So I had this thought while at work yesterday - whenever Mike (because he'll be the first one to announce it) reveals who is in the band other than Derek, how does he expect this fans (that have been following this so far) to react? With fake surprise, or blind adoration? Like...we all already know who the guitarist is, and unless we are all wrong and it doesn't turn out to be him, only THEN can we be truly surprised. If it turns out that it was Bumblefoot all along, then most of us will probably react with "Well, see, there ya go...told ya so" feelings, and I can guarantee that will illicit some sort of reaction from Mike (probably mass post deletions on Facebook posts).
If he's smart, whenever another announcement is made, it should just be the guitarist so we get that out of the way. If he saves that announcement for last, it'll be a horrible anti-climax, especially since we don't have any idea who the bassist or vocalist may be. Announce the guitarist next, then the bassist, and end on a high note with the vocalist and band name. I think that might have the best possible reaction, going in that order, and depending on who the vocalist is, maybe by then, we may have all gotten over this whole thing with video-leaks and MP-control and what not.
-Marc.
I'd agree with all that. However, it could be possible that if MP sees this as a long term, permanent band, he's also knee deep in making sure the band gels, and everyone is on the same page. And then once they do (and if they do), then signing contracts and getting legalities out of the way (I am sure after his DT experience, he is probably making sure things are clearly spelled out). Just because he has people in mind, and they worked together for a week or so, doesn't mean everything is GO yet, or even that they HAVE "A" singer. They might just be jamming, to see how it goes, record some demos, and then bring in a few singers later on, and see how everyone fits together in the same room, and hanging out.
If this IS a permanent thing, he's smart to take his time about the whole thing, and like he said, get it all set up, and once the i's are dotted and t's are crossed, if it is a BIG announcement (in terms of the singer), the label involved obviously would want to put together a sizeable marketing campaign.
So there could be a lot of factors in play. Bumblefoot potentially being the guitarist (or ONE OF the guitarists) is out there, and it obviously was a "leak" from MP's perspective. But again, perhaps MP doesn't know yet how the band is going to shape up other than him and Derek. And if that's true, I get why HE just wants to be the guy teasing things, and doesn't want things to get out of control.
Is he going about it the wrong way? In my opinion, yes. But I also do understand that there may be other reasons why he is trying to control the situation. Things may be really fluid right now, and he might not want to reveal too many people and details and then change them later (which he'd get crucified for, I'm sure).
So yes, MP could handle this better. BUT, I am sure there is a LOT more behind the scenes going on, and a lot of that is probably contributing to a lot of the secrecy.