Stone Temple Pilots

Icons and Outlaws

Stone Temple Pilots.

There are two conflicting stories of how frontman Scott Weiland and bassist Robert DeLeo actually met; one was that Weiland and DeLeo met at a punk rock icon Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California, in 1985.

They started chit-chatting, discussing their girlfriends, only to realize they were dating the same woman. However, instead of having some beef and fighting over her, they became friends and formed a band after breaking it off with the girl. On the other hand, Weiland had a different version of meeting Deleo, written in his autobiography. The way he tells it, he and his current band Soi Disant, guitarist Corey Hicock, and drummer David Allin pursued DeLeo after watching him play live at different gigs.

Initially calling themselves "Swing," Allin left to pursue other interests after a few years. The remaining members watched drummer Eric Kretz play in a Long Beach club and convinced him to join the band. Guitarist Hicock eventually left the band in 1989; in need of a replacement and auditioning many guitarists, Robert suggested his older brother, Dean DeLeo. He and his brother were born in Montclaire, New Jersey). At the time, Dean was a successful businessman who did what many musicians do and had decided to leave music behind to find a "real job." The band convinced Dean to play for Swing, completing the original STP lineup. Dean hated the name and refused to continue playing in a band called "Swing," changing the name to "Mighty Joe Young," which was a B Movie from the 1940s. They recorded a demo tape around 1990. That demo would have tracks that would go on to be re-recorded for the band's first studio album, "Core," as well as some different styles that wouldn't show up again, like some funk and yodeling. Yes, Yodeling.

Mighty Joe Young played a few gigs in the San Diego area, gradually building a fanbase. Their first show supported Henry Rollins (Formerly of that band Black Flag we mentioned earlier) at the world-famous Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles, CA. The group then began working on their debut album with first-time producer and mixer Brendan O'Brien, the guy who's worked with future Icons and Outlaws subjects, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Rage Against the Machine, and Bruce Springsteen. Definitely a big deal. One day while recording, they received a call from their lawyer. He informed them that a blues player out of Chicago had already claimed the name Mighty Joe Young and they obviously didn't want to get sued for trademark infringement. So, rumor has it that they were inspired by the STP Motor Oil stickers they loved as kids. Various ideas on the initials "STP" were bounced back and forth, like "Shirley Temple's Pussy" and "Stereo Temple Pirates" before they settled on the name "Stone Temple Pilots."

STP built up their fan base in the San Diego clubs and in 1992 signed a deal with Atlantic Records, who had just released White Lion's "Main Attraction," Rush's "Roll The Bones," and Genesis' "We Can't Dance" the previous year. STP's first album, Core, was released on September 29, 1992, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Albums Chart. Core was a big success, producing hits "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," (which was rumored to have been written while Eric and Scott were in a Jacuzzi) "Creep," and "Wicked Garden." The debut album was a major commercial success; however, some press called the band "grunge imitators." The name of the album, "Core," refers to the apple in the biblical tale of Adam and Eve. It was recorded in only five weeks! Weiland has said that the album's central theme is that humanity is confused, with songs like "Sex Type Thing" (which is an anti date rape song and written after a woman that Weiland was deeply in love with was raped by 3 football players after a drunken high school party). Whereas "Naked Sunday" dealt with social injustice. "Sex Type Thing," according to Weiland, deals with abuse of power, "macho" behavior, and humanity's attitude toward women, treating them as sex objects. Also, "Naked Sunday" "is about organized religion. "About people who tell others what to do and what to believe. They switch off people's minds and control the masses." He goes on to say, "It gives me a feeling of isolation when I think about it. Organized religion does not view everyone as equals." Weiland says about his lyrics on "Core":

"I feel very strongly that all individuals, regardless of age, race, creed, or sexual preference, should have the freedom to exercise their rights as human beings to enjoy life, pursue what they want, and feel comfortable about who they are. I guess I tend to find the darker sides of life more attractive than the yellows and oranges. I know it's something that I relate to when I listen to music."

