Skillet’s frontman John Cooper joked that his Christian parents would have rather him to go jail for murder than listen to Christian rock music.
In the 1990’s, Gospel singer Kirk Franklin experienced a similar type of pushback to what Stryper received from Swaggart a decade earlier. Franklin recalled a time when he was at a conference where speaker harshly criticized his hit single Stomp, which had gotten more airtime at nightclubs than on Christian radio.
When remembering the criticism, Franklin said, “God told me if they don’t have scars on their hands from the nails or on their foreheads from the crown of thorns, then you don’t owe them an explanation.”
During an interview with NPR’s Arun Ruth in 2015, Franklin said, “It’s very hard when you hear churches talk about you. Some people start to question your heart, and when some people start to question your motives, it could be very hard for you because you’re in your early 20’s, and you don’t really understand what all the fuss is about — because you’re doing just what’s real to you.”
Why DC Talk Broke Up
The film also sought to answer a 20-year-old question: Why did the members of DC Talk go their separate ways after becoming the most influential Christian bands of the 1990’s? The hip-hop Christian band is best known for their rock-rap style album Jesus Freak, which released in 1995.
The Jesus Freak album, which sought to reappropriate a slur often used to describe the people of the “Jesus Movement,” reached #16 on the Billboard 200, selling over 2 million units. This success is historically noteworthy, since the album was only ever featured on Christian radio.
Interviews with Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max are scattered throughout the film. The Grammy Award winning trio shared that they didn’t get along offstage as well as their onstage personas would seem to indicate.
The three detailed one instance where McKeehan and Max got into a physical altercation on the tour bus, resulting in Max’s absence from the stage during the show.
Max described McKeehan’s temperament as “driven” and “controlling,” which caused friction. The band’s differences of opinion eventually led to the deterioration of their friendships. “We were three individuals on stage and not a unit,” Max shared.
McKeehan admitted that he didn’t do everything right, saying, “I don’t think you’re ever ready for success.” Tait reiterated, “Fame and fortune isn’t something I’d wish on anyone.”
The film also focuses briefly on McKeehan’s son’s death, a devastating event that has been formative for him and his family.
God used people who are broken to reach out to those who are broken. – Toby McKeehan
Audio Adrenaline’s original lead singer Mark Stuart said the DC Talk “was held together with duct tape — it was fragile.”
After DC Talk disbanded, McKeehan achieved solo success in CCM, and Tait went on to become the lead singer of the iconic Christian rock band Newsboys. Max served as lead singer for an Audio Adrenaline album in 2012, and he is preparing to release an album with his new band Sad Astronauts.
McKeehan didn’t give a direct answer when asked about the possibility of a DC Talk reunion tour. A 2020 reunion was rumored when the band performed together in 2017 and 2019. The pandemic has since put that possibility on hold.
Stuart, who was married to McKeehan’s late sister, said that his brother-in-law has shaped Christian music more than anyone else.
The Future of Christian Music
The film ended by looking into the future of the Christian music, featuring commentary from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Hillsong United, Phil Wickham, Lauren Daigle, and for KING & COUNTRY.
“There is nothing more beautiful to me than hearing people singing about Jesus,” Wickham said. Likewise, Crowder called singing to Jesus “a refection of God’s breath on the planet.”
When speaking about his worship concerts, the Grammy Award winning Chris Tomlin put it this way: “What we are doing tonight is eternal.”
