, the phrase was not that wide spread yet, I was really looking for musicians that could interact with me, in a way that I thought I needed. Creatively. And a group of people that were dedicated to making music and having a good work ethic, not being into it for the drugs and the girls and all of that stuff. I wasn’t into that at all. I just wanted really solid musicians that you could count on, and that you could sit around with and have conversations like “So what do you think of this homelessness issue?” and they would have an actual opinion of it, and  be able to express that opinion.

Darrin: Songs that you wrote, so many years ago, things like Empire, are still very relevant today. Musically, and message-wise, still very current.

Geoff: I think what we did was write about issues that were relevant to being in a society. We are always going to have people that make a living selling drugs, there is no way to really fight it. It is part of being human. We are always going to have a police force. Those things are always going to be in place. It is pretty well a no-brainer to talk about it. It is going to be a timeless subject.

Darrin: What is your preference, the studio or the touring?

Geoff: Oh, both. The studio is a very creative environment, it can be incredibly challenging, frustrating and maddening at times. I really enjoy that part of it. I really like to present what we create live, and playing in front of an audience to get their reaction. It is really a balancing act and I really enjoy both of them.

Darrin: Is there something in the music path, or other avenues of the entertainment world that you would be interested in trying out, aside from what you are doing now?

Geoff: Well, music really satisfies me in a lot of ways. I would not mind doing a little bit of stage acting, musicals or something like that. That is, if the right thing comes about. The problem I have with Broadway and things like that, I honestly just do not really like a lot of the music. I am just not into a lot of the lyrics and the music. I will just be polite and say it is not my cup of tea. (laughs)

Darrin: (laughs) Not big on the show tunes huh? 

Geoff: (laughs) No, not at all….Maybe if I wrote it myself, I would be more into it, and take it in another direction of what’s out there.

Darrin: Hmmm, Mindcrime, The Musical?

Geoff: Hahaha…

Darrin: What do you like to do in your downtime? If you get a chance to walk away from the music scene for the weekend, what does Geoff Tate do?

Geoff: Well, I am kind of a family guy. I have 5 children, well, three of them have moved out now on their own, but 2 are still at home. My wife and I do a lot of activities with the kids, we go on road trips, camping and we have a sailboat that we use to go sailing around the islands north of Seattle here.

Darrin: Do you have any favorite cities or destinations that you like to hit on tour?

Geoff: Oh gosh, there are so many. Man, I love playing anywhere. We have played in some really weird places, we played outdoor shows in Rio, in front of 225,000 people, we have done little tiny 800 seat venues in Bucharest you name it. We play them all and we love it each and every time. It is always different. It is a different audience, and a different stage. That is the great thing about touring, that you get to have all of these great experiences, and it is never the same.

Darrin: Is there any touring plans for the band right now?

Geoff: We actually just finished a tour with Heaven and Hell, across North America with Alice Cooper, and we are taking off the first week of November, for a few weeks of touring in Europe, Spain Portugal and the UK.

Darrin: What is next for the band?  Is there new material on the table for a new recording?

Geoff: Yup.  We are in the writing process right now for a new studio album. We are just about done writing and will try to finish that up right before we get ready to hit the road, and in the studio, recording in March. We hope to have the album out sometime near late summer.

Darrin: Recording locally?

Geoff: Yes, right in Seattle.  That works out great for us these days.  It is nice to be home during the recording process.

Darrin: Geoff, I appreciate your time with me this morning, and I wish you all the best with the touring, the releases and the upcoming album!

Geoff: You are welcome, it was my pleasure.