I'm pretty sure jokes about Creed vocalist Scott Stapp's very grungy, yarly delivery started the day Creed released "With Arms Wide Open" in 1999. Though in an interview with Theo Von Clips, Stapp has a great sense of humor about all the jokes, bluntly stating "I'm proud a meme. It's cool. How many people get to be a meme?"
Stapp then goes on to talk about how his son, who "With Arms Wide Open" is actually about, also makes fun of his delivery. Though Stapp turns the whole thing around and makes a great point – now that the '90s are making a comeback and kids are discovering Creed, that means the band gets to be a part of two separate generations. Which is pretty nuts!
"It was so funny. One day I was driving my nephew and my son my oldest son Jagger to either school or some practice or something, and they were giggling in the back seat. I was like 'what are you guys laughing at?' And they just kept laughing, and then all of a sudden I hear [them imitating me going] 'with arms wide open!' and then my nephew just busts out laughing. My own son who I wrote the song about is making fun of me, mimicking my voice. I was like 'what?' This was before everyone else was doing it. The last 10 years it's really become a thing.
"Man, how many people get to have that and be a part of a generation, and then tie into a new generation? I'm blessed. Now my daughter wants to wear Creed shirts to school and she's learning Mark Tremonti guitar riffs on her Les Paul. It's cool."
"The 90s are making a comeback. I have such gratitude for that. Also, I have a sense of humor about the mimicry and the jokes. I do it myself because it's funny. Some of them are funny, man. I got a sense of humor. They're good. I found what happens is it starts [as a joke] and people started digging in and going 'well, what are people making fun?' And start listening to the music and then that's when it gets out of my hands and I say that God used me despite myself, and then the music goes 'boom.'"
So when is Creed gonna cash in on that '90s nostalgia? Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti said in a recent interview that a reunion is gonna happen, but not until everyone's schedules align.
"It's just a matter of timing. We're all so busy running around the world doing our things, we would just have to have the time where it made sense. I don't think we need to rush into it, because I don't think Creed fans are going anywhere. I think whenever we decide to do something, I think it's gonna be a safe time to do it. It's just gonna be when it makes sense for everybody. You don't wanna derail a whole album cycle by jumping into doing Creed. It would just have to make sense."
