Singing For Satan---Part 25

This week I continue my once-per-month series of posts regarding an informal study I undertook in the early 1990s regarding rock and pop music. The purpose of my study (and the background to it) can be read in the first installment of August 7, 2017. If you have not read that post, I strongly encourage you to do so before reading this installment. I will only repeat here the seven (7) evil elements that pervade today's music:

1. Violence/Murder/Suicide
2. Nihilism/Despair
3. Drug and alcohol glorification
4. Adultery/ Fornication and sexual perversion
5. The occult
6. Rebellion against lawful superiors
7. Blasphemy against God, Jesus Christ in particular, and the Church

 The exposing of the bands/artists continues.

Creed and Scott Stapp

 In the late 1990s, a new movement in rock and roll took place, known as the post-grunge movement.  Unlike the grunge bands, such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and the Stone Temple Pilots, the post-grunge music had a more polished and less abrasive sound. The lyrics were lest angst ridden (it would be hard to be more angst ridden than grunge!), and the power-ballad was revived to great commercial success. The post-grunge sound remained highly popular into the 2000s. At the forefront of the post-grunge craze was the band that all the others imitated--Creed. With bold, spiritual themed songs, Creed became a huge success thanks to lead singer Scott Stapp. Other bands of the genre such as 3 Doors Down, Cold, and Lifehouse, all had singers that tried to sound like Stapp, a man who became known as "The Voice" of the late 1990s. 

Creed was formed in Florida in 1993 by Scott Stapp (b. Anthony Flippen in 1973) on lead vocals/lyrics and his friend from high school, Mark Tremonti (b. 1974) who wrote music and played lead guitar. Stapp and Tremonti had been friends in high school and both wound up attending Florida State University where they started playing music together and decided to form a band. The duo put up posters around campus inviting musicians to try out. They chose three men whom they felt were both serious and talented. Brain Marshall (b. 1973) played bass, Thomas Scott "Flip" Phillips (b. 1973) played drums, and Brian Basher (b. 1973) played rhythm guitar. However, Basher left the band in 1995 before their first album was made, and they decided not to replace him, continuing Creed as a quartet.  

The band was looking for a name, and Tremonti thought that it would be funny to call themselves Naked Toddler, after he read a newspaper account of police having found such a child abandoned in the street. The others reluctantly agreed, but soon regretted the using the name when audiences thought they were promoting pedophilia and would boo them. Stapp insisted the name be changed immediately. He asked the other members if they ever played in other bands, and what names they had. Tremonti said he played for a short time with a group calling themselves Moxon Creed. Stapp immediately suggested just using "Creed" for the band as it sounded impressive to him. The group voted unanimously to adopt the name.   

After getting well known around the college area, the four of them worked at menial jobs for minimum wage, while studying and making music. The songwriting team of Stapp and Tremonti wrote tunes that were drawing in audiences, so the four of them (Basher had left) decided to scrape together $6,000 to produce a small amount of CDs for their first album entitled My Own Prison. They were successful, and were able to produce 6,000 low quality sounding CDs (what can you expect for $1 each?). Despite the sound quality they sold out all 6,000 copies quickly. A small local radio station started playing the title track, and the group caught the attention of Diana Meltzer and her husband; entrepreneurs who were starting a record label called  Wind-Up Records. She and her husband decided to hear Creed play in person, and they were amazed by Stapp's voice and sheer energy as he sang. They offered to sign them right away as their label's first act, and Creed signed immediately.

Wind-Up remixed the album, and released it nationwide. The first four singles hit number one in 1997. By 1998, everyone had heard of Creed, and most bands wanted to emulate them. They released their second album in 1999, entitled Human Clay---it was certified diamond (10 million copies sold). Their third album Weathered (2001) was tremendously successful as well, even though Creed was now a trio, with the departure of Marshall. The band broke up when Stapp and Tremonti had high tensions that ended their friendship. Stapp had a moderately successful solo career, while the other three members formed a group called Alter Bridge, which was not very successful (in large part due to the absence of Stapp's vocals). They reunited as Creed in 2009, putting out the album Full Circle, after which they broke up again. Creed has sold over 53 million albums worldwide, and was the ninth best-selling band of the 2000s.

