{"id":12393,"date":"2014-01-06T01:00:09","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12393"},"modified":"2024-01-30T16:00:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T21:00:39","slug":"blowin-wind-with-queensryches-geoff-tate-one-persons-art-is-another-persons-waste-of-time-its-really-all-very-subjective-and-i-think-art-should","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=12393","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Queensryche\u2019s Geoff Tate: \u201cOne person\u2019s art is another person\u2019s waste of time. It\u2019s really all very subjective and I think art should push people\u2019s buttons.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to believe that it\u2019s been 31 years since Queensryche arrived in the metal world a young, hungry band with a sound that was a unique mix of progressive smarts and classic NWOBHM.\u00a0 While the music of Queensryche was stellar on it\u2019s own, it was the voice of lead singer Geoff Tate that truly made Queensryche a revolutionary and ground breaking band.\u00a0 With a voice that cuts through the air with the intensity of a sonic boom, Geoff Tate over the years would solidify himself as one of the most unique singers in metal and go on to inspire and influence a whole new generation of singers.\u00a0 Queensryche experienced many years of success and some amazing albums but in 2012 a shakeup in the band had the band parting ways and eventually being a camp divided.\u00a0 Queensryche vs. Queensryche.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the last couple of years have been trying times for not just a band divided but a fan base divided as well.\u00a0 I really got kind of tired reading all these interviews with Geoff Tate that seemed to never go beyond the feud between him and his former band mates.\u00a0 I decided to reach out to Geoff to see if he\u2019d be willing to talk about anything else other than that and he excitedly jumped on it.\u00a0 Geoff is a great guy and he’s a cut above the rest.\u00a0 We talked about the weather (literally), the subjectivity of music and other art forms, and eventually did touch briefly on his feelings about the bitter parting of ways.\u00a0 This was a great honor for me and I hope you all will dig reading my conversation with Geoff Tate.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Geoff.\u00a0 Thanks so much for taking the time out to talk to me today.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you.\u00a0 It\u2019s my pleasure, Don.<\/p>\n

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Happy Holidays to you and your family by the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks Don.\u00a0 We\u2019re enjoying it but our weather\u2019s been incredibly cold right now here in Seattle.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been having several weeks of weather below the 20s which is kind of unusual for this part of the world.<\/p>\n

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Well we\u2019re in Atlanta and we are also having colder weather than we\u2019re used to as well.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it\u2019s because we\u2019re a bunch of lightweights though.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] What temperature have you guys been at?<\/p>\n

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Oh we\u2019ve been in the 30s and below.\u00a0 Got some ice and what not.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh wow that is cold [laughs].<\/p>\n

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Geoff, if it\u2019s ok with you I\u2019d rather not talk about the whole QR vs. QR thing.\u00a0 Besides, you\u2019ve probably feel like this horse has been beating way too much.\u00a0 You must be tired of going there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Thank you.\u00a0 Yes, I am [laughs].<\/p>\n

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What is the one question that you get asked so much that you if you had to hear it again you\u2019d scream?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I get asked a lot about the lawsuit of course.\u00a0 Over the last year it\u2019s been pretty predominant in the interviews.\u00a0 Nobody ever asks me about music [laughs].<\/p>\n

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Geoff, I\u2019ve got to know.\u00a0 What was it that made you want to be a musician in the first place?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I heard music [laughs].\u00a0 I found it to be incredibly inspiring and emotional and the more I learned about it the more I became enamored with the act of creating music and how you could completely lose yourself in your imagination and surround yourself with this noise that you\u2019ve created that you could manipulate and design to carry out the message of what you\u2019re thinking about.\u00a0 Music is a playground in a sense and you get to create these different places for you to go and for other people to go as well.<\/p>\n

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The latest Queensryche album Frequency Unknown<\/em> turned out to be quite the conversation starter.\u00a0 There was even a contest not too long ago where you had people video their thoughts on the album.\u00a0 What was it like watching people make such fools of themselves?\u00a0 Was there a little reverse psychology going on there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] Well, I think that\u2019s a really astute observation on your part and I think the videos kind of speak for themselves.\u00a0 There\u2019s really not much to say beyond that [laughs].<\/p>\n