Okay, Joe, put your steel-toed boots on because you KNOW I HAVE to defend Stappy-poo.

First of all, everyone keeps saying that we defenders of Stapp have lost sight of the fact that he is human. Well, I beg to differ. I think it is actually people who EXPECT him to be what they THINK he SHOULD be and EXPECT him to make all the right decisions who have actually lost sight of his human-ness. We can look at ANYONE else around us----in the spotlight of success or not---and pick out things about them that we would change or that we think is not right. We can second-guess decisions that they have made in their life and tell them how making another decision would have made such a difference. We can do this to EVERYONE and we could do it all day long. But do you know what? Until OUR OWN lives are PERFECT and there are no decisions of our own that others can second-guess and no faults in us that others can point out, WHY should we waste our time trying to better others? (Providing, of course, that we are actually trying to BETTER them, instead of simply pointing out their weaknesses to make ourselves appear stronger) Scott Stapp IS human and he IS flawed and that is what makes his song writing so appealing to a lot of us. Sure there have been people a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than he try to offer him advice that he has not taken and probably SHOULD have----but WHO of us cannot say that we have not received advice that we SHOULD have heeded but did not?

How many of us are MILLIONAIRES? Award-winning songwriters or singers? Have THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of members of the opposite sex THROWING themselves at us?

Well, that *IS* Scott Stapp, but I don't think ANY of us can claim any of those successes. So he must have made SOME right decisions along the way SOMEWHERE!

Maybe if we could think about what would happen if Scott sat down with each of us individually and we told him our criticisms of him and then he offered his criticisms of us. Would he be able to FIND anything to criticize about us? Only those of us who are more successful singers could criticize his singing----because, well, what the HELL do we know--HE'S the successful one. Only those of us who are wealthier than him could criticize his money making strategies, because, well..... Only those of us who .....yadda, yadda, yadda. NOW, though, HE could only criticize the Physical Fitness of those of us whom he is FITTER than. He could only criticize the financial decisions of those that he is more financially endowed than. He could only criticize.......yadda, yadda, yadda.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, sure. But the point of broadcasting what YOU deem as flaws or mistakes of others escapes me. When making these statements, we are not even categorizing them with, "He SEEMS to be......" We are saying, "Stapp *IS*......." The truth is that we only see about a one-thousandth of the true picture (most of that being INTERPRETED by the media FOR US) and it is unfair of us even to make such definitive statements when we really are basing our opinions on such a limited knowledge and exposure to the person and his personality and lifestyle. The truth is Stapp owes us only what we pay for. So YES, if people buy tickets to his shows, then he OWES them the best show he can do. If he continually fails to deliver what he is paid to deliver, then STOP going to HIM to get it. If people become disappointed or disillusioned with him or his music, then don't buy a ticket. Don't buy a CD. He should get the picture soon enough, if it makes a difference.

People talk about him being self-absorbed, self-centered, vain, etc. If he were NOT those things, he never would have taken the necessary risks it took to become what he is and Creed are. We are ALL self-absorbed and self-centered to one degree or another---the exceptions usually become Saints. Just like it takes a certain personality type to become a policeman, an Engineer, a Minister/Priest------it also takes a certain psychological mindset to become a celebrity or Rock Star or whatever. It is a conglomeration of all of our decisions and circumstances and experiences and personality traits that makes us who we are at any given moment. Scott Stapp might not be Scott Stapp if he had made good and right decisions and been humble and meek all along.

----Original Message Follows----

From: "Joe Earles"

Okay, let me lay a few things to rest right here and now:

My overall opinion of Scott Stapp:

Scott Stapp is extremely self-absorbed and in some ways delusional about his success. He wears fame like a pig wears a prom dress and might do well to make himself a little more visible so as to get over this "I can't leave my house" mentality he's cultivated over the past few years. Only now when he was looking at the possibility of doing career-ending damage to his voice has he started down the path of taking better care of it and I can only speculate that he has come to believe in at least some small way in the whole "Brooding Messiah" façade he exudes onstage. He upstages the rest of the band and in a fashion shockingly incongruous to his personal life seems to feed off of being the center of attention on stage and in his media life.

For his musical talents and the absolute gift of songwriting God has bestowed upon Scott, I am truly and forever grateful, but I just get the feeling that Scott Stapp is one of those people who, if I ever had to endure spending time with him on a personal level, would be the type of person who would give me the overwhelming urge to just smack him one just being in his presence.

So to respond to what you said, yes. I will "attack" the things he says and offer my opinions on what he has to say just as long as I feel what I have to say is accurate and deserved. When and if he proves me wrong, gets down off that excessively paranoid high-horse of his and starts exercising a little bit of humility and pragmatism I'll stop looking at him with such a critical eye. Is that all right with you? If not, your delete key is located to the right of your main enter key. Learn how to use it and STFU.