Free Honestly: My Life and Stryper Revealed by Michael Sweet, Dave Rose, Doug Van Pelt Page B

change. Our compromise was to keep elements of stripes in the band, but we did away with the yellow and black. To me, that was the best the band had ever looked. Visuals aside, that was a humbling and even embarrassing time in my life for other reasons.

THIRTEEN
    If I were to describe John The Baptist, I might imagine him to be a lot like my friend Michael Guido. Strong facial features, a defined jaw line hidden behind a salt and pepper beard. Long, curly hair, callused hands and sun tanned skin from his time outdoors praying for and with people. Outspoken in his faith, but quick to listen intently. Deep set eyes that speak to your very soul when you gaze into them. Sometimes his eyes are saying, “Well done my child” and other times they are saying, “I’m disappointed in you.” Nonetheless, they always say, “I care.”
    Guido accompanied us, along with 10 of our closest friends and crewmates on our very first tour following the release of The Yellow and Black Attack . 15 of us filled every available seat in a 15 passenger van on a ten day tour through Texas and Arizona. It was our only tour to support that album before we went on to record Soldiers Under Command . By the way “15 passenger van” is a terrible name for those vehicles. Yes, they can hold 15 people, but there’s no accounting for all the gear that a band must carry along.
    As we headed deep into the heart of Texas, most of us took turns driving. I, of course, was the best driver, meticulously obsessing over every road sign and turn signal (at least that’s what I thought but I guarantee you everyone else would tell you a different story). I required a co-pilot at all times, glued to the Rand McNally, ensuring the most direct route to each venue. I remember driving late one night and being especially tired. As we approached the outskirts of the next town, we came to a fork in the road and I had already decided to go to the left, at 85 mph! Oz was to my right and shouted “No, No... Stay to the right! Stay to the right!”
    A sudden jerk of the steering wheel and I lost control of the van. The screech of the tires was muffled only by the uncontrollable outbursts of fear within the van. The women were screaming. I was screaming. It was a miracle the van didn’t roll. Our first “real” tour outside of LA and we almost met God that night. I could see the headlines: “Christian Rock band’s fatal crash on I-20. 15 people dead.” I gained control and sighs of relief filled the van. Then laughter. We’re alive, and on tour!!
    Later that month, I read a national automotive report declaring 15-passenger vans have a 400 percent greater chance of rolling over when they are filled to capacity. It was time for us to get on a tour bus or reduce our number of traveling companions. To this day I won’t tour in a van. Not because I’m above it. I just don’t feel safe.
    We banged out 7 shows in 10 days on that first tour, including an amazing show at The Bronco Bowl in Dallas where we sold over 1000 tickets. The incredible turnouts at each show pleasantly surprised us, but at every stop on the tour I was confident nobody would show up. And then miraculously, each night, we had more than respectable crowds. I was absolutely amazed by the outpouring of fans. Hundreds, sometimes thousands in each city turned out, many of them already sporting yellow and black attire. This helped me realize we were about to embark on something big with Stryper and made me even more excited and anxious to get back into the studio to record the album that I knew we were capable of making.
    Despite having seen a smorgasbord of diverse cultures back home in Los Angeles, we were relatively naïve to the world. We had not yet toured beyond a 60 mile radius of our home, so we were thrilled to be away for the first time. To this day, Texas remains one of our strongest markets and I attribute that to the early years of touring there regularly. Los Angeles is our home. Texas is our