Personal Research

Creed was sometimes referred to as a "Christian rock group" and Stapp was quick to denounce the idea. Twenty years ago, Stapp was quoted in an interview as saying, "I'm not preaching; I'm not trying to get people to believe in Christianity. And a lot of the songs are me trying to figure out if I believe in it at all, me trying to deal with the condemnation and guilt that Christianity can lay on a young person’s mind." Most of the songs seemed irreverent and questioning of God's existence and/or motives. At first, I decided not to include Creed in this series, because when I originally did my research, Creed hadn't taken off yet. My superficial findings I did when they hit the big time left me confused because Stapp was on drugs and a raging alcoholic, yet he never sang or bragged about it like the other rock artists. He also would make comments, such as:

 "...I'm haunted by God. It’s something that I can’t escape. I’ve been indoctrinated in that religion since I was an infant – it’s second nature to me. I believe in God because it’s what I’ve been told my entire life. So there’s a conflict in me; and probably for three songs each record, I’ll deal with that. It’s just a cleansing thing,..." Haunted by God? I couldn't help but think of the poem The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson. In the poem, the speaker is running from God, as do many people caught up in the world. But God pursues him. Although aware of God's love for him, the speaker continues to run, believing that submitting to God means giving up worldly pleasures. It seemed to fit Stapp's life as I saw it. While Tremonti seemed detestable, Stapp evoked a feeling of pity from me. As I was not really researching to the extent I used to, I decided to just stop my research of the group. The only artist I ever researched at length and found harmless was Christopher Cross (b. Christopher Geppert in 1951). I was not even intending to make Creed a post in this series until earlier this year.

In my original post in this series, I mentioned that in 1989, I met someone with whom I am still good friends today. He was a DJ on a small station in NY, playing CCM ("Contemporary Christian Music") which included "Christian Heavy Metal"! I learned quite a bit from him. He told me that the problem with secular rock and pop music are the lifestyles of the artists and the lyrics. He did not condemn all secular music. He does not claim that everything is evil unless specifically religious. He did bring out the need to beware and use discernment. I received a call from him--I'll call him "Rob" (not his real name)--- earlier this year. "How are you, my friend?" he asked. "I'm doing well! What's going on?" I replied. "How would you like to meet Scott Stapp in person?" I was stunned. I knew Rob refused to play Creed because he had serious reservations about the lyrics and lifestyles--although he too felt unsure about the group for the same reasons I did.

"I know you have connections, but why would you want to see Scott Stapp?" Rob was excited, "Didn't you hear? Scott accepted Christianity and his second solo album has songs in honor of Jesus! He's working on a new album right now, due out in July. You can read about his conversion in his 2012 autobiography called Sinner's Creed." I was at a loss for words. Rob continued, "Look I have an extra copy of his book, and I'll send you his last CD, Proof of Life. We used to talk about him when Creed was big." I thought for a moment and told Rob, "I'd like to meet him. Thank you for sending on the book and CD. Will I have time to read and listen before the meeting?" His answer was what I was hoping for: "Of course. It is a rehearsal of the new album, you'll hear it before anybody else. It's only February, and the meeting will be in June." I thanked Rob again, and couldn't wait to see what this conversion was all about.

 When the book and CD arrived, I devoured them. I finished the book in two evenings after work, and listened to the CD in my car. The story of Scott Stapp was fascinating to me. Born Anthony Scott Flippen on August 8, 1973, the future voice of Creed was born the son of a printer and former Marine, Richard Flippen and his wife Lynda. He has two younger sisters, Amanda and Aimee. When Anthony was still a little boy, his father abandoned his family. Neither his father or mother ever gave an explanation for this event. His mother got a divorce and took the kids to a Protestant church every Sunday. His mother was devout. While Anthony was still a boy, his mother got remarried to Steven Stapp, a dentist and Protestant minister.

At first, Anthony really liked Steve. After marrying his mother, he adopted all three children and gave them his surname. Anthony liked his middle name better than Anthony, so his new legal name became Scott Stapp. Steven Stapp soon revealed himself for who he really was; a bully. He would give "Christian discipline" in the form of beating his adopted children mercilessly for the slightest infraction of any one of his rules. As "head of the household" he didn't hesitate to slap around his wife if she "got out of line." Whenever Scott did something his adopted father did not like, he would make him go to his room and write an essay on some part of the Bible, such as the Book of Job. The next Sunday, his father plagiarized Scott's analysis of the Book of Job for his sermon and never gave his son credit. Scott said nothing for fear of being beaten, and his adopted father kept on plagiarizing.

It was from this caricature of "God" that Scott Stapp rebelled. He wound up running away from home and enrolling in Florida State University (even though he had been accepted at Ivy League schools), where he barely made enough money by waiting tables and had some help from his biological father whom Scott hunted down in order to reconnect. After his career with Creed took off, the Meltzer's were pushing Scott to perform night after night without any respite. They had an unscrupulous doctor give Scott pain medications to which he became addicted. He would also "self-medicate" with alcohol and have blackouts. He fell into deep depression.

