John Fogerty Is Still Angry His Ex-Bandmates Call Themselves ‘Creedence’
After all these years, John Fogerty still has some things to get off his chest when it comes to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Beset by a series of infighting on one hand, and a pitched battle for control with the head of its label on the other, Fogerty's former group blew apart following a period of creativity and success that was as brief as it was massive. Decades have passed, and both Fogerty's older brother Tom and Fantasy Records president Saul Zaentz have died, but the surviving members of Creedence Clearwater Revival remain at odds. Stu Cook, Doug “Cosmo” Clifford and John Fogerty have recently returned to legal proceedings, despite having broken up in 1972.
"What you have to understand is that even though I'm the guy in that band who wrote, produced and arranged all the songs – and therefore really brought them success – and Saul Zaentz was the guy who robbed us and owned all of our music and treated us pretty badly, somehow they flipped that on its head over the years, and now I'm the bad guy," Fogerty tells Rolling Stone. "Over the years, Tom, Doug and Stu would would quote Saul as if he was giving them good information and I was the crook, as if I ruined their lives somehow."
In the meantime, Fogerty has been touring the CCR catalog as a solo act, while Clifford and Cook have reformed as the similarly titled Creedence Clearwater Revisited. The chance for a proper reunion outside of various courtrooms seems to be ever more remote.
"I wouldn't see why that would ever happen," Fogerty added. "But I'm not like I was 20 years ago, where I'd say, 'That's impossible! You're crazy!' I'm not angry now. But I would certainly give Doug and Stu a wide breadth if I saw them coming down the street. I'd probably step over to the other side of the street and say, 'Okay, what do you guys want?' The fact they're running around calling themselves Creedence just sticks in my craw."
John Fogerty goes deeper into Creedence Clearwater Revival's various triumphs and tribulations in his new book, Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music. He's scheduled a series of October appearances to help promote its publication.
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