Brian - 5 months 2 days sober !

[joey78]

Brian Marshall
‎5months, 2days sober. That's how i'm feeling! Whaaaaaawawat?

[anguyen92]

Hmmm, so is that the reason why he did not go touring with Tremonti back in September? If so, it must be worth it then. Well done, so far, Brian. Keep going, man.

[joey78]

I actually suspected it when he bailed out of the tour.

Kudos to him for staying sober.

[Timotheus]

GO BRIAN!

[Aaron]

I'm pretty sure him having a kid is what made him start being sober and why he couldn't go on that tour.

[BennyWhatever]

That's pretty flippin awesome. Props.

[MidnightToker]

According to Stapp's book, he had some pretty severe problems back in the MOP/HC days before he was let go from Creed. Good to hear he's doing better these days

[devv88]

Great news. Good for him.

[DonHarry]

I didn't know he had an alcohol problem. Any more on this?

Well done to him anyway.

[MidnightToker]

I didn't know he had an alcohol problem. Any more on this?

Sounded like a lot more than alcohol from Stapp's book. He didn't mention specific things, but to me he basically implied cocaine, etc.

[MidnightToker]

Okay, I typed up the main passage from Stapp’s book about Brian’s drug use and departure from Creed. It mentions pills, and the no sleep/paranoia thing makes me think of cocaine.

From Chapter 17, Weathered:

Brian Marshall was a lot like me. I think that’s one of the reasons we became such good friends. Back in college, before the Creed explosion, we hung out all the time. We went fishing together and listened to Faith No More.

With his quirky humor, Brian had a way of making other people feel good. He laughed at everyone’s jokes, even if he was the butt of them. After the band took off, Brian started having a good time too often. We both had the same disease. It’s just that alcohol and drugs took advantage of Brian before they got to me.

On our last three-week tour, Brian was so out of control the guys in the band employed our own style of intervention. We were concerned for his health, and we wanted to help him. We hired a companion/security man to be with him 24/7 and keep him on the right path. (Later we learned that the so-called sober security guy only added to the devil’s cocktail by introducing Brian to the world of pills).

When Brian missed sound check during the first week of the tour, we were concerned. We couldn’t reach him or his sober security guy. When we finally got Brian on the phone, I said, “Dude you missed sound check. Where are you?”

“Hey, Scotteeee, my brother…We are rock stars. Do you feel like a rock star, baby? I do. Yeeaaahhhh!”

I couldn’t help but laugh because this was the Brian I knew. But it was no time to joke around – this was serious business.

“Dude, Mark is ticked. Here he comes.”

Mark took the phone. “Are you partying, Brian? We agreed before the tour that this wouldn’t happen.”

A few seconds passed. Mark’s eyes went wide.

“What’d you say, Marshall? You’re gonna do what? Are you kidding me? I’ll destroy you!”

Mark handed me the phone. “I’ve had enough,” he said. “It’s him or me.”

I went to see Brian the next day and told him Mark’s position.

“Don’t blame it on Mark,” he said. “You’ve been plotting against me for months. You turned Mark against me.”

“Dude, you need some sleep. You’re getting really paranoid.”

Brian leaned back in his recliner and looked at me. “Scott, I’m freaking out. Help me.”

That same day the band met to discuss Brian’s fate.

“There’s nothing to discuss,” Mark said. “It’s him or me.”

“Mark, I support you 100 percent,” I said. “You know we’re brothers. But Brian’s our brother too, and he asked me for help. I assume he means rehab.”

Mark sat there with his arms crossed. He said nothing.

“I’m ahead of you, Scott,” our manager said. “I’ve already reached out to the Betty Ford Center.”

No one said a word. We all left with the idea that we’d get together again when emotions weren’t so high. I reassured Mark that, if push came to shove, I had his back. In my heart, I was still intent on helping Brian. But as it turned out, Brian wouldn’t allow it.

That very night Brian got online and started bashing me. In that moment, I was sure the whole world was reading his tirades. That was the last straw. Not knowing what else to do, I ended our friendship.

Two days later Brian sued the rest of us in Creed in what became a long and messy legal ordeal. Finally it was settled: we bought back his shares, and Creed, once a quartet, was now a trio.

Re-reading this, I have some questions that maybe some of you can help me with:

(1) This Brian bashing Stapp online thing – did this occur on the former official Creed message board? CreedFeed? Or another site?

(2) Stapp’s account basically makes it sound like Mark was the one furious with Brian. Why, then, would he start Alter Bridge with Brian? I know there is such thing as forgiveness, but Mark could have easily found another bass player without a proven past of drug abuse. I’m not saying it was a bad choice to include Brian in AB, just sort of interesting as to why.

(3) Obviously Brian was invited back for AB – but I wonder if he’s caused any problems (drugs and alcohol) on the road touring with AB? This seems to be a newfound sobriety that he tweeted about.

[Macca]

I miss his drunken Facebook rants

[gbruin]

If that's what you needed to do, then good on ya, Brian. Cooper is very lucky you'll make that effort for him. That. and the world is pretty cool sober, too.

[chtimixeur]

Good for him if he's happy, but life is too short to be counting sobriety days, one after another.
Rehab is like a sect : it brainwashes people.

[DonHarry]

You have a rather distorted view on things. If drinking was a problem for him then it was having a negative impact on his life. If 'counting sobriety days' improves his life then it's a good thing. By all means, make the most of each day but why does that mean people are missing out if they don't want a drink? I don't like how drinking has become not only synonymous with having a good time, but necessary for many people. It's quite sad really. I honestly don't have a problem with people drinking, I just don't like those who look down their noses at people who don't need it.

Life's to short, you're right. Why make it shorter? Why not try to make it longer? You might get hit by a bus or struck by lightening tomorrow, but does that mean everyone who looks after themselves is wasting their time? I don't think so.

Rehab might not be perfect but you'd prefer the alternative? Let him keep drinking until his liver packs up, or until he overdoses on something. Fuck being brainwashed though, I'd much rather ruin the lives of those close to me and maybe end up dead.

I know you know what I'm saying. I'm not talking about social drinkers, I'm talking about people with drinking problems.

[One Drew Remains]

Congrats to Brian. I actually wondered if he was doing something. Anyone remember that interview he did where they were at a festival and they asked him what he thought of the country. He made some out of character remark about the amount of Emo there, and Myles shoots this WTF look at Mark like, "shut him up!" That right there made me wonder about him.

[Timotheus]

I think that was just Brian being Brian

[MidnightToker]

He made some out of character remark about the amount of Emo there, and Myles shoots this WTF look at Mark like, "shut him up!" That right there made me wonder about him.

I'd like to see that interview. One of my 3 unanswered questions from above pertained to things like that, whether or not it seems that he caused any issues with AB

[One Drew Remains]

Here it is. From 2007 0r 2008. Emo comment is at 1:39. Myles' face kills me. And he and Myles rib each other at 5:45.



[youtube]http://youtu.be/I7coY-RMbA8[/youtube]

[AB4Lyfe]

Brian did kind of freak out the rest of the band with a couple of comments he made in a "what the fuck is he saying" kind of way. But I actually liked this interview because, at least for me, this is a side of Brian that I have never seen, its good to see him with a bit of charisma.