The Mud-Slinging Continues – Queensryche Fires Back at Geoff Tate’s Insults and Legal Filings

This Queensryche thing is getting uglier and uglier. A couple weeks ago, Geoff Tate launched an assault on the other members of Queensryche for kicking him out of the band. He also filed an injunction to stop them from using the band name, as he claimed he owns it. The rest of the guys have now filed their own documents to stop the injunction. (Would that be an injunction for the injunction? My only legal training comes from Matlock.)

Scott, Michael and Eddie (yes, we're on a first name basis, at least in my mind) have painted Geoff as an evil tyrant. That's pretty much the gist of the legal stuff. They say he began assuming control when he set his wife up to run the fan club, then she got their managed fired and brought in someone else she could work with and then fire, taking over the band. They hired a bunch of family members, began blocking the band fro decisions and songwriting, blah blah blah.

They slam him for his hatred of the first five records and not wanting to record music in the style that everyone likes, they slam him for the last three records and the declining sales. Geoff hasn't made it secret that he hates metal and rock, and that he's a pop music fan. The other guys say he thinks the old Queensryche stuff is"stupid", in spite of what the band and the fans want.

Another thing that's coming out, is that supposedly Geoff had negotiated the movie rights to "Operation: Mindcrime" as owned solely by him, excluding the other guys, including Chris DeGarmo! He's been expecting (allegedly) a huge sum of money for it, and says the other guys have been holding up "his money".

What the hell?

Amazingly, and with no grant of authority from the band, Geoff Tate claimed full ownership in the 'Operation: Mindcrime' 'story,' procuring for himself a $150,000 fee, 20% of all royalties, and $10,000 upfront for an option, all payable to him alone

Via Blabbermouth

Chris DeGarmo should come out of retirement (or wherever he is) and slap the crap out of him if this is true.

I wonder if he'll come back to the band if they do go back to their old style. Wouldn't that be cool, even if Geoff was out? I'd rather have another "The Needle Lies" or "Eyes of a Stranger" than anything off the last 5 or 6 albums.

I won't even care if Geoff calls me stupid for that.

Here's the new Queensryche lineup live, featuring new singer Todd La Torre: