Michael Sweet Is Right

Michael Sweet of Stryper took to social media to make a long post defending singers and their performance abilities as they age. Sweet opened up about his own health and throat issues over the years and how it is hard to maintain a strong voice - and no matter what you do - age is always a factor.

People are so nasty on social media - keyboard warriors all who post fearlessly behind the glow of a cellphone screen - but never have to get on stage and do their job for millions to see (and judge).

I have a lot of respect for Sweet’s words below and folks would do well to listen to them. Sure, it’s okay to note a person doesn’t sound the same as they did in 1978. Do you need to completely run them down and destroy them in the process? No.

Here’s the full text of the Facebook post as linked below - none of it has been edited by me:

“My voice. It’s changed quite a bit.

I’ve gotten “scoped” quite a few times over the years and there are multiple issues.

First - Post nasel drip. Severe. I’ve gone to The Mass General Voice Center in Boston a few times and I met with Dr. Zietels (he has performed surgeries on Adele, Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith), Roger Daltrey (of The Who), Cher, and Julie Andrews. He confirmed my severe postnasal drip, and he also said that it was bittersweet for me. He felt that it had preserved my vocal cords yet at the same time it hinders me when I’m trying to sing.

A few other doctors came into the room and were looking at my vocal folds on screen, and they couldn’t believe how thick the mucus was. Unusually thick and more than they had seen on any other vocal folds (at the time back in 2007).

Since then, I have been scoped many times, and I have also developed a few polyps on my vocal folds over the years. They healed on their own and did not require surgery.

Then fast-forward to just a few years ago, and I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer does not run in my family, so I’m not really sure how it developed, but unfortunately, it did. I saw Dr. Gregory Randolph at Mass Eye & Ear. He is also a leading doctor in thyroid surgery and preserving the vocal nerve. Basically, he’s the best of the best.

Although I was able to sing after surgery, my voice has not really quite felt the same sense. It’s hard to describe, but it’s just different.  I take very good care of my voice and do everything I can to preserve it. I smoke an occasional cigar, but I’m not really a smoker so to speak. I never have been.

I’m sure age has also taken its toll on my vocal cords to some degree but for the most part, I am very fortunate to have what I have at 62 years of age. Considering the fact that I’ve been touring my entire life singing in a very loud & high range, night after night.

I’ve always been more of a chesty singer and projecting from my lungs/chest versus my throat. So I think that has helped to preserve my voice somewhat as well. But obviously, I have noticed quite a difference in my range overall. I can’t hit the upper range and the high notes that I once could easily hit.

I often joke about my pants, not being tight enough like they were in the past or that I have finally reached puberty, but obviously, those are just jokes. I guess it’s just me making comedy out of my situation. To laugh it off instead of letting it eat at me and or get to me.

There is an immense pressure that goes along with being a lead singer in a band and having to go out and perform in front of thousands of people when you can’t perform at the level you want to perform at. At the level you used to perform at. At the level you wish you still could perform at.

You wish you still could perform like the good old days. Yet those days are gone. And with YouTube and all the videos being filmed with phones, it adds a lot more pressure because you know as you’re singing a song and your struggling with the notes and melody, it will literally be on YouTube in a matter of seconds.

Then there are vocal coaches (and fans) all over the Internet, talking about how singers are singing wrong and how they need to retire and how they should stop with some sort of dignity. The truth is most of the time, it’s out of their control. They are most likely doing everything they can to get back to what they once had but it’s just not in the cards.

This is why I can feel the pain of some of the singers out there who are struggling. I’m not at that point yet and I’m very grateful for that. I have my struggles, but I’m still capable of performing at a certain level that can allow me to do what I need to do and I’m very thankful and grateful for that. But, that day could come when I can’t sing any longer, and I may not be able to sing these songs anymore and at that point, I will be thankful for being a guitar player because I will still be playing

So I guess I’m trying to convey a few things with this post. Number one, I’m very fortunate to have what I have at 62 years of age after 42 years of touring.

And two, go easy on some of these guys. That’s all they do and that’s all they know and the body starts to break down and sometimes there are things you can do about that, and sometimes there is nothing you can do about that. So before you rip someone a new one on YouTube/TikTok/Instagram, remember that they’re most likely doing their best and they’re still fulfilling their dreams.”