According to Weiland, "Wicked Garden" 's lyrics deal with the loss of innocence and purity, while "Sin" addresses "violent and ugly" relationships.

Also, the instrumental song "No Memory," the interlude between "Wicked Garden" and "Sin," was written by guitarist Dean DeLeo.

Deleo said about "Core," "You know how when you listen to a Led Zeppelin album, you listen to the entire album, not just the odd song? We wanted to make a record like that. We wanted to create a vibe which would run right through the whole album."

"Core" contained many more bangers, including Dead and Bloated and Crackerman. Since its release, the album has gone eight times platinum, selling over 8 million copies!

Also, that same year, Scott Weiland and Dean DeLeo played an acoustic version of "Plush" on the show Headbangers Ball. If you're not familiar, Headbanger's Ball was a T.V. show consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and hosted by Riki Rachtman. Some have considered this one of Weiland's most outstanding vocal performances.

Despite some negative reviews from critics, STP continued to gain fans and toured, opening for bands like Rage Against the Machine and Megadeth. Then, 1993 saw the band kicking ass, headlining a two-and-a-half-month tour here in the states.

In 1993, the band filmed an episode of MTV Unplugged, where they debuted the song "Big Empty," which would go on to be on the soundtrack for the movie "The Crow." You can hear our version of this iconic song at the end of the episode.

In a poll in Rolling Stone from 1994, Rolling Stone's readers voted STP Best New Band and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics. In addition, they took home the "Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist" and "Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist" awards the following month at the American Music Awards. Finally, in March 1994, they won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Plush."

Later that same year, STP returned to the studio with Brenden O'Brien, once again producing, to work on their second album, Purple. Unfortunately, around this time, it was also revealed Weiland had become a heroin addict. On the last stop of an STP co-headlining tour with the Butthole Surfers in 1993, in a back room of New York City's Royalton Hotel, Weiland first tried heroin, and in the embrace of this sticky brown shit, his demons were finally at ease. While "Core" took just five weeks to complete, Purple would take less than a month to record. Which, if you're not familiar, is extremely quick. The album's first single was "Big Empty," which debuted at STP's MTV Unplugged acoustic performance in 1993 and reached number one on the Billboard charts. A couple of weeks later, "Purple" also reached the top of the charts, making two for the band in 1994. Although like "Core," "Purple" features grunge elements. However, this album also displays the bands developing sound influenced by other genres, apparent in the psychedelic rock found in "Lounge Fly" and "Silvergun Superman," the country vibes of "Interstate Love Song," and the blues-rock elements of "Big Empty."

AllMusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "Purple is a quantum leap over [Core], showcasing a band hitting their stride." Erlewine also described "Interstate Love Song" as a "concise epic as alluring as the open highway" and "Big Empty" as "a perfect encapsulation of mainstream alienation.” The other two singles after "Big Empty," "Vaseline," and "Interstate Love Song" also hit the top ten on the Billboard Charts, giving them three top ten hits that year. The album also included other minor hits, including "Pretty Penny" and "Unglued." Purple has been certified 6x platinum, selling over 6 million copies. It sold three million copies just four months after its release. The cover of Purple shows a baby riding a dragon in the sky while some angelic figures look on. It is based on the artwork from a package of China White heroin that Weiland scored in Los Angeles.

1994 also saw Weiland marry Janina Castaneda, in which it is said that "Sour girl" and "Interstate Love Song" were written about. Heading into 1995, Weiland would slide into drug and legal problems. His heroin problems were getting worse. "When I tried heroin for the first time," Weiland recalled in 1998, "it seemed to make all those insecurities just go away. I suddenly felt: 'Wow, this is how normal people feel on a day-to-day basis.'" He was spending over $3,000 a week on smack within a year. Weiland found that heroin not only took away his anxiety but also fed into his carefully concocted "wasted rock star persona" and inspired a "bracing new experimentalism." He credited a lot of his creativity during the "Purple" recording sessions to his addiction to heroin. "Heroin gave me this ability to distance myself from the creative process and thereby gave me the strength and courage to try new things," he told Classic Rock.com. "Part of me felt I couldn't be creative unless I was high."

