Tim Gaines interviews
During April 19th -
What's the funniest/oddest thing that happened while playing
for Stryper? Any particular Spinal Tap moment that comes to mind?
During
a concert in
At what point did you feel that STRYPER had a true fan base and
that the band would continue to record and perform?
Right from the beginning we knew that God was
orchestrating something big. We would have a Bible study in our rehearsal room (garage)
every Thursday evening. We would play a few songs and then my friend Michael Guido would
speak, and would give an invitation to receive Jesus. The first week we saw about 10
people show up and then every week for the next couple of months the number of people
would double until there was no room inside of the garage and the people would overflow to
the front lawn. From there we did our first concert at a club and packed the place, and
every time we played from then on we would sell out the venue sometimes having to do 2
concerts in one evening just to accommodate the crowds. It was something that had never
been done before… we would play in these clubs and bars telling about the love of
Jesus Christ and throw out Bibles to the audience. People were getting saved and the band
was becoming the talk of the town… and the world as all the news agencies covered our
story. When our first EP came out, things just took off from there.
My favorite Stryper song would be More Than A Man
because the chorus really speaks to me every time I play it. My favorite Stryper album
would be Against The Law because it sounded so big and raw.
What was your favorite look you had with Stryper?
I think my favorite look was during the
Against The Law period, but for the Y&B days I would say In God We Trust. We had the
best stage costumes during this time.
Why did you leave Stryper?
There were many reasons that were leading up to my
departure from Stryper….
Inner struggles within myself, false promises, loss of power within the band unit, musical
differences, personality differences, spiritual differences, etc…
During the 2003 reunion tour, I became grieved at some of the things that were going on
that really started to bother me. Nothing bad mind you, but more of a lingering question
that has haunted me for years, and was finally coming to a head. Did God really call us to be rock stars? (Idolatry
is a sin.) Were we there to take the praise and glory away from what God was doing? Were
we really leading people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ or were we just putting
on a show and receiving the glory for ourselves? During that period I lost interest in
putting on a "show" and I spent my time just playing the music in worship to the
Lord and praying for His covering. I could hear God speaking to me each night on stage
saying that my time here was almost over.
After the tour was over, some events took place
that further sealed my mind on leaving the band. We had a meeting and I gave Stryper my
notice.
Do have any regrets for
leaving Stryper?
No regrets. I gave 21 years of my life up to
Stryper. We had a good run in the 80's. Sometimes I wish I could go and hang out with the
guys. I do miss them and I have a great love for them. But I am also accomplishing things
on my own now, and I feel I am doing pretty well.
What do you think of the current Bass Player Tracy Ferrie?
From what I know of
Would you ever consider working with Stryper again? If not, how
about making a guest appearance at one of their gigs sometime in the future?
If God were to open the door for me to work with
Stryper again sure I would, but ONLY as long as He was orchestrating it. I still have my
Yellow and Black bass and spandex you know…. Will
that ever happen? I don't know. Obviously, they would need to ask me. I know a lot of
things have changed within the band since my departure so who knows? They are doing pretty
well without me.
It seems to me that Against the Law was like the pinnacle or
the top of the evolution of Stryper - seeming to show off your skills more than the
radio-aimed earlier efforts. When you guys were laying the tracks and creating the tunes,
was there a conscious effort to make it radically different - more riffs, more Oz, more
kick-butt grooves - even if the public might not dig it?
During this time we definitely were looking at
making a record that was just raw and dirty… We
spent 8 months together everyday hanging out, writing and perfecting those songs before we
ever even went into the studio. I think a lot of the camaraderie is heard in those songs.
The previous 3 albums were practically written in the studio.
Why did Stryper get such a hard time from everyone after
releasing Against The Law? I knew of Christian bookstores that refused to carry any
Stryper music after that.
I think many people took our departure from the
Yellow and Black stripes and the actual title of the album in the wrong context. People
thought that we were against God, but actually the title was in protest to the modern day
Pharisees that wouldn't leave us alone. We were under such a microscope that we couldn't
live a normal life without being accused of being in sin. Example: If we wore sunglasses
we would be accused of being on drugs. If we went to a mini mart we would be accused of
buying alcohol. If we were caught talking to females we were accused of having sex with
groupies. We were accused of being transvestites because we had long hair. We were accused
of worshipping Satan because of the style of music we played… etc. The list was
endless and the Preachers pointing their fingers profited at our expense by writing books,
receiving monetary contributions for anti rock seminars and TV broadcasts…etc.
Against The Law was our response to these religious
folks who Christ said "They swallow a camel and strain on a gnat."
The reason you could not find
I understand that you did not play on To Hell with the Devil,
and In God We Trust. Why didn't you, and do you regret that decision?
Keep
in mind that the bass players in almost all of those 80's hair bands were just an
afterthought. We were just filler for the stage to look cool and move around. It really wasn't a great era for bass players
unless you were Billy Sheehan or someone along that line.
