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?

I never partake in "RIP" threads when the deceased is someone I strongly disliked (although I'll sure make an exception when Cheney and Rumsfeld die), but this particular thread is making me sick to my stomach. Compliments and tributes to Stone Temple Pilots, the act that EMBODIES one of the moments in rock music when everything went to SHIT? On THIS board?




And I never thought I'd agree with you 100% (restrain yourself from posting a reply, though). That egregiously unlistenable "Black" tune should be banned for all eternity on account of being a grandiloquent vomitive whine written by, targeted to and beloved by oligophrenics.

a lot of times when I browse the "what are you listening to" thread, I think a lot of people listen to some really boring music. But I don't find the need nor benefit of spreading any negativity around. Just saying.

Despite what my previous post may suggest, in general I agree with you, especially when it comes to lamebrained blaahhhhghhh!! comments without any insightful fundaments — their contribution is usually zero. The reason I went visceral on Stone Temple Pilots is that for me they represented everything that went wrong as commerce clashed with and absorbed art in early '90s rock music. One minute, due mostly to Nirvana's success, you believe you're finally witnessing the triumph of bands who at least appeared to stand for something, the contingent of artists from the tail end of the '70s onwards who made their own rules and whose music made you feel and think and just fuckin' EXIST the way hair metal douchebags surrounded by blondes with big racks or acts that were composed by one person singing, one dancing, and one doing fuck-all —as one writer described the Thompson Twins— never could. Blink, however, and the apparent revolution is over: fuckers who one year before did what they were told to become the next Guns N' Roses were now being groomed by the big record companies to look "grunge" and go multiplatinum. Which, lamentably, in many cases they did. I'm not exactly discovering the philosopher's stone here.

As for my spit on that Pearl Jam record, I concede it comes more from a place of utter repulsion on which I didn't expand rationally... and I'll remain guilty of leaving it at that for now.

see, this is a response I can respect. :)

I don't mind disagreements of opinion. But I get annoyed with "someone likes something I don't, I better shit on quick with a single sentence!" as it just comes off as 'negative for the sake of negative' to me. And to be honest, the world has enough negativity in my opinion.

I mean at least you're saying something more insightful than " ugh they sucked" /post.

At any rate, I do sort of have that same sentiment as Sev - at the end of the day we ARE talking about people.

@Pepper: Though I actually do still enjoy Ten (and agree, the remaster does it better), I still like pretty much all Pearl Jam albums. And agree that they've found their place. It's sort of that same place that Foo Fighters occupy. I guess - begrudgingly - it's sort of Dad Rock for those of us who grew up in the 90's. But dammit, I like it. So whatever haha.

And I do sort of agree, PJ seems to just keep on keeping on pretty much ignoring everything around them. I respect their grind.

Well said, p-green. Well said indeed.
I have a soft spot for Pearl Jam that will probably never go away. I'm really glad they took the road less traveled and five under the radar to become a cult live band that didn't give a fuck about commercial success.

That's said, I stil think they've only had fleeting moments of non-absolute stickiness on their records since about '98. "Fixer" was one of those moments, because even though it was pretty basic rawk type stuff it still sounded downright dangerous on the radio compared to fucking "love boat captain" and whatnot.

Agree totally about the drums on Vs. Still love "Go"... But yeah, those were some terrible drum sounds. Agree about the odd mismatched, mottled patchwork quality their image and sound had, especially when they tried to throw a punk backbone into the mix. That's why they work well as a boring jam-type band, because boring jam type bands are all over the place as well, and somehow it works for them.

Damn straight — no wonder Corgan wrote an "eulogy" for Weiland, calling him (I swear I'm not making this shit up) "a great voice of his generation".

That pj album was good.

It was kind of a hit. It was their first song with an accompanying video since "Do the Evolution", I think. I remember hearing it on the radio and even on vh1 (which, for a time, I actually watched fairly regularly in the early AM before work.)

I remember thinking it was a pretty rockin song for them.

But I didn't like the rest of that album at all. Not one bit. And I never even bothered listening to Lightning Bolt after hearing the singles on Spotify.

I reallt liked that song "just breathe." So pretty.

I really like the song "Breath", from the Singles soundtrack. :)

For years I didn't like it at all. I felt like it was a meandering mid-tempo noodle fest compared to the super early-90's on overdrive thump of "State of Love and Trust", but somewhere around '98 or '99 I finally started to appreciate it. I think what did it was the climactic bridge section:

Come (here it comes) there it goes (when it comes)
Where it goes (where it comes)/
can't see through the faith
Oh, come (here it goes) there it goes/
grasp what you can
Don't you know there's something inside your hand...
If I knew where it was, I would take you there/
There's much more than this

That section, indecipherable though it may be, always stood out. After enough listens and enough years, the rest of the song just felt like an extended lead in to and fade out from that point. The lyrics are ...uh... well, yeah... But the intensity of the music in that section really encapsulates the energy Pearl Jam had, on stage especially, in the early '90s.