In October 1995, STP got together to begin recording their third album, "Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop." They rented out a mansion in Santa Barbara, California, to live together during the recording process. Unfortunately, the production process of Tiny Music wasn't easy. In early 1995, shortly after the band was forced to scrap two weeks' worth of recorded material, Scott was arrested, just two days out of another rehab, for heroin and cocaine possession and sentenced to one year's probation. Obviously, it didn't take long for Weiland to lose that little control of the addiction he held during this time. After his wife Janina bailed him out, he literally jumped out of her car at a stoplight and disappeared for days while shooting dope with Courtney Love. Yes, that Courtney Love. Weiland formed his side band, the Magnificent Bastards, and recorded songs for the Tank Girl soundtrack and a John Lennon tribute album in the months following this incident.

They released "Tiny Music" on March 5, 1996 and spawned three singles that reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart: "Big Bang Baby," "Lady Picture Show," and "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart."

The album's sound severely changed from their previous two albums, adding more glam rock and psychedelic styles and less of the hard rock/grunge sound that made them famous. Of course, reception by critics at the time was mixed. Rolling Stone, the magazine that initially dubbed them the "Worst New Band" in 1994, praised the record, calling it the group's best effort to date. However, they were surprised at "the clattering, upbeat character of the music," seeing that Weiland was all over the news with his drug use and arrests. STP was also featured on the cover of Rolling Stones issue No. 753 in February 1997.

The band was only partially successful touring in support of Tiny Music... and was forced to pull out as support for Kiss' reunion tour. A small tour in the fall of 1996 commenced in the U.S. However, dates at the end of December and in 1997 had to be canceled for Weiland to enter rehab, claiming that their singer had "become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs."

At only 24, Weiland went from smoking heroin to injecting the stuff. He spoke about his first shot of heroin by saying. "It's like what they talk about in Buddhism, that feeling of reaching enlightenment," he told Esquire.

"They say there's a golden glow that goes from your fingers all the way through every appendage and into the pit of your stomach. That's what it felt like to me. Like I'd reached enlightenment. Like a drop of water rejoining the ocean."

The band then decided to take a break to work on other projects. "I can't call the kettle black," remarked Kiss drummer Peter Criss. "I just pray for the guy and hope that he gets himself better because they really are a great band."

Things were getting worse after all of the issues with recording and touring for Tiny Music. In 1998, the same year Weiland released his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues, police arrested Weiland for buying dope in a New York housing project. A drug-related probation violation landed him five months in jail. Later years would bring more arrests for drunk driving, battery, and possession.

During the initial recording of "Tiny Music," STP, without Weiland, recruited Dave Coutts, the singer of Ten Inch Men, and began performing under the name "Talk Show." Talk Show released one self-titled album in 1997 before calling it quits. Robert and Dean had gotten together to figure out which songs should be Tiny Music songs and Talk Show songs. Dean would later say, "Robert and I had about 30 songs, and we sat in the room one night and basically went down the list and marked next to every song: Scott, Scott, Dave, Scott, Dave, Dave, Scott... It's really weird, because in all reality, it was like 'Big Bang Baby' could've been on [the] Talk Show record, and 'Everybody Loves My Car' could've been on Tiny Music." Both albums, Weiland's "12 Bar Blues" and `Talk Shows "self-titled, seemed to please the critics, but neither was commercially successful.

Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins once said, "It was STP's 3rd album that had got me hooked, a wizardly mix of glam and post-punk, and I confessed to Scott, as well as the band many times, how wrong I'd been in assessing their native brilliance. And like Bowie can and does, it was Scott's phrasing that pushed his music into a unique, and hard to pin down, aesthetic sonicsphere. Lastly, I'd like to share a thought which though clumsy, I hope would please Scott In Hominum. And that is if you asked me who I truly believed were the great voices of our generation, I'd say it were he, Layne, and Kurt."

In 2016, The A.V. Club noted that Tiny Music "was an almost shocking leap forward in creative ambition" and that "[STP] got weirder and better than anyone gives them credit for." Numbers-wise, the album has been certified twice platinum, selling over 2 million copies.

