Go back with me. Think back to a day before skinny jeans; a day when hair was spiked and tips were frosted; an era that saw stars wear matching denim outfits and "reality TV" break onto the scene; a day when pop music often featured actual instruments.
Yes, those were the days!
Those were the days when Creed ruled the airwaves and Scott Stapp was the coolest dude on the planet (and saying dude was still sort of cool).
Well, fast forward two decades and the world is a very different place. The music is very different, but musical differences reflect the greater cultural differences. Amidst all the changes, however, one thing remains--Scott Stapp is still making music! He may not be cool anymore, but he is still a talented artist and he's still making quality music.
His most recent effort, The Space Between the Shadows, was released on 7/19. As a Scott Stapp fanboy I had to get it as soon as humanly possible, and I'm not talking about a stupid digital download--no, I need a physical CD (for you Millennials, that's a compact disc). This album marks a return to form for Stapp, who played with different sounds on his preceding solo effort, but after receiving good reviews with Art of Anarchy, realized that he is and will always be a hard rocker.
What is, perhaps, unique on this album is his transparency. Of course, Scott Stapp has always poured his heart--his pain and his joy--into his music, both vocally and lyrically, but there is a sense of resolution and clarity on this album that his previous work lacked. This album is pervaded by a sense of peace, of coming to terms with who he is and has been.
The song that best illustrates this change is Name. It is one of the best songs on the album, both artistically and emotionally. The opening lyrics confesses
And what lay behind his rage all along? The chorus informs us that
It's a cliche as old as Adam & Eve, but an absent father remains one of the most powerfully destructive forces in society nevertheless. Being abandoned by his father, his namesake, laid the foundation for his own instability and broken relationships. He doesn't shift the blame for his sins, but he does recognize and own the pain behind them.
As if being abandoned by one's father wasn't bad enough, Scott Stapp was then abused--physically, emotionally, and spiritually--by his step-father, an unassuming dentist who was supposed to be the harbinger of stability and healing for the broken family. First he was abandoned by a man who was uninterested in him, then he was controlled by a man whom he couldn't escape!
Reading Scott Stapp's autobiography and listening to his music leaves one with an inescapable impression that many of America's problems are directly or indirectly linked to the prevalence of fathers refusing to be fathers, or perhaps, not knowing how to be fathers. It is impossible to overestimate the effect that spineless, impotent men have had on Western civilization in this postmodern, postfeministic age. The absence of fathers in homes, literally or practically, has had dire consequences economically, morally, and sociologically. Adults don't know how to work; kids don't know what gender they are; dependence on the State is unprecedented. The absence of strong, male, servant leadership is at least partially to blame for these cultural crises.
As a father I find this song, and Scott Stapp's story as a whole, challenging. I know that there is nothing that I can do to guarantee the spiritual and emotional health of my four children, but I can be sure that any apathy and/or abuse on my part would create barriers thereto. Those of us who were blessed with attentive fathers, whatever their defects, should thank our Heavenly Father for their presence in our lives. Those who shared Scott Stapp's experience should examine their own lives and reflect on how it has affected them.
Regardless of what we experienced during our childhoods, we should all echo Scott Stapp's resolution:
Yes, those were the days!
Those were the days when Creed ruled the airwaves and Scott Stapp was the coolest dude on the planet (and saying dude was still sort of cool).
Well, fast forward two decades and the world is a very different place. The music is very different, but musical differences reflect the greater cultural differences. Amidst all the changes, however, one thing remains--Scott Stapp is still making music! He may not be cool anymore, but he is still a talented artist and he's still making quality music.
His most recent effort, The Space Between the Shadows, was released on 7/19. As a Scott Stapp fanboy I had to get it as soon as humanly possible, and I'm not talking about a stupid digital download--no, I need a physical CD (for you Millennials, that's a compact disc). This album marks a return to form for Stapp, who played with different sounds on his preceding solo effort, but after receiving good reviews with Art of Anarchy, realized that he is and will always be a hard rocker.
What is, perhaps, unique on this album is his transparency. Of course, Scott Stapp has always poured his heart--his pain and his joy--into his music, both vocally and lyrically, but there is a sense of resolution and clarity on this album that his previous work lacked. This album is pervaded by a sense of peace, of coming to terms with who he is and has been.
The song that best illustrates this change is Name. It is one of the best songs on the album, both artistically and emotionally. The opening lyrics confesses
The time has come to break the silence, To tell the truth behind the rage,
The years of living in denial, The time has come to turn the page.He declares his intention of being honest with himself. It is finally time to face the past. After years of scandals and substance abuse, he is ready to deal with the underlying issue. He is finally healing.
And what lay behind his rage all along? The chorus informs us that
I am a son without a father, He gave his name and walked away.Daddy issues.
It's a cliche as old as Adam & Eve, but an absent father remains one of the most powerfully destructive forces in society nevertheless. Being abandoned by his father, his namesake, laid the foundation for his own instability and broken relationships. He doesn't shift the blame for his sins, but he does recognize and own the pain behind them.
As if being abandoned by one's father wasn't bad enough, Scott Stapp was then abused--physically, emotionally, and spiritually--by his step-father, an unassuming dentist who was supposed to be the harbinger of stability and healing for the broken family. First he was abandoned by a man who was uninterested in him, then he was controlled by a man whom he couldn't escape!
Reading Scott Stapp's autobiography and listening to his music leaves one with an inescapable impression that many of America's problems are directly or indirectly linked to the prevalence of fathers refusing to be fathers, or perhaps, not knowing how to be fathers. It is impossible to overestimate the effect that spineless, impotent men have had on Western civilization in this postmodern, postfeministic age. The absence of fathers in homes, literally or practically, has had dire consequences economically, morally, and sociologically. Adults don't know how to work; kids don't know what gender they are; dependence on the State is unprecedented. The absence of strong, male, servant leadership is at least partially to blame for these cultural crises.
As a father I find this song, and Scott Stapp's story as a whole, challenging. I know that there is nothing that I can do to guarantee the spiritual and emotional health of my four children, but I can be sure that any apathy and/or abuse on my part would create barriers thereto. Those of us who were blessed with attentive fathers, whatever their defects, should thank our Heavenly Father for their presence in our lives. Those who shared Scott Stapp's experience should examine their own lives and reflect on how it has affected them.
Regardless of what we experienced during our childhoods, we should all echo Scott Stapp's resolution:
I am a man, now a father,
And I swear my son,
Will never know that pain.
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