He met a young woman Hillaree Burns whom he married in 1997, but he admits he really didn't really love her. They had a son, Jagger, for whom he wrote the mega-hit song With Arms Wide Open. He divorced Burns when she proved to be more of an addict than he was, and Stapp obtained sole custody of their son. By 2003, Scott Stapp was worth almost $30 million dollars. Thanks to the mismanagement of the Meltzer's and his drug and booze addiction, he wound up losing almost all his money. Not only that, but his adopted father's dental practice was going south and he had racked up massive debt. Scott's mother asked him to help, and despite years of abuse, he bailed Steven Stapp out to the tune of $1.5 million dollars. His family only called on him when they needed money, and now the money was gone. He put two guns to his head and was going to kill himself so he could be like Kurt Cobain--a "martyr" that could produce a lot of money for his son.

Tremonti and the other band members had turned on him, so why not "finish it"? Tremonti accused Stapp of being a narcissist who wanted all the attention, yet when Rolling Stone magazine called wanting to put Scott Stapp on the cover, he refused unless Creed was on the cover as a band. No one turns down Rolling Stone, but Scott did just that, and the Meltzers were furious! The magazine unexpectedly called back a couple of days later, and agreed to put all of Creed on the cover. Instead of being happy, when the band found out, they became angry that Stapp was even asked to be on the cover alone. Jealousy was tearing them apart. As he thought of all this and was about to pull the trigger, out of the corner of his eye he saw a picture of his son Jagger, and shot up his house as he cried. His love for his son had saved his life.

In 2004, after Creed broke up, Stapp embarked on a solo career. His first album went platinum in 2005, called The Great Divide. In 2005, his life took a good turn when he met 2004 Miss New York beauty queen Jaclyn Nesheiwat. They were married in 2006 and have three children. Later that year, while drunk, he fell off a roof and should have died. He was found by a Christian rap artist T.I. who saved his life by finding Scott and staying with him until the ambulance he called arrived. That's when Stapp began taking God seriously again. In 2012, his autobiography came out, and his 2013 album Proof of Life definitely had a Christian spin on it.

He had written the song Jesus was a Rockstar:

He walked on water man. He made that water wine.
And then he drank with people you and me would just cast aside
He did his people good. Just like he said he would.
And in the blink of an eye, he gave a blind man sight
His love was thunder in the sky
His roar was lions in the night
When he spoke he always drew a crowd
His message was his lifestyle
He gave us everything and more
He was the party we've been looking for
Maybe, just maybe.... Jesus was rockstar!
Can I get a witness?
He brought the dead to life
He rose when called to rise
There was a passion in his eyes and it spread like wildfire
His love was thunder in the sky
His roar was lions in the night
When he spoke he always drew a crowd
His message was his lifestyle
He gave us everything and more
He was the party we've been looking for
Maybe, just maybe.... Jesus was rockstar!
Can I get a witness?
Father I have sinned a million sins
Save me from this world you put me in
So come on. Come on. Bring Jesus back again.

His love was thunder in the sky
His roar was lions in the night
When he spoke he always drew a crowd
His message was his lifestyle
He brought the fire and the light
He wrote the songs you can't deny
He rocked so hard, I can hear him now
He brought the house down!
He gave us everything and more
He was the party we've been looking for
Maybe, just maybe
I said maybe, just maybe
Maybe, maybe, maybe
Jesus was a rockstar
Can I get a witness?
Jesus was a rockstar

Can I get a witness?

I didn't know what to make of all of this material. Stapp fell off the wagon after his book, and his wife filed for divorce. He pleaded for her not to leave and they reconciled. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a psychotic break in 2014 and turned more to prayer. He's been clean and sober ever since. With all this info, I went to meet the man himself.

The Meeting

Note to my readers: The words attributed to myself and Scott Stapp are as best I remember them. I did not record the meeting (his security team did not allow such--or cameras). What follows is as close to the actual conversation according to my memory and the notes I made right afterwards to keep the memory fresh. The ideas and things we discussed are accurate, but I do not mean to imply that every actual word is captured in quotations.---Introibo

I arrived with my friend at the place where the meeting would occur. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Rob and I entered with a couple of other people he knew. Scott Stapp and his band members were practicing the songs for his new album The Space Between the Shadows. They were playing as if they were in front of a huge audience of thousands, not alone in an auditorium. I have never witnessed anyone sing with the energy and passion of Scott Stapp. That's in large part because all the songs are personal to him. He was never allowed to express his feelings growing up, so music was his way to put his emotions out for the world to hear on topics about which he really cared.