In late 1998, the band regrouped again and began work on a fourth STP album. 1999s "No. 4" was looked at as a "back-to-basics" rock album in similar to "Core" or "Purple." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote in a review, "it's as if STP decided to compete directly with the new generation of alt-metal bands who prize aggression over hooks or riffs.", comparing the album's sound to the current wave of alternative metal bands. This album found STP scoring one of its biggest hits since the "Core" and "Purple" with the single "Sour Girl," which stemmed from a music video starring "Buffy The Vampire" T.V. star, Sarah Michelle Gellar. STP then went on a summer tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and recorded an episode of VH1 Storytellers, supporting "No.4.", with the surviving members of The Doors. Weiland did vocals on two Doors songs, "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" and "Five to One." That same month Stone Temple Pilots appeared on the Doors tribute CD, Stoned Immaculate, with their own rendition of "Break on Through" as the lead track. Despite the lack of promotion due to singer Scott Weiland's one-year jail sentence shortly before the album's release, it would eventually be certified platinum in August 2000.

The cover art for No.4 generated some brief controversy because it strongly resembled the cover of the debut E.P. from Washington, D.C.-based band Power Lloyd. The Power Lloyd CD "Election Day" was released in 1998, and the cover was a white, five-point star on a black field under the band's name; STP's No.4 also featured a white five-point star on a black field under the band's name. Power Lloyd co-founder Gene Diotalevi explained that after their band had given a song to MTV to be used on the soundtrack of Celebrity Deathmatch, someone at MTV with an advance copy of No.4 noticed that the covers were nearly identical and alerted the band. However, Diotalevi stated that no one from STP's camp would return their calls or letters until his band mailed a cease-and-desist letter to STP's record company. STP's legal team then "made an offer to settle that was unacceptable to us," according to Power Lloyd's lawyer, Will Shill.

That same year, Weiland also recorded two songs with the short-lived supergroup the Wondergirls. The group also featured Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Ian Astbury of The Cult, Shannon Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jay Gordon and Ryan Shuck of Orgy and Julien-k, Doug Ardito of Puddle of Mudd, Ken Andrews of Failure, Martyn LeNoble of Porno for Pyros, and Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age.

During the summer of 2001, the band released "Shangri-La Dee Da." Despite the album's promotion by going on tour with Linkin Park, Staind, and Static X on the Family Values Tour, Shangri-La Dee Da was a commercial disappointment. This album was the fifth and final album released by STP before splitting up in 2002. The album was initially conceived as a double album dedicated to the memory of Andrew Wood, the lead singer, and lyricist of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. The record company was not happy with the idea of a double album, and after a while, the band relented to the pressure and made it the single album that was released. During the recording of Shangri La Di Da, the band had a filmmaker record everything that transpired. The filmmaker said the documentary was made to be in the style of The Beatles "Let It Be." Supposedly, there was a coffee table book as a companion to the documentary. Unfortunately, neither the documentary nor the book was released. The biggest hit off of this album was "Days Of The Week," which reached number four on the mainstream rock charts. The album did not perform as well as the previous STP albums, selling just over 500,000 copies and certified gold.

At that point, marketing support from their label was nonexistent, and the band decided to hold on recording any future albums. Finally, however, the band recorded "All in the Suit That You Wear," a song intended to be the lead single on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Spider-Man. However, Chad Kroeger's song "Hero" was ultimately chosen as the lead single. This soundtrack also featured the song "She Was My Girl" by Alice In Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and was written by Cantrell and my good friend, Jeff Tomei, who also recorded and produced the song.

Reports that the band had begun work on a sixth studio album in 2002 were put to rest as the band went quiet by the end of that year. An altercation between Dean DeLeo and Scott Weiland after the last show of Stone Temple Pilots' fall 2002 tour led to the final dissolving of the band. As an homage to the band's successful career, in 2003, Atlantic Records released a greatest hits album called "Thank You." The album had a bonus DVD of archive material and music videos. Five days after it's release, the DeLeo brothers revealed that the band was officially done in an interview with Guitar One.

