Ex-CRIMSON GLORY Singer MIDNIGHT: 'I Live Every Moment Like It's My Last'

CRIMSON GLORY parted ways with singer Midnight (real name: John Patrick McDonald Jr.) last month following the revelation that he was arrested on January 20 in Sarasota, Florida and charged with "DUI [driving under the influence] with .20 [blood-alcohol level] or higher or having a passenger under 18" years of age. As BLABBERMOUTH.NET first reported on January 25, Midnight (police photo) was also cited for driving with a suspended/ cancelled/ revoked license. Bond for the 44-year-old vocalist — who gave his occupation as "painter" to the authorities at the time of the arrest — was set at $1,500. He was arraigned on February 8 and he has since been released.

Midnight — who has been replaced in CRIMSON GLORY by Wade Black (who sang on the band's 1999 "comeback" CD, "Astronomica") — has posted the following message on his official message board:

"Well, well, what do we have here? Just browsing trough a few posts... Interesting... It's about 4 a.m. Just got to a PC. Just got released from jail for my first DUI.

"Who would like to cast the first stone?

"I've given my life for you, people... sacrificed my family and my youth for all of you in search of more and more applause. This is what I get? That's fine — hate me all you want, but I still love you all. I've spent the last month in misery... in a cold dungeon starving eating the sh@t, the cold sh$t they feed you in this horrid place... locked in the attic of my own mind. All the while was I worried about myself? NO.... All I was thinking of was YOU and feeling horrible about you not having the new CD in your hands. I have nightmares almost every night thinking about it, stressing so hard my hair is falling out... coughing up blood from the ulcers that have formed. This is the blood I shed for you.

"My lawyer told me if I just stayed in jail for a while longer I could get much less of a sentence. I told him 'NO, I have an obligation to my fans, my friends, my family.' So I bit the bullet and took a more harsh punishment so I could get out and finish the album for you… but... that's my job as I see it.

"None of this is your fault. The hand of fate has tightened into a fist that's beating the sh%t out of me. I've lost everyone and everything I've ever cared about for the sake of the music... your music. My heart and my soul in the form of pictures and sounds for you... all for you. I've given you all I have. I don't ask for you to understand. How could you until you've walked a mile in my shoes? God forbid. I'm too pissed off and exausted to write anymore now. I'll stop before I say something I will regret.

"I'm going to try to sleep but I know it won't come. There's no peace for me now, no love, no laughter — only an eerie silence in my mind. How was I to know that (Descending Into Madness) would become a reality for me.

"It's 5:00. I'll write more when I calm down...

"Oh and CRIMSON has chosen to use Wade? Damn, I was so looking forward to the abuse. Wait… Didn't they try that before? It was quite nice hearing 15,000 people chanting 'MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT.' I will hear it again soon. I live for it.

"For you — all of you — no matter what you say about me I will always love you... I will always be A PERFECT MESS. And for any of you who are tired of me being Peter Pan's long-lost brother... too fuc%ing bad. Change the channel, jackass. I am who i am. I drink too much, I smoke too much… I feel too much, I care too much, I love too much. Get used to it. This is who I am. I live every moment like it's my last. I will NEVER grow up and I will continue to run with scissors and dance naked in the rain. YOU WILL ALL GET WHAT I PROMISED YOU.

"When I started M2, it was a fairly simple concept... but it's grown into a larger project. It will now be about 20 songs — in essence, a double album. I'm going as fast as I can. Guys, bear with me.

"When I gave you an approximate date of release, I really believed it... but i could not foresee the horrors that lay before me. Bless you for your patience. High-res pics of my art will be posted [as soon as possible], then I will begin to send them out. The album will take a bit longer due to several different factors. You'll understand when you hear it. God bless all of you who have stuck up for me when I couldn't do it myself. As for the rest of you, goodnight."

Midnight last fall posted audio samples of three acoustic songs from his "M2 - Descending Into Madness" solo effort, which was originally supposed to be issued in May 2006 as a limited-edition release (limited to only 112 copies) via his official web site. Check out the samples at Midnight's MySpace page.

Watch CRIMSON GLORY's classic video for the song "Lonely" at YouTube.com.