The songs were quite moving and very reverent. No bad language was used, and the band was very serious as they played. When they finished the set, Scott saw Rob and the rest of us. "Hello, and welcome!" he shouted. Scott Stapp came and greeted each of us. He stands about 5'9" and has a slim, muscular build. He was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, socks and sneakers--all solid black. Mr. Stapp was humble, genuine, and affable; very refreshing for someone who was so famous. We shook hands and I inquired if I might ask him a few questions. "Of course," he said with a smile. 

"How would you describe your music now? Are you a Christian Rock artist or a Christian who plays rock and roll?" He thought for a moment. "I'm a Christian who plays rock and roll. I wasn't always a good Christian, I did some very bad things, but I was always Christian in my heart. Some people feel that my earlier songs were disrespectful towards God, but that's what I was going through at the time--I was questioning my faith. If your faith is so strong you never questioned it, I admire that, but for myself and many others, we are sometimes overcome by doubts. Christian rock is always out in the open about Christ, and I am sometimes too. Other times my message is subtle. Therefore, I avoid the term 'Christian rock' for me. I turned my back on God because of my upbringing (he pointed to the copy of his autobiography I was holding). But I was wrong. My adopted father's God is not the True God. I've come back to a proud faith."

An example of questioning his faith from his time with Creed can be seen in the lyrics to Don't Stop Dancing:

At times life is wicked and I just can't

See the light

A silver lining sometimes isn't enough

To make some wrongs seem right

Whatever life brings

I've been through everything

And now I'm on my knees again

But I know I must go on

Although I hurt I must be strong

Because inside I know that many

Feel this way

Children don't stop dancing

Believe you can fly

Away, away

At times life's unfair and you know

It's plain to see

Hey God I know I'm just a dot in this world

Have you forgot about me?

Whatever life brings

I've been through everything

And now I'm on my knees again

But I know I must go on

Although I hurt I must be strong

Because inside I know that many

Feel this way

Children don't stop dancing

Believe you can fly

Away, away

Am I hiding in the shadows?

Forget the pain and forget the sorrows

Am I hiding in the shadows?

Forget the pain and forget the sorrows

But I know I must go on

Although I hurt I must be strong

Because inside I know that many feel this way

Children don't stop dancing

Believe you can fly

Away, away (Emphasis mine)

He wonders if God "forgot" about him during his trials, but he's on his knees again, praying anyway.

Next, I asked him, "What is your song Higher about? I've done some research, and there are some sources that claim it's about Hinduism and you wrote it while engaged in pagan/occult meditation. Some claim it's a reference to drugs." Scott's head dropped. He looked sincerely pained by the question. He looked up and said, "The song is about Heaven, however you conceive of it. I'm Christian, so of course I see it from a Christian worldview. The idea that it involves Hinduism or the occult is just another vicious rumor about me. If I had a dime for every vicious rumor, I'd be worth multi-millions.I detest drugs and alcohol abuse. It nearly destroyed me and I don't approve of songs that glamorize it. The song speaks of streets of gold; that's Biblical imagery." 

He then took me on a brief survey of his new album. The title The Space Between the Shadows, is a collection of songs which tells us that as Christians we see life is mostly pain/evil, so we must find the space or light between those dark areas (evil) to learn and grow from our hurts and help others in pain. In so doing, we help ourselves, grow closer to God, and make sense of life. "Let me show you something," he said, and lead me to a large screen TV. "Watch this short video." A twelve minute video played showing Scott and his wife helping children in Central America. He donates a portion of his income to helping these impoverished kids. As I watched, one of the songs from his album played in the background of the video called Wake Up Call. It expresses the exasperation he feels about God sometimes seeming far away. It means the oppressed of this world (like these poor children) can be helped, and life changed for the better if we want it to; let the suffering of others be our wake up call to action.

One day the bridge is going to break

One day the world will stand still

The sky will fall the earth will shake

There's just so much a heart can take

This is a wake up call

How many times before you lose it all

You're like a cannon ball

Breaking walls

This is a wake up call

Before there's no one left to catch your fall

But you can change it all

If you want to...

Sometimes life is so insane

Sometimes we don't know what to feel

Does God help us when we pray

Or do we face it all alone, all alone

This is a wake up call

How many times before you lose it all

You're like a cannon ball

Breaking walls

This is a wake up call

Before there's no one left to catch your fall

But you can change it all

If you want to...

If you want to...

If you want to...

If you want to...

This is a wake up call

How many times before you lose it all

This is your wake up call

Before there's no one left to catch your fall

But you can change it all

If you want to...

If you want to...

If you want to...

If you want to...

This is your wake up call

And you can change it all

If you want to...

If you want to...