Following the band's dissolution, Weiland was recruited to join the successful supergroup Velvet Revolver with Guns N' Roses members Slash (guitar), Matt Sorum (drums), Duff McKagan(bass), and former Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner. Weiland was friends with all four of these fellas, so when they were looking for a singer, they sent him two discs of material. He was not really into the first disc, saying it sounded like "Bad Company gone wrong." After that, the guys sent him the second disc, which Weiland liked more. Weiland declined the invite to sing at the time as STP was not broken up yet. After STP officially announced their breakup in 2003, the band sent Weiland new material, and Weiland added vocals to the track at his studio. This track eventually became the song Set Me Free. He delivered the recording to the band in person but still would not join the band. He recorded two songs with the guys, a version of Set Me Free and a cover of Money by Pink Floyd for The Hulk and The Italian Job movies, respectively. Shortly after, Weiland officially joined the band. Before a screening of The Hulk at Universal Studios, the band chose a name. Slash liked the beginning of the word Revolution after seeing a movie by Revolution Studios, eventually thinking of Revolver because of its multiple meanings. The name of a gun, the subtext of a revolving door, and the name of a Beatles album. When he suggested Revolver to the band, Weiland suggested 'Black Velvet' Revolver,' liking the idea of "something intimate like velvet juxtaposed with something deadly like a gun." They eventually arrived at Velvet Revolver. They announced the name at a press conference and performance showcase at the El Rey Theatre while also performing the songs "Set Me Free" and "Slither" as well as covers of Nirvana's "Negative Creep," Sex Pistols' "Bodies," and Guns N' Roses' "It's So Easy."

In 2004, the band released their debut album "Contraband." The album debuted at number one and has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. 2 million were sold in the U.S., making the album certified double platinum. The album's recording was hampered at times by Weiland having to appear in court for his drug charges and his subsequent sentence for rehab. Nevertheless, two of the album's songs, "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces," reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song "Slither" also won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal in 2005, an award Weiland had won previously with STP for the song "Plush" in 1994. Velvet Revolver released their second album, Libertad, on July 3, 2007, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. The delay in releasing their second album, according to Slash, was his fault. He had relapsed on drugs, and this caused issues with the process of getting the album out. The album's first single, "She Builds Quick Machines," peaked at 74 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles. The second and third singles, "The Last Fight" and "Get Out the Door," peaked at numbers 16 and 34 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. Critical reception to the album was mixed. Though some critics praised the album and felt that Libertad gave the band identity of their own, others described the album as "bland" and noted that the band seemed to be "playing to their strengths instead of finding a collective sound. Later Slash would say about Weiland:

"I just thought he was a great singer, and he'd always been on my mind for [Velvet Revolver]. He was the one vocalist that I knew had the kind of voice that would serve what we were going to do: he had a John Lennon-ish quality, a little bit of Jim Morrison, and a touch of almost David Bowie. He was the best singer to come out in a long time in my opinion."

Likewise, the DeLeo brothers formed the supergroup Army of Anyone with vocalist Richard Patrick of the rock band Filter and session drummer Ray Luzier. The band released its self-titled album in 2006 before going on "indefinite hiatus" in 2007. STP Drummer Eric Kretz kept a lower profile during this time, operating his own studio, Bomb Shelter Studios, and drumming for the band Spiralarms.

Dean DeLeo stated steps toward an STP reformation started with a phone call from Weiland's then-wife, Mary Forsberg. She invited the DeLeo brothers to play at a private beach party, which led to Weiland and the DeLeo brothers mending ways. In 2007, Dean DeLeo and Weiland discussed a concert promoter's offer to headline several summer festivals. Weiland accepted and said he had cleared the brief tour with his Velvet Revolver bandmates. He explained, "everything was cool. Then it wasn't," and said the rest of the band stopped talking to him. Weiland was diagnosed with manic-depressive disorder. He would often refuse to take medication for it and had lots of mood swings as a result.

