In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, the lead singer described himself as the “benevolent dictator” of the band. Recently, the former guitarist discussed these remarks in a chat with Guitar Player.
When asked if he ever expressed dissatisfaction with the band, the guitarist replied:
“Sure, sure. And maybe I was… The article we’re doing should not be about him, but you know, he calls himself a benevolent dictator. And there you go – great. His perspective is going to be his perspective. And my perspective is a lot different than that.”
The guitarist emphasized that he worked just as hard for the band:
“Listen, there were discrepancies and fights – I do things differently sometimes. But I was in a band and considered myself a main part of that band. I was there and did just as much work as he did – easily.”
He continued:
“Going back to your question about the songs and the songwriting: See, I was also a fan of his. I could write him better than he could, almost. You know what I mean? I would say, ‘No, maybe if you sang that instead…’ Because the guy’s, like, this really good-looking guy, you know what I mean? The girls wanted to bring dudes to the show, and the guys are going, ‘I don’t need the pressure,’ because he’s a good-looking heartthrob and that kind of thing.”
The former guitarist’s departure and his relationship with the lead singer were also addressed in a new documentary about the band. The lead singer discussed this in an interview with Classic Rock:
“I’ve talked to him twice. He quit the band. I swear to Christ there was never a fight, nothing… He wasn’t kicked out, he quit. And he hasn’t made any great overtures about coming back.”
The guitarist had previously mentioned leaving because the band was getting “stale,” to which the lead singer responded:
“I didn’t think so, and the collective, we didn’t think so. I personally thought that everything was going incredibly well. And it was never brought up in the room, or in the writing, or in the recording, or during the first 20 shows of that tour.”
Despite the differences, the lead singer expressed missing his former bandmate in a recent interview with Record Collector:
“It’s heartbreaking that he left and that he did it in that way. We were shocked. I miss him personally and creatively, in the studio and as an integral part of the band onstage.”
He added:
“If you don’t show up for work, your boss is going to say, ‘What the heck?’ Get help. And if you don’t want to get help… It’s 11 years now. The other band members have seen him once, and I’ve seen him twice. It’s not like we haven’t tried.”
The guitarist cited the need to spend more time with his family as a reason for his departure at the time. He later refused to rejoin the band for their tour in 2013 but is open to a comeback if the lead singer recovers from his vocal issues.