Then he spoke about a touching ballad dedicated to two of his friends (rock singers Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington) who lived the same heathen lifestyle he did and died. "I wonder why they're gone and I'm still here. I hope they're in a better place. I'm glad to be alive, and I want to make my time count doing good here on Earth." The ballad is called Gone Too Soon:

So heavy I hit the floor

My heart is shaken and torn

Can't catch my breath don't know what to feel

My tears are starting to burn

I scream it wasn't your turn

I can't believe it, this can't be real

Gone too soon my friend

I know your dancing with angels on the wind

It's not the end

Until I reach forever

And were together

You will always be

Gone too soon

A heart with love left to give

A soul with life left to live

So full of color not one defined you

I wish I had one more day

So much that I'd want to say

So much that I didn't take the time too

Gone too soon my friend

I know your dancing with angels on the wind

It's not the end

Until I reach forever

And were together

You will always be

Gone too soon

Oh... Gone too soon

Oh... Yeah

Still can't believe that its true

Still can't believe that's its you

Gone too soon my friend

I know your dancing with angels on the wind

It's not the end

Until I reach forever

And were together

You will always be

Gone too soon

Gone too soon

Gone too soon

Finally, I had to ask him one last question about my favorite song on the album; it is the only other ballad called Mary's Crying. I heard the lyrics but I wondered if it could possibly be true, since this man is a Protestant. "The song Mary's Crying---is it about the Blessed Mother crying over the evil in the world?" He smiled. "Yes." My jaw nearly hit the ground. He had met Traditionalist Mel Gibson (in his better days) when he made the mega-hit, awesome movie The Passion of the Christ. Gibson had asked him to write a song for the album to the film, which Scott did, called Relearn Love:

On a dark and lonely highway

I need the Son to raise my head

I come before you... I am naked

The man I am now must be shed

I've weathered storms and I am broken

My beaten heart is in your hands

What I really need is shelter and a chance

To relearn love

Teach me all over, all over

To relearn love

Show me again

So I can relearn love

The comfort of your arms around me

Your tender hands caress my head

I lay beside you, I'm not worthy

This jaded man's not who I am

I've touched the flame and I've been burned

All I need is a second chance

Give me eyes of a child

And teach this man

To relearn love

Teach me all over, all over

To relearn love

Show me again

So I can relearn love

To relearn love

Teach me all over, all over

To relearn…

I shook Mr. Stapp's hand and thanked him for his honesty and time. I asked if he would autograph my book and he did. As we were leaving, Rob asked me what I thought about him. I said, "He gives me hope that God can do wonderful things for us if only we let Him." He smiled at me and nodded his head. A day I'll never forget, as I drove back home. 

Mary's Crying

Faith is falling, hate is rising

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

A chill on my skin

As I watch the world cave in

Can't see the light

With our backs against the sun

Can you believe what we've become

I wish I could wipe away her tears

I wish I could wipe away her tears

Faith is falling, hate is rising

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Homes are broken, children dying

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Should I be surprised

When the truth is laced with lies

So lost, so numb

Seems like no one really listens

Seems like no one really cares

Faith is falling, hate is rising

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Homes are broken, children dying

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

I wish I could wipe away her tears

I wish I could wipe away her tears

Oh... oh... Mary's crying

Oh... oh... Mary's crying

Faith is falling, hate is rising

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Homes are broken, children dying

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Oh... oh... Mary's crying

Faith is falling, hate is rising

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

Homes are broken, children dying

Can't you hear Mother Mary crying

I wish I could wipe away her tears...

Conclusion and Note To My Readers

This post concludes my "Singing For Satan" series. I hope you understand why I ended with Scott Stapp. Even those who are "Singing For Satan" are not too far gone that God can't reach them. I never though a Protestant who had lived the life of a pagan would write such a beautiful song about the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. While this is not an endorsement, I find him inspirational. Didn't the great saints of the Church tell us that if one holds a tender devotion to Mary, they can be saved? Perhaps God is leading Scott to the True Faith! I wanted this to end with a positive message; musically speaking, on a high note!

To all my readers: I hope you got something out of this series of posts. I'd appreciate your comments on both the series as a whole and this post on Creed and Scott Stapp in particular. This does not mean I will never again write a post on a musical artist or group. If something strikes me as worthwhile, I will write about it, but not as part of a regular series, or a continuation of this one. I'm starting a new series on a new topic next month, but I'll leave the subject matter a surprise until the first Monday of September. PLEASE COMMENT ON THE SERIES AND/OR THIS FINAL POST. I learn a lot from my readers, and I want to see what you think of this endeavor that stretched out for two years. ---Introibo