On March 20, 2008, Weiland revealed at Velvet Revolver's show in Glasgow that this would be the band's final tour. After several flares on their blogs and in interviews, on April 1, it was announced by several media outlets that Weiland would no longer be in Velvet Revolver. STP announced they were reuniting for a 65-date North American tour the following month. The group officially reunited for a private gig at the Houdini Mansion and held their first public performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 1. The reunion tour kicked off at the Rock on the Range festival on May 17, 2008. STP toured throughout the summer and fall, headlining the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore in August of that year and the 10th annual Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. The band's six-month reunion tour wrapped up on Halloween 2008 in Pelham, Alabama.

After taking a short break to allow Weiland to support his recently released second solo album, ""Happy" in Galoshes," pre-production for the band's sixth studio album began in mid-2009. The band also hit the road for a 13-date North American summer tour in 2009, in-between the tours for Weiland's "Happy in Galoshes.".The band showcased new material at South by Southwest, the annual get-together of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly in mid-March in Austin, Texas, in 2010. The band performed at England's Download Festival in 2010, the Hurricane Festival and the Southside Festival in Germany, and the Final Four Concert Series in Indianapolis on April 2, 2010. In addition, the band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time in ten years on May 19, performing "Between the Lines.'

It would also be the band's last album featuring Weiland on vocals. A lawsuit filed by Atlantic Records on June 12, 2008, actually left the sixth album up in the air. Atlantic eventually withdrew the case, and the band's attorney called the legal situation a "misunderstanding." Against Atlantic Records' wishes, Robert DeLeo insisted that he and his brother Dean DeLeo produce the record themselves, which began production in early 2009. Production took nearly ten months to complete because recording took place during breaks in the band's touring schedule. Three studios were used simultaneously, including Robert's home studio and Eric Kretz's Bomb Shelter Studios. Scott Weiland recorded vocals at his "Lavish Studios." Don Was came in as an additional producer to help keep the band's separate recording sessions in sync and work closely with Weiland during the recording of his vocals. The album was completed in December 2009, and mixing and mastering were finished by February 2010. The album was released on May 25, 2010, leading to two singles, "Cinnamon" and "Between the lines." The album sold 62,000 copies the first week and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts.

In September 2010, STP announced it was rescheduling several United States tour dates so that the band could take a "short break." STP toured Southeast Asia for the first time in 2011, playing in the Philippines (Manila), Singapore, and Indonesia (Jakarta). In addition, the band played successful shows in Australia, including sell-out performances in Sydney and Melbourne.

Dean DeLeo told Rolling Stone in December 2011, "What I'd like to see happen is the band go out and do more intimate shows – really lovely theaters around the country." DeLeo also suggested a possible extended reissue of Core, including live archived material, "We have tons of live recordings from that era, and we didn't multi-track record that stuff. There's no fixes, so they'd sound incredible if we just master them."

Scott Weiland also commented on the 20th anniversary of Core, saying, "Well, we're doing a lot of special things. [There's] a lot of archival footage that we're putting together, a coffee table book, hopefully a brand new album – so many ideas. A box set and then a tour, of course."

"Alive in the Windy City," STP's first-ever concert film, was released on June 26 on DVD and Blu-ray, filmed at a sold-out show in March 2010 at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago.

STP began to experience problems in 2012. Some were said to have been caused by tensions between Weiland and the rest of the band. Despite the band claiming that their fall tour would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Core, it never happened. The rest of STP did not want to do the celebration because they believed that Weiland no longer had the vocal range to perform some of the album's songs. Weiland decided to perform the songs they did not want to play on one of his solo tours. The rest of the band didn't tell Weiland that they were pissed, which made him assume that everything was cool.

On September 17, set to perform at a show in Abbotsford, British Columbia, STP arrived nearly two hours late and cut their set 30 minutes short, pissing off the crowd. The following day, the band released a brief statement announcing that that night's show in Lethbridge, Alberta, was canceled because Weiland was ordered to go on "48 hours complete vocal rest due to strained vocal cords."

