Wow...that website sucks donkey balls...but that was a great read!
JLB is, as always, a consummate professional.
As far as his vocals, my fav JLB albums are 6 Degrees, FII, and Octavarium, so whatever he may or may not have lost was not something that lost me as a fan.
I remember reading that passage in Lifting Shadows (as well as tons of interviews before and since), and MP always comes off as the type of guy I hate being in bands with. Any of us who play know that guy - Mr. "We need to sound like this" guy.
James was never going to win. Bc one year, MP was all about Radiohead and Thom Yorke, another year Russell Allen is his favorite singer ever. And on and on. Which is fine, but I think for the band, sticking with the date they brought to the dance has proven to be a wise move.
As for MP...well, he quit (in 98, as mentioned on one of the DVD documentary's), and then, ten years later, he quit again. Amazing drummer, love him to death, but his opinions on JLB and his vocals are something I could not care less about.