In all
honestly, I had never even heard the songs on either record prior to the recordings. I was
never given a chance to perform on them. They went in and recorded them without me. Do I
regret that decision? Sure I do, but it wasn't mine to make. You have to keep in mind that
I was not brought into Stryper because I could play well, but because I had the look or
the image that they sought after. I was there because I" fit the suit." But you know, that was 20 some years ago, and what
was done is done. I don't dwell on the past. It's not a healthy place to be.
Did you guys REALLY personally write letters back to your fans?
I have a couple of letters that were sent to me (one autographed by Oz and another
autographed by Robert) that were not just a mass mail letter. They (or someone else?) were
really responding to my questions and responding to my letters specifically with
encouraging words responding to my specific situations. I always wondered if you guys
really did indeed respond OR, was it a team of people that worked for you.
On many occasions I had personally written to fans.
We did however, have a staff of people that would answer the majority of generic letters
such as autograph requests etc… but the more personal letters would be answered by
one of us when possible.
Was there any reconciliation that needed to be taken care of
before you started to do a reunion tour with Stryper, and why?
Ten years before the reunion tour the four of us
met and hashed things out. We had pretty much all reconciled before the tour was even a
thought.
What was the
Where do you see Tim Gaines 10 years from now? Raising a
thundering herd of Bassett Hounds, helping out the upcoming musical generation, or
something entirely different?
I can't really say. The way the world is going I
wonder if we have 10 years? I know two things that have always been important to me and
that is to share the love of Christ, and the other is to play music. If the Lord tarries
you will find me doing both of these things in one form or another.
What have you learned through
the past 20 years that you could pass along?
I have learned more about Gods
abundant grace upon my life than ever before.
Who is/was the most
influential person on your musical career?
I grew up listening to 60's
and 70's pop radio. Those songs from that era influenced me more than anything else. In
the early 70's I was really into Elton John, and wanted to be a piano man. But I found I
was really attracted to the bass lines from his songs. Eltons bass player was Dee Murray
and that is where I really got interested in the bass guitar. Some other big influences
were Geddy Lee from Rush, John Deacon from Queen, John Paul Jones from Zeppelin, Craig
MacGregor from Foghat, and later on Jaco Pastorious, Jeff Berlin, and about a million
other players.
How do you handle the typical
road temptations? (sex, drugs, booze, etc).
I handle them the same way I
do when I am home and that is I try to live the best I can by a value system… I have
a beautiful wife whom I love dearly and I value our relationship more than the fleeting
pleasure of a one night fling. I value having a sound mind over getting high or passing
out drunk somewhere. I try to live by Gods standard and not the standard of the world
which is "if it feels good, do it."
Do you think that you will ever do a solo album? Maybe a
Stanley Clarke type thing? If you were to
release a solo album would you handle the vocals?
If the door of opportunity were opened for me to do
a solo album I would. I have a lot of songs and musical ideas that I have worked on over
the years. If I were to do an album it would more than likely be an instrumental project…
progressive rock and fusion… along the lines of what we did in Sin Dizzy. It's just a
matter of finding the right people to collaborate with. If a song or two required vocals,
sure I would take on the task.
All of the places that you have been to in your life, where is
the one place that you would like to go back to and why?
Yes, I studied with several teachers when I first started playing. Later on in the 80's I had some informal studies with Jeff Berlin. I am searching for a new teacher now as I find I want to go to another level in my learning.
When did you know for sure you wanted to play bass?
I was 13 years old. I had been taking classical
guitar lessons and found I ended up playing a lot of the bass parts to songs on my guitar.
I removed the E and B strings and started practicing bass on my Suzuki classical guitar.
My parents bought me my first real bass for my 14th birthday. It was an
Who is your favorite artist, besides Stryper
and Irene, which you have worked with over your career?
Yes, I am still into Ham
Radio. I hold an Amateur Extra class license. My callsign is AE6J.
I have owned and played both 5 and 6 string basses
but I always end up going back to my 4 string as I feel more comfortable with it.
What advice would you give for
young Christian musicians who want to play music to spread God's word?
I was curious as to what your
favorite book of the Bible is and what your favorite Bible verse is?
My favorite book is Romans, and my
favorite verse is Philippians 1:6 "And
so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is
finished on the Day of Christ Jesus."
Where do you think today's current state of Christian Music
(Rock) is headed to? You and Stryper were different in the early stages of Stryper with
the Metal music sound, long hair, the crazy outfits, etc. but yet still carry the message.
I know you took a lot of criticism back in the day. Who do you think now is the same
position?
August 1972
Where do you fellowship?
I am a member of Grace Chapel
in
Yes, many times. I think the
period from the end of In God We Trust through Can't Stop The Rock was a real burnout time
in my life. But God is good and His grace and mercy is
abundant on my life. I know first hand that He restores.
If you had to start a Christian heavy metal band what would you
call it?
Thanks so much for your wonderful questions.
Tim Gaines
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