On December 7, hearing rumors that Weiland was open to returning to Velvet Revolver, a radio D.J. asked Slash about his possible return. Slash then told radio station 93X that he had heard rumors Weiland had been fired from STP. He claimed Weiland wanting to return to Velvet Revolver had something to do with that, something that Weiland quickly dismissed.

On February 27, 2013, shortly before this solo tour was set to commence, Stone Temple Pilots announced on their website that "...they [had] officially terminated Scott Weiland." Of course, that termination came as news to Scott. He fired back with a statement of his own that set the stage for what was sure to be an epic showdown, saying, "Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band I founded," "but that's something for the lawyers to figure out." Just one day before he was fired from the band, Weiland was giving interviews saying STP was working on tour plans, just another example of how significant the divide between him and his bandmates was.

Chester Bennington of Linkin Park appeared as a special guest on May 18, 2013, with the three remaining members of STP, performing at the 21st Annual KROQ Weenie Roast and the May 19, 2013, Live 105 BFD festival near San Francisco, where they performed a new song, "Out of Time."

STP released a free download of their new single "Out of Time" with Bennington on May 19, 2013, citing him as an official member. Bennington had exclaimed that being in STP was his lifelong dream in interviews years before. On May 30, 2013, The new lineup performed, at the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert in Los Angeles, California. They were joined by Weiland's former bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan on to perform Mott the Hooples "All the Young Dudes", a song originally written by David Bowie.

STP then announced that they would head out on a small tour in September with Filter opening up. They released a five-track E.P. titled High Rise on October 8, 2013, simply called Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington. "Black Heart," the album's second single, was released through iHeart Radio on September 18, 2013. STP dropped "with Chester Bennington" officially from their name in March 2015.

On November 9, 2015, Bennington announced he was leaving Stone Temple Pilots to put more focus on Linkin Park. Chester Bennington committed suicide on July 20, 2017.

Sadly, by the beginning of 2015, all signs pointed to a new cycle of relapse for Scott Weiland. While on tour with his backing band, The Wildabouts, there were rumors the Weiland had started using drugs again. The tour with the Wildabouts was not going as well as Weiland was hoping it would, and soon his rollercoaster life would come to an end. On December 3, Scott Weiland and his Wildabouts limped into Bloomington, Minnesota, to discover that their show had been canceled due to poor sales. The man who once held stadiums captivated in the palm of his hand could not even sell 100 tickets.

Just before 9 pm on December 3, in a hotel parking lot just south of Minneapolis, Scott Weiland was found dead in the bunk of his tour bus. He was 48. He had finally hit rock bottom. The medical examiner later determined the cause of death to be an accidental overdose. An array of drugs were found on his tour bus, including cocaine, marijuana, bipolar medication, and anti-anxiety medication for treating addiction. Wildabouts bassist Tommy Black was arrested at the scene on drug charges.

Weiland was no apologist for his behavior. Even as far back as the 90s, he admitted that he was entirely responsible for his actions and recovery. "There's no way you can place the blame on anyone but yourself, although, because I am a drug addict, I don't believe I have control over what I do when I start using it, because I feel totally powerless," he said. "But I'm still accountable for what happens."

A few days after his death, Weiland's second wife, Mary Forsberg, wrote a jagged open letter to Rolling Stone magazine. "Noah and Lucy never sought perfection from their dad," she wrote. "They just kept hoping for a little effort. If you're a parent not giving your best effort, all anyone asks is that you try just a little harder and don't give up."

Her comments underscore the heartbreaking truth: that among the singer's family, friends and bandmates, in the end, it seemed that the one who cared least about Scott Weiland's sobriety was the man who needed it most. Scott. News of Weiland's death quickly spread throughout the internet, with many of his musical peers, including his former band members, along with fans and music critics throughout the world, sharing their condolences, tributes, and memories. A day following his death, his former bandmates in Stone Temple Pilots issued a statement saying that he was "gifted beyond words" but acknowledged his struggle with substance abuse, calling it "part of [his] curse." A quiet funeral for Scott was held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on December 11, 2015, in Los Angeles. Members of both Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver attended. Chris Kushner, the wife of Velvet Revolver guitarist Dave Kushner, wrote on her Instagram page following the funeral, "A very sad day when (you) bury a friend. He was a good man. Don't believe everything (you) read. Remember, we were all there." Weiland's body was cremated. Mary Forsberg and the two children were not in attendance, later having a private ceremony in honor of their beloved family member.

