================================================ Subject: scotty p interview part one From: "Lee Reed" To: Date: Tue 10 Jul 2001 14:38:58 -0400 ================================================ okay, i'm going to try this again...but in two parts (damn listserve...original message was 256 lines...sheesh, no room for error huh?LOL) X-OriginalArrivalTime: 10 Jul 2001 18:32:49.0046 (UTC) FILETIME=[B88E2360:01C1096E] this is old news, but i'm sure not everyone' seen it...and how often do we really hear from scotty p? Lee From Mars Music.com For Creed's Scott Phillips, Life is Amazing! An Exclusive Interview by Howard Goldberg At 27, Scott Phillips has accomplished what most drummers only dream of accomplishing. He may attribute his success to luck, but it has been hard work and focus combined with great songwriting and musicianship that has taken him and his bandmates to the top of their game. It was a one in a million chance that a band from Tallahassee, FL, after two years of being together, would land a record deal and end up being the biggest rock band in America. Scott Phillips (drums), along with his bandmates Mark Tremonti (guitar), Brian Marshall (bass--who was not on this tour and has since left the band), and Scott Stapp (vocals) always believed that it would happen that way. "Looking back, we were idiots to think things would happen the way they did," Scott says in retrospect. "We were so naive. We thought it was just going to work that way. We got lucky with the amount of success we've had, especially with how quick it all happened." It may be naive for most bands to think that way, but most bands aren't Creed. Since first getting together as a full band in March of 1995, Creed has gone on to sell over 13 million records worldwide (My Own Prison-5 million copies sold and Human Clay-8 million copies sold) and continues to win over new fans with insightful songwriting and awe-inspiring live concerts. It was at one of those awe-inspiring concerts on November 22, 2000, at the Mars Music Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, FL, where I had the opportunity to talk with Scott Phillips about what it was like to play drums for the biggest band in the land. Marsmusic (mm): What first inspired you to play the drums? Scott Phillips (SP): As a kid I loved drums. I tried to talk my parents into getting me a set, but I ended up having to take piano lessons instead. That lasted for a few years. Then I ended up playing saxophone all through high school. The entire time I just wanted to play drums. Sometimes I would go and hang out with the percussion section in the school band and play snare. When it got to my senior year in high school I made up my mind. I am going to play the drums. One of my inspirations at that point was Will Calhoun from Living Colour. He is an amazing player. I was really into his music and his playing style. It was 1990-1991.That's when I really got into playing. mm: How did Creed come to be? SP: I met Scott [Stapp] and Mark in November of 1994. They were jamming at a mutual friend's house. That night I jammed with Mark. Needless to say, I replaced their old drummer. Brian joined in March of '95. We had picked the name Creed and were playing out by the summer of '95. We began recording My Own Prison in the summer of 1996 and finished it in Feb 1997. We released it locally March '97 and got our record deal [in the]summer of 1997. Basically, we were together for two years when we signed our deal. mm: It's six years later. Would you say that things are going well? SP: Things are going really well. I'm just trying to keep up. mm: You are doing better than just keeping up. Who inspires your drumming these days? SP: Right now, aside from Morgan Rose, who I am in total awe of, I like Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) and Danny Carey (Tool). Matt Cameron (Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) has been a big inspiration; and John Bonham has been an inspiration all along. Just about anyone who is playing something above a basic beat inspires me. mm: What about non-drummers? SP: The key for me is for music to draw something out of me that I could identify with. Jeff Buckley and the entire Perfect Circle album are amazing. Recently, I just started to revisit the Days of the New CDs. We played some shows with them recently and I managed to grab some CDs from them. Their first CD came out one month earlier than our first CD. We spent a lot of time in a van, driving around the country, listening to Days of the New. Their music takes me back to those days. It keeps me grounded. mm: What about inspiration from outside the scope of music? SP: All of the accolades we have received from friends and family have been really inspiring. Especially, the accolades from friends who were there before the band became successful. That helps me push myself to continue to do bigger and better things. Also, my fiancé gives me a lot of inspiration. We have been together for the last ten years, before the band was even a