Kim - I understand that you are getting ready to go back out on tour with all of the original members of Stryper.
Michael - The first time in 12 years with all of the original members. I left in 1991. They continued on and did a few shows overseas as a trio. Then they parted and went their separate ways soon after. We're doing what originally was going to be around eight to ten shows, which turned into 18 to 20 and is now 32 shows. We start October 2nd, the first show, in Virginia, and we end on the 19th of November in Boston.
Kim - Ya'll are going to be busy.
Michael - Oh yeah. We're going to be doing a few five in a rows, a six in a row a lot of four in a rows, one day off. It's going to be brutal. The question is will we hold up? You know, I hope so.
Kim - I think you will. With God behind you ... He'll give you all of the strength you need.
Michael - Absolutely. We're going to need His strength. Our strength won't be enough to get us through. We're not conditioned and we're older. We haven't been touring and you know, all that stuff.
Kim - I understand the older part.
Michael - I know. We're all getting older aren't we? But you know, if you can eat right and take care of yourself then you can get better with age. I definitely eat better. I still don't eat great but better. Back then it wouldn't be a problem for me to go to McDonald's and down three Big Macs and two fries. I don't do that anymore.
Kim - That's good. We try to eat right. I'm one of those stringent moms who insists on vegetables.
Michael - I grew up on southern cooking you know. My mom is from Oklahoma. I grew up eating pork chops, fried tomatoes and fried okra ... that's my favorite ...I love fried okra. I haven't had it in a long time. Black eyed peas ... all that stuff. She was a good cook and that's what I grew up on.
Kim - Good stuff. So what made you guys decide to get back together, release a new CD and go on tour?
Michael - I got an email from Hollywood Records, which is the label that released the new record. They emailed me back before Thanksgiving and expressed an interest in releasing a compilation/best of Stryper record. They wanted my input as far as song sequence and song choice. I emailed them back and said "why don't you make it a little more interesting and a little more of a rarity and put us back in the studio and we'll cut some new songs?". They emailed me right back and said "that's great". That was right before Thanksgiving and we were in the studio by the 3rd of January. As you know, at that time everything kind of closes down, so it was very difficult to get everything taken care of ... the flights booked, the hotels, the deal with the label 'cause everyone was taking off for the holidays. It was kind of a stressful time but we got through it. We got the time booked. We got in the studio and we went in and recorded two brand new songs. Then we started talking about doing a few shows and it went from doing a few shows to doing 32 shows. We've got management involved now, Deep South, got a publicity firm involved. Everything's been slowly taking form and taking shape. Everything's falling into place very nicely. It's nice to see. Originally I was kind of handling everything and now other people of handling everything and it's nice. I can breath again and just relax and focus on music instead of all of the details and the business end. To be honest, I did it, but that's not what I prefer at all. I'd much rather focus on the music and deal with the music versus all of the business. So it's nice to have management handling all of that. It makes it much easier.
Kim - Are you seeing a future with Stryper being back together as a more permanent thing?
Michael - No. This is a one time deal. We're doing this reunion and it's more of a celebration type of reunion. We're not permanently getting back together as a band. There are no plans to go do another tour or another record. We're just going to all go out there, celebrate what Stryper did and the ministry of Stryper and have some fun. Hopefully we'll encourage and help people deal with some things that they may be going through in their lives and help them pull out of that. Be it drug addiction, alcohol addiction, suicidal thoughts, bad marriages, whatever it may be ... we want to encourage people and help people through those things. So that's what we're looking at it as. It's an opportunity to go out and do that once again through the music of Stryper, through the message and the ministry of Stryper. We're excited about that. Reuniting permanently as a band, no, that's not the case. And I do want to make that clear 'cause a lot of people think that it is. I don't want people thinking or believing in something that isn't the case. That's all.
Kim - God used Stryper to open doors in the Christian music industry 20 years ago that have expanded our definition of what Christian music is. How does it feel to have been a part of something that big?
Michael - It's amazing to look back and to realize what we were a part of. Something that was just on such a huge level as far as what God did with and through the band. As far as why God chose us, I have no idea. He could have chosen anyone for that matter and for some reason he chose the four of us to go out and put together Stryper, tour the world and make music. You know, to look back on it and to realize that I was a part of something so spectacular and unusual and such a powerful ministry, and that so many lives were affected, changed and renewed, that is amazing to me. It really is. I don't take any glory myself at all. But to have been chosen to be a part of that ... what a great feeling. I would absolutely love to be a part of something like that again. Be it this tour, if it's the next Michael Sweet solo record, if it's another band ... whatever. But it's an incredible thing to be out there and you have the crowd basically in your hand and the opportunity to share with them and they're giving you their undevoted attention. That's an incredible feeling.
