A sober Scott Weiland says STP reunion ‘very organic’

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This article was published 06/08/2010 (5913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Record hit albums. Do drugs. Get arrested. Break up with band. Repeat. Not the most stable resumé, but good enough for Atlantic Records, employer of Stone Temple Pilots’ frontman, Scott Weiland. The famously mercurial singer’s 11th album, his first with STP since the group disbanded seven years ago, hit stores recently. The word is still out as to whether the eponymous CD was worth the expense of what can now be described as Weiland’s new former band, Velvet Revolver, a rock SSRqn’ roll supergroup he formed with three ex-Guns N’ Roses members in 2003. Weiland spoke to us from his home in Los Angeles.

 

Q: Your story — battles with drugs, alcohol and the law — has become the stuff of legend. Do you worry it overshadows your music?

A: No, not when our songs have been played consistently on the radio for almost 20 years. I just read a biography of the Rolling Stones and both Keith (Richards) and Mick (Jagger), who wasn’t really a major drug user, were arrested more times than I’ve been.

 

Q: How is your new stuff different than those earlier songs?

A: It’s a very well-rounded record. It has some stuff that’s more outside of the box, but at its core, it’s a rock SSRqn’ roll record. One thing we’ve always said we’d never do is cover ourselves, become our own cover band and try to figure out the formula for a hit song. It’s more about being satisfied. Of course you want your fans to dig it, but being satisfied with what you’re doing as an artist, most of the time, means your fans will follow. I’ve also had the opportunity to put out my solo album on my own label … and to play with another band, Velvet Revolver, which was a great experience until it wasn’t a great experience. Now it’s kind of like a new beginning with STP, although, in a way, it feels like we never left each other. We successfully toured (starting in 2008), then worked on the record, and I think it’s quite an accomplishment that we produced the album ourselves.

Q: This is one of the few albums you’ve recorded sober. How does sobriety affect the recording process?

A: I’ve done it before and it’s different, actually. When you’re starting to experience and experiment with mind-altering chemicals, it can be a positive thing. It can open you up and add an extra boost to your radar frequency. And you’re able to be a little bit less fearful and a little bit more progressive in the ideas that you put out there. But then, after a long period of time, it ends up sort of cutting you off from the heart and soul of things, and it becomes too cerebral. Music, as many people have said, is the universal language. Of course, points are made which make you think about things, but, ultimately, it makes you feel. And that’s why people remember more songs that have meant something during their life than films. They start to define periods in your life, and that’s kind of the beauty of it.

 

Q: Can you tell me about how you reconciled with the guys from STP?

A: With STP, it was very organic. There were some opportunities that came about that looked like they would be very low-pressure and we would do well, financially. It was also at a time when Velvet Revolver was going to be off the road so I said, "Yeah, let’s do it," and took it from there. It just gathered momentum until we made the record. Doing all the touring that we did made us yearn to get back in the studio. That’s where we really thrive — at least, I really feel that way. Writing the songs and producing the songs and arranging them and recording them is your canvas and your palette and your brush.

 

Q: And where do things stand with Velvet Revolver? Might your career involve a second reunion with a second band?

A: You just absolutely never know.

— Postmedia News

CONCERT PREVIEW

Stone Temple Pilots

Rock on the Range

1:45 p.m. Saturday

Canad Inns Stadium

Tickets: $39.50, $69.50 and $79.50 at Ticketmaster