RIP Scott Weiland
 

bummer. They were one of those bands I fucking loved in Junior High and High School. And it's of course sad when anyone battles w/ demons. The past year or two I've spent a lot of time revisiting much 90's music I grew up with so there was plenty of STP in there. RIP.

I'm not going to lie, I went through a brief STP phase when Purple came out, and at one time I thought Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop was pretty damn ballsy and inventive for a rock band...

But that was sooooo long ago. Before I was out of high school I considered them a really really bad joke. Like the Smashing Pumpkins post-1995. I made merciless fun of them when they had their little resurgence with "Sour Girl", and I was no kinder to Velvet Revolver or Weiland himself.

I think he was kind of a vapid man who was just way too proud of his endlessly mediocre music. Like Billy Corgan only not quite as unbelievably ridiculous. I can't even feel sorry for Corgan because it's like he asks for punishment with every move he makes, and then resents "hipsters" for punishing him.

But Scott Weiland... Him, I feel sorry for. When I first heard about his death, I shrugged and said "so?" (I know- I'm fucking awful... I will probably fall back on Catholic self guilt tripping to make myself feel like less of an absolute monster.)

I immediately regretted it, of course, because I'm actually quite a softy, and I believe everyone deserves respect. It was not like me. Not the adult me anyway. And when I saw his photo a few hours later, I felt like crying. Not because the world is going to be a bleaker place without his talents (it's already bleaker than hell, and he didn't have a lot of talent to offer) but because he was a person. He struggled with drugs, like so many people from our generation have, and he did it for so long that I can't imagine what kind of hell his life was actually like at times.

He had sad, uncomprehending eyes and a face like a malnourished high school student, and I felt bad for the guy underneath it all. Nobody deserves that kind of pain. Nobody deserves to be joked about in death.

It's sad. It's even sadder to think of how many people lose their lives to drugs and end up dying as a direct or indirect result of it *without* the whole world taking notice. When normal people like that die, a lot of people think, "good riddance." And that's what's been going through my mind in the middle of this.

"Interstate Love Song" is a great rock radio song, though. A really tuneful rock song.

I guess I also liked "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" quite a bit.

you guys are good guys.

I was into Core, Purple and Tiny Music back then. And even when No. 4 came out I enjoyed it as well. I don't think I ever checked out Shangra-La.

But like Pepper pointed out, I liked that he didn't seem to give a shit about critics. The band explored some weird directions on Tiny Music. And later got into sort of glam rock. His first solo album incorporated some electronics, and later he made a Christmas album that is completely his own take on Sinatra crooning. Basically, I get the impression he didn't care much about sticking to a certain genre or appeasing a fan base. He just liked music and made the music he felt like - all while battling inner demons.

I thoroughly enjoy STP to this day, even though I rarely listen to them, but I was a big fan during my teenage years before I started discovering other stuff. Some of the first songs I learned on guitar were STP songs and I joined the school jazz band to play bass like Robert DeLeo.

Purple is a flat out great record. They never seemed pretentious and took everything in stride, like the Range Life swipe. In the days of bands like Silverchair, Candlebox and Bush, STP were a hundred times better for a "copycat" band and honestly I think they became respected amongst their peers over time.

Scott's death hit me hard because my dad also passed away earlier this year and he loved them. I remember growing up he'd listen to them a lot in the car. After him and my mom separated and we went a while without talking, talking about STP and such when I was a teenager was a good bond to bring us closer together. I remember how cool he thought it was that I could play Creep. It honestly hit me hard when I found out a few days ago. May he rest in peace.

Remember that David Spade spot on Weekend Update in, like, '94, when he "reported" something about STP and said, "I liked them a lot better before... when they were called Pearl Jam." Anyone?

They took shit from day one.

I really grew up with Pearl Jam in pretty constant rotation up to Yield, so I do prefer them to STP. But man... That was cold. And this was during their peak!

A Scott Weiland dedication sbow starting In 15 minutes!!!

I never listened to STP, but his cameo on Chocolate Starfish was dope af.

Looking back, the only albums that hold my interest are Vitalogy, No Code (about ½ of it), and Yoeld (about ¼ of it)

I never liked Ten. Stupid name, stupid cover, bad songs.

But Vs. had its moments, like "Go" (which I would probably still crank up if I heard it today, despite those cheesy drums), and "Rearviewmirror", which is just kind of a standard. I like how intense those songs were. I always had trouble stomaching "Elderly woman.." and "daughter" and that shit. But when Pearl Jam got intense ("Last Exit", "Spin the black circle", "Tremor Christ", "Habit" all come to mind) they were at their best, and really touched on something good.

Unfortunately, they haven't written anything with any kind of balls in 15 years. So as much as I get nostalgic when I hear the climax of "Breath" or "State of a love and trust", I don't think I can call myself a fan in any sense of the word. If more tha 50% of a band's music is shit, then I'm out.

Back in 94 or 95 whatever, my sisters boyfriend at the time was like THIS is the band you should be listening to. I was like, nah mate.


..

Its hard for me to imagine anyone, at any time, feeling that way about STP. You're not supposed to be preachy and over the top about bands that are moderately successful and nationally known. What's that about?

You're supposed to be preachy/reverent/pedantic about either:
- Bands nobody's heard of
- Bands everyone's heard of that are actually way more talented than most people believe they are
- Bands that are awful that you "like" ironically just to get a rise out of people

I'm trying to imagine someone trying to pull one of those "Oh, man, you GOTTA hear this!" acts with a band like STP. Even in '95 it would have been like...
"Uh, I have heard them. On the radio. So many times. What's wrong with you?"

DUDE... There's this guy you absolutely MUST hear. His name's Ed Sheeran, and he sounds like nothing and everything at once. Also, you've heard him a million times. In fact we're at his concert right now. You are going to LOVE this shit!

Their unplugged was Nirvana good..

Or one could just really like the band Severian..

..So I finally got over the hype of Stone Temple Pilots this summer gone and listened to their 1st album. Was aright, the guy obviously had a serious hardon for Layne Stayley. I Dug Weilands' 1st solo album for a bit but his 2nd one was tosh. Velvet Revolver were bad. Random ya

This, completely. I always thought that was one of the better but under-appreciated Unplugged sessions for sure. I remember seeing them not long after that, and they sort of replicated it during their show. Had a circular little mini-stage lowered down with candles and couches and shit on it, and played about 4-5 songs with the acoustics and mellow atmosphere. Just one of those quite enjoyable concert memories. I know they could be hit or miss, but I caught them twice around that time and they were on it both nights. Very solid live band.

Ha.

Yeah, sorry. That was pretty dickish, and I knew that when I wrote it.

STP sucked shit and everyone knew it when they were around.

Rob, do you pride yourself on always having something negative to say?

Nope, just adding two cents where it is not wanted.

What's wrong with being honest about a pile of crap?