Ex-QUEENSRŸCHE Singer GEOFF TATE Says SCOTT ROCKENFIELD Is 'Not In A Good Way'

On February 29, Geoff Tate sat down with radio host Miles "The Shoe" Schuman for a wide-ranging interview before the former QUEENSRŸCHE singer's show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Speaking about his 2012 exit from QUEENSRŸCHE, Tate said (see video below): "I just know that it was a very difficult time to go through. And I'm glad it's over, and I'm glad time has gone by. It's going on almost 10 years now. It's a whole different world now. The world is pretty bright and very happy.

"I wish 'em luck," he continued. "They've had a really hard go. Gosh — now I'm out of the band, Chris DeGarmo [guitar] is out of the band, Scott Rockenfield [drums] is not in the band anymore. So it's just the bass player [Eddie Jackson] and the guitar player [Michael Wilton]."

Asked if he has talked to Scott since the drummer's departure from QUEENSRŸCHE three years ago, Tate said: "No. He's disappeared. And he's not in a good way."

Last July, Tate told 88.1FM WESU's weekly syndicated radio show "Noize In The Attic" that he was "pretty sure" Scott "didn't leave" QUEENSRŸCHE of his own accord. "I can tell you that there's lawsuits involved; I know that," he said. "He's in kind of a really dark place, and I hope he gets some help, 'cause he's really unraveled, you know? In my opinion. It's too bad — he's an incredibly talented drummer, and unfortunately, he never was happy with that. It wasn't good enough for him."

Back in 2012, video footage emerged of Tate apparently spitting at Rockenfield during QUEENSRŸCHE's concert in São Paulo, Brazil. Tate later claimed that he became angry when the rest of the band fired QUEENSRŸCHE's manager, office assistant and one of the group's guitar techs, "who all happened to be my family members," Geoff told Rolling Stone. "I'm getting ready by my station, ready to go on stage, and Scott looks at me and he smirks and says, 'We just fired your whole family, and you're next,'" Tate claimed. "I just lost it. I tried to punch him. I don't think I landed a punch before somebody grabbed me and hauled me to the side. On my way, I managed to shove [Michael] Wilton, and really, that was it. I cooled down and we did the show, and everything went fine."

That same year, Tate defended his decision to spit on Rockenfield, telling Über Röck that it "is an ancient act of defiance and contempt: it's a symbolic gesture. People have been doing that for centuries and Americans can't wrap their head around that. They think it's juvenile, like it's something a kid does. They can't understand guys getting in a punch-up. They fear that, they're appalled by it. In other countries, Ireland for example, the Irish don't see anything wrong with it at all."

QUEENSRŸCHE replaced Tate with Todd La Torre and has released three albums thus far with the ex-CRIMSON GLORY frontman — 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict".

For the past 36 months, Rockenfield has been taking time off from QUEENSRŸCHE's touring activities to spend time with his young son, who was born in early 2017. Filling in for him has been former KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo.

The drum tracks on "The Verdict" were laid down by La Torre, who has played drums since the age of 13.