Looks like a Christmas release...
Interview
Stone Temple PilotsTue, 16 Jun 2009
Scott Weiland remains alternative rock's most powerful voice. Something of a rock n' roll poet, the Stone Temple Pilots frontman has always had something to say, even if he's said it through a shroud of lyrical mystery.
He spoke to ARTISTdirect.com in this exclusive interview about St. Jude's Rock N' Roll Hope Show, Softdrive Records, new Stone Temple Pilots and much more. He might've even revealed a secret or too. Or did he?
Where in the world are you right now?
I'm in the studio working on new STP music. It's coming along really, really well! We have about 18 songs written, and vocals are written on about ten of them.
Some of these songs had the same vibe as Velvet Revolver's "The Last Fight" from Libertad which you also dedicated to your brother.
Yeah, I think where we were trying to go as a band on Libertad was a natural place. We weren't trying to force anything. We were just getting to know who we were on the first record, Contraband. After touring for over four years straight, we were writing songs on the road and during rehearsals for tours. We knew what kind of record we wanted to make. We knew it wasn't just about straight-ahead punk rock, rock n' roll. We knew the record that we were going to make was going to have more depth to it, and we were going to tap more into our other influences. Just like STP, the guys in Velvet Revolver also have a lot of different influences. Duff and I have a lot of very similar influences just like Matt Sorum too.
Happy is a free record, musically and lyrically. I didn't instantly get into it, but after listening to it more and more, it became one of my favorite records that you've ever done.
I appreciate that, thank you. The songs inspire that reaction of, "What the fuck is that?" [Laughs] You know? On your second and third listen, you realize that underneath all of the layers of craziness, there are basically pop songs.
In some ways, it feels like it simply picked up where Shangri-La Dee Da left off in 2001.
Yeah, it was kind of like that. Shangri-La kind of picked up where 12 Bar Blues left off.
The Beatles could have the most beautiful melodies, but there was always a hint of uneasiness or darkness thinly veiled. When listening to one of STP's songs like "Seven Caged Tigers," you see the beauty, but you feel that darkness. You capture that too.
Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
When you can be in the middle of those two extremes and say something, that's the mark of a true artist.
You're getting what we're about and what we set out to do. That's the best compliment that you can get really.
People need to exist within those two extremes because everyone feels both of them every day. Only true artists will ever capture that middle ground.
Yeah, that's true. I think to capture every element is where it's at really?everything in between, sonically as well as emotionally.
What was your initial idea behind Softdrive Records? It seems really artist-driven, natural and exciting.
It is