Interview with Creed frontman Scott Stapp

Creed frontman Scott Stapp has been back in action with his band. They recently wrapped the U.S. leg of their 2 Nights Live Tour in honor of their debut record's 15th anniversary. After a string of successful albums, the band would experience a very public breakup with life spiraling downward for Stapp because of his battle with alcohol addiction. In his recovery process, Stapp would document his experiences overcoming the demons that plagued him. He is now ready to share his story in a new memoir titled Sinner's Creed. Stapp talked with TheCelebrityCafe.com about his personal book, life on the road, and new music.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: Could you tell me more about the song that is bundled with the book?

Scott Stapp: The song is called “Sinner's Creed: A Prayer for Sunrise.” It's music that I worked on during the same time of writing the book and I feel that it was inspired by that process. This song in particular is something that I wanted to share. It echoes a theme: What has helped me up to the this point to overcome the obstacles and struggles of life. I tell you I shouldn't be here, but the song is a thanks to being here. I want to share the hope and story of getting through this. The last thing I had left was to pray. That little bit in retrospect was enough to keep me moving forward. I was not feeling alone because of that faith in God and knowing the sun will rise, which led me to make changes in my life.

TCC: How was the experience writing your memoir?

SS: It was a journey of self-discovery. A very, very cathartic experience. I realized that life is difficult with struggles and it's not a piece of cake. You don't need a bag full of rocks to carry around with you and that's what I begun to do. Writing Sinner's Creed gave me that opportunity to start cleaning out that bag of rocks, clearing out things in my life that were making it more difficult. Because of denial, ego, and everything that goes through that process, it took me a lot of hard lessons and a lot of experiences that were very public to get me to the point where I could see that and write this book.

TCC: When did you start writing the memoir?

SS: It started at the treatment center called Willing Way. That's where the process began to start. After that I met with [writer] David [Ritz], a mentor, friend, and a fellow person who's shared struggles with himself. He guided me and helped me succeed in writing this book. I'm really grateful for him because he helped me come out of the darkness.

TCC: What do you hope this book accomplishes after being released in October?

SS: I needed to get this stuff out and share my story. As I came to write this book, I kept in mind that all these struggles in my life and the public humiliation that came after my alcoholism and addiction. They were very public and I began to change how I looked at that. They were no longer sources of guilt and shame and embarrassment. They had purpose because I made it through. It just twisted how I looked at my past and all these rocks in my bag. It began to give them purpose. This happened for a reason. This doesn't mean that my life is worthless and I ruined everything. This is something I can share now and hope that if there's anyone else out there going through this that they can relate and it can encourage change. And that goes out to any human being no matter what they are involved in. That was a big part of the healing process for me in reconciling my life.

TCC: How's life been on the road for this past tour in the U.S.?

SS: The shows and the fans have been amazing. It's almost like no time has passed. I have appreciation for my fans that I could have never had had I not felt that I lost it all. I got to live that old cliché: “You don't know what you have until it's gone.” Being back in this place and performing and feeling like a human being again – it's just that I'm so thankful and it shows. It's the energy I bring to the performances because I want my fans to know.

TCC: How was it re-visiting material from your first two albums with Creed on this show?

SS: It's been awesome. We're actually doing material from all the albums. It's been great to take that journey every night and tell those stories and share those dreams and those feelings. The dreams are still relevant and at times there are songs that are more relevant to me because of what happened. That makes it easier to bring that true honesty and commiseration into the songs. And there's always the intense passion behind the famous material and that's been really inspiring as well.

TCC: This year marks the 15th anniversary of the first Creed album. Is there any advice you would give yourself starting out then?

SS: Lots and lots of advice. It would be to keep those you love you very close. If they have their best interest in your life, let them stay involved in your life. Enjoy people that speak truth to you. Don't get caught up 'cause it could kill you.

Sinner's Creed will be released on October 2.

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