This Sunday, Velvet Revolver will play the Virgin Festival in Washington, D.C. In anticipation of the concert, Scott Weiland took a few minutes to talk with the Washington Post. In the interview, he hinted at a Stone Temple Pilots reunion.
Check out this quote. These are not the words of someone who's being patronizing; it sounds like he's really up for a reunion.
WP: It's interesting to hear you say that you're not afraid to throw your influences into an album, because Stone Temple Pilots were slagged for being a copycat grunge band -- a Pearl Jam knockoff. Did that criticism sting?
SW: It definitely bothered me at the time. But I think on the song "Plush," you can make that connection to Pearl Jam just like you can make the connection from Rod Stewart's song "Hot Legs" to the Rolling Stones. "Plush" happened to be our breakout single. You have to remember that at the time, Pearl Jam was getting slagged brutally by Nirvana and the media. They weren't considered critics' darlings until Kurt (Cobain) passed away. And then he (Eddie Vedder) sort of took over as the disturbed and bitter genius, I guess. But I'm so proud of the legacy that Stone Temple Pilots has. We've written close to 18 Top 20 hits, and many of them are still played on the radio today. That's the legacy we wanted to create. We wanted to be played on rock radio for the next 20-30 years. That's actually happening. The only thing that's left unfinished is the completion of the story. I feel that there could be a better final chapter, a better bookend. If all the planets line up, you never know what might happen one day.
Here is Weiland on a few other topics:
-On turning 40 this October: "I always knew I'd make it because I'm a survivor. I'm like a cockroach. If there was an atomic bomb, I'd be one of the last people left. I'd be crawling out of a hole in the dirt."
-On being sober: "I'm not sober. I haven't done drugs in 3 1/2 years, so I call myself clean. But I do drink a little bit. That's worked for me, but I don't recommend it for everybody."
-On "trying out" for Velvet Revolver: "I need to get this straight for once. I never [expletive] tried out for Velvet Revolver. I've never tired out for any band. I wouldn't even try out for the [expletive] Rolling Stones. Stone Temple Pilots broke up and I was working on my solo album. The last thing I wanted to do was join another [expletive] rock band after all the [expletive] drama I went through with Stone Temple Pilots. I ran into Duff at the gym and he told me they were forming a new band and that I should check it out and see if it's something I'd be into."
-On VR's live show: "Every gig is a major gig. Listen, every time I walk out on stage I'm willing to, like, be gashed open, willing to bleed, willing to fall apart if I need to. I put out all of my body energy at every gig."
-When asked what he would name his racehorse, if he owned one: "Go Big Or Stay Home."
Amazing. If you're a fan of Weiland, STP, or VR, you should definitely read the entire interview here.
Let's talk about the STP comeback. This is the best news I've heard all week, even if it's a longshot. STP was one of my five favorite bands when they broke up, and they've been in my top 5 their whole career. They're the reason I got into rock music (I used to be straight hood; bumping The Chronic in my parents' backyard). They got ripped on for sounding like Pearl Jam, but only the Core album sounded anything like PJ, and it wasn't that close. All of their CDs are excellent, and Thank You (the greatest hits) is downright ridiculous. Despite the fact that only 7 people own it, Shangri-La-Di-Da is great, which is why I'm surprised Weiland would call it a bad bookend. Hopefully he's refering to the way the band broke up and not the actual work they produced.
Even though I like Velvet Revolver's latest CD a lot, I would still trade those guys in for an STP reunion with no hesitation. But it doesn't matter what I think. The questions at hand are:
A) Will an STP reunion happen?
B) If so, when?
C) Would it be any good? Or this is an example of something better left untouched?