In February 2016, the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots went to the internet searching for a new vocalist, stating on their official website: "If you think you have what it takes to front this band, record with this band, and tour with this band, we would dig hearing from you."

STP announced that a 25th-anniversary edition of Core would be released on September 29, 2017. The reissue includes a 25th Anniversary box set, a remastered version of the album, previously unreleased demos and b-sides, and parts of three live performances from 1993

On November 14, 2017, the band revealed that nu-metal band, Dry Cell vocalist Jeff Gutt had been selected as their new frontman.

On November 15, 2017, the band released a new song, "Meadow," from the upcoming studio album. On January 31, 2018, the band released a second new song, "Roll Me Under," and announced the release of its seventh studio album. The self-produced L.P., the band's second self-titled album, was released on March 16, 2018, and was their first album with vocalist Jeff Gutt. In mid-2018, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with Bush and The Cult.

On September 4, 2018 They announced a 15 date Canadian tour with the band Seether.

On November 30, 2018, STP's current label announced the following: "There is a manufacturing error on vinyl copies of Live 2018 that was caused by a defective lathe, resulting in the album playing at a 4% slower speed. We deeply apologize for this unfortunate occurrence and promise to provide replacement copies to everyone that purchased."

May 3, 2019 – – Stone Temple Pilots and Rival Sons announced they will embark on their first-ever co-headlining U.S. tour in the fall. Produced by Live Nation, the exclusive 12-city outing would kick off September 13 in Baltimore and see the two bands performing on intimate stages across the states. These included The Met Philadelphia, Ford Amphitheater in New York City, The Fillmore New Orleans, and more before wrapping October 9 in San Diego.

June 6, 2019, STP Celebrated the 25th anniversary of "Purple" by releasing a 3-CD/1-LP "super deluxe edition" set including a newly remastered version of the original studio album on both CD and vinyl, plus unreleased versions of album tracks and rarities, along with an unreleased full concert recording from 1994. A limited-edition bundle of the PURPLE: SUPER DELUXE EDITION was also available that included a bonus replica 7-inch vinyl single of "Interstate Love Song" that was initially released in the U.K. in 1994. This exclusive bundle is limited to 1,000 copies.

January 24, 2020, The band announced they had to cancel their "Perdida" tour to support their newest album of the same name. The press announcement "We are sorry to announce that we must cancel the upcoming Perdida acoustic tour. Our brother Jeff has a severely herniated disc and doctors have advised immediate surgery which will require weeks of recovery time and physical therapy. Thankfully, Jeff is expected to make a full recovery and we will continue with our Australian tour with Live and Bush in April, the summer tour with Nickelback, and we hope to reschedule the Perdida tour later this year." You thought it was COVID, didn't you?

STP had several live stream performances during 2020, including playing "Core" and "Purple" in their entirety.

On March 25, 2021, They celebrated the 25th anniversary of "Tiny Music..." with the announcement of a super deluxe remastered edition. The 3-CD/1-LP set combined a newly remastered version of the album with unreleased early takes, alternate versions, instrumentals, a full never-before-released MTV Spring Break performance from 1997, as well as a previously unreleased alternate version of the album's first single, "Big Bang Baby."

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Stone Temple Pilots. An excellent start to the plethora of Icons and Outlaws we'll be discussing every week.

The research from this episode is due in part from

Scott Weiland's Memoir "Not Dead and Not For Sale"

classicrock.com

Stonetemplepilots.com

Adam Moody

Articles by Stephen Thomas Erlewine at allmusic.com

wikipedia

albumoftheyear.org

Billboard.com

Consider being a producer of the show.

www.iconsandoutlaws.com

www.accidentaldads.com