In truth, it was really their live show that always set them apart. Now it's all they have. But back then, it was something to behold. I saw them for the first time in '93 I believe, and man what a presence they had!

I think that's one thing that "grunge" did do well. It gave kids with more punky sensibilities something to enjoy in the arena rock world. I'd say Soundgarden accomplished this too. Nirvana was basically just a basement band playing stadiums, and even the Foo Fighters threw on some brutal early shows, as did Hole.

The influence that punk had on that generation's big rock bands actually helped me get more into punk. Bands like Smashing Pumpkins and STP just didn't have that quality about them, which is probably why Stephen Malkmus was able to sum up their lameness so perfectly on "range life."

Anyway, I digress. As usual. Sorry Soup Nazi.

(That punk business doesn't excuse the fact that, to this day, I will jam "Hunger Strike" any time, any place. So the theory is flawed. But then again, I hail from the Pacific Northwest originally, and I must admit there's a collective nostalgia among folks my age who grew up in that area. It may have been a big commercial goldrush, but I'll always have fond memories of that era, when my back yard was the coolest place in the country.)

Yeah. They were kind of like a protein shake of rock stereotypes. One of those protein shakes that has, like, blueberries and raspberries but also has fucking kale and Swiss chard and pine nuts and hemp seed and shit.

Like the opposite of the Beatles or Nirvana, both of whom seemed like one personality split into 3-4 parts.

They were ridiculous looking, to be sure.

That one's the douchebaggiest-looking of all the bandmembers, and he's got stiff competition.

^ mmmmhmm.

Vedder always looked pretty cool though. Gotta say. He had a great stage presence in the early days. Now he looks a bit bored and sedentary, but I'm pretty sure he was the reason for their success. Good frontmen are so valuable, and he was a good front man, even when their music was ½ Jane's Addiction and ½ ... I don't know... mother loves n' roses.

Anyway... Are we done taking about Scott Weiland?

Where does one get pure MDA these days? That shit is locked down harder than Fort Knox!

Since the record companies want to make a mint of the recently dead, they keep referring to his death as an "accidental" overdose. The only time an overdose is NOT accidental is when it is a suicide attempt. All they gotta say is overdose.

homeslice was chuggin' liquor, dosed on MDA, and snorting cocaine like it was goin out of style. heavy drug and alcohol use are slow suicide, right? Maybe then it was not so accidental.

"Accidental" makes it seem like he meant to drink some kool-aid and instead snorted coke and ate some MDA.....

At the record company meeting
On their hands - a dead star
And oh, the plans they weave
And oh, the sickening greed

At the record company party
On their hands - a dead star
The sycophantic slags all say :
"I knew him first, and I knew him well"

Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package!
Re-evaluate the songs
Double-pack with a photograph
Extra track (and a tacky badge)

A-list, playlist
"Please them , please them !"
"Please them !"
(sadly, this was your life)

But you could have said no
If you'd wanted to
You could have said no
If you'd wanted to

BPI, MTV, BBC
"Please them ! Please then!"
(sadly this was your life)

But you could have said no
If you'd wanted to
You could have walked away
...Couldn't you?

I touched you at the soundcheck
You had no real way of knowing
In my heart I begged "Take me with you ...
I don't care where you're going..."

But to you I was faceless
I was fawning, I was boring
Just a child from those ugly new houses
Who could never begin to know

Who could never really know
Oh...

Best of! Most of!
Satiate the need
Slip them into different sleeves!
Buy both, and feel deceived

Climber - new entry, re-entry
World tour! ("media whore")
"Please the Press in Belgium!"
(This was your life...)

And when it fails to recoup ?
Well, maybe :
You just haven't earned it yet, baby

I walked a pace behind you at the soundcheck
You're just the same as I am
What makes most people feel happy
Leads us headlong into harm

So, in my bedroom in those 'ugly new houses'
I danced my legs down to the knees
But me and my 'true love'
Will never meet again...

At the record company meeting
On their hands - at last! - A dead star !
But they can never taint you in my eyes
No, they can never touch you now

No, they cannot hurt you, my darling
They cannot touch you now
But me and my 'true love'
Will never meet again

STP re-issues just in time for xmas

You did NOT just quote "Paint A Vulgar Picture" in relation to a dismal hack whose contribution to art was less than zero.

it is applicable to all!!!!! ha!!! someone, somewhere, feels that way about weyland