band. Oh, I can't forget my two chocolate labs. They always inspire me. (laughs) mm: How did the band go from playing small clubs around Florida to headlining at the Mars Music Amphitheatre? SP: Relentless touring, a hell of a lot of radio support, and never giving up. When we signed our record deal, we had not played out of Tallahassee more than half dozen times. To date, we have probably played between 3-400 shows. mm: Because it happened so quickly, are there people that accuse you of not paying your dues? SP: There were a few at first. I haven't heard any of that in the past two years. Hopefully, we have proven ourselves to any doubters. mm: There is no doubt that you have proven yourselves. Your current CD, Human Clay, has sold over 8 million copies and My Own Prison is up to 5 million sold. How does that make you feel? SP: It is amazing (big smile). It is absolutely amazing. There's no way to pinpoint a single emotion. It's ten million emotions. I mean, really, I should be working in the mall right now. That was my last job before doing this. It's ten thousand different feelings and they are all positive. I hope it continues. mm: What have been some of the high points in your career so far? SP: Woodstock '99. There was a quarter of a million people watching. mm: Did you find that to be intimidating? SP: It was a little bit. Before that point we had done shows in front of crowds containing 50,000 people, maybe more. Looking out over that many people, all you could see is people. No land, just people. The most intimidating part of that experience was having to play in front of some of the best drummers in the world. We went on right before the Chili Peppers. I knew that Chad Smith was backstage watching. I am a big fan of his. It was a little hard for me to concentrate. Also, we just did the Radio Music Awards in Vegas. Not that I'm about getting awards or anything like that, but it is kind of nice to be recognized for achieving something that you put your heart and soul into. It is even more special if the recognition is coming from the fans. Also, the little things along the way, from the first gig we ever played to tonight's show. There are always memorable aspects to everything we do. It all continues to create what we are. mm: Creed is known for, among other things, great songwriting. Could you describe what the song writing process is like for the band? SP: There are two ways songs normally start. It either starts with a guitar riff that Mark comes up with or it will start with lyrics that Scott writes. Some bands have a set formula, but with Scott and Mark it could go either way. A lot of our sound checks consist of Mark, Brett and I jamming on a riff for like 20 minutes. Things take shape when Scott comes in and arranges the sections and writes lyrics. mm: How long has Brett been playing bass with you? SP: Brett Hestla has been playing with us since July. He'll be with us for the rest of this tour. Actually, he sings and plays guitar for Virgos (formerly Virgos Merlot- Atlantic Records). They are amazing. They will begin recording their second album on January 9. At that time, I don't know if we are going to add another permanent member. If we did, the leading candidate would be Brett. We have a great working relationship and friendship going now. If his project takes off, more power to him. We'll have to start the search for someone. If it doesn't, as far as I am concerned, he has definitely got a spot in this band. mm: What happened to your original bass player, Brian Marshall? SP: Without getting into too many details, I think it was just time for him to move on. It was time for us to move on. He's a great guy and he's one of my best friends. I love him to death. It was just the right time for things to move in different directions. mm: How has the way you approach songwriting changed from album to album? SP: The way that it's done hasn't changed. The thing that has changed is the maturity in the songwriting. From the first album to the second, you could tell that we've really grown. Scott and Mark have really grown as songwriters. mm: How has your playing changed? SP: It's gotten a hell of a lot better. That is attributed to doing 300-400 shows since we started. I think that between the first and second album, I learned a little bit more about laying down a good, solid beat and planning my fills. It's something that all drummers go through. Everybody wants to be Neil Peart, but not every band is Rush. So, you've got to learn to find your place in what you do, and I think I'm getting to that point now. From the time we recorded this last album until now, I've learned a lot more about the drums and playing in general. It's always great to watch other drummers like Morgan Rose and Rich Beddoe and a lot of the other drummers we have had out with us. It can be very inspiring. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com To unsubscribe or change your preferences for the Creed-Discuss list, visit: http://www.winduplist.com/ls/discuss/form.asp