There comes a point with any collaboration like that where you start having other interests creatively. I was moving in one direction musically, and as a guitar player, Mark wanted to move in another direction. That was essentially the reason we broke up.

Sure I hear what people say. But the only opinions I care about are from the fans.

A lot of [my] songs have a sexuality to them, a vibe to them. ... I call it sexy rock and roll.

My problems were not what ended Creed.

I was a Christian in Creed, but nobody ever asked me.

The story of my life is profoundly unclear. It is a rock-and-roll story and, at the same time, a story of my walk with Christ. The two are melded together in ways both unpredictable and unsure.

When something like that happens, people want to try to find some dirt and make it more of a soap opera. But I think we both walked away with the door still open, if we want to do something together again. So yeah, I would call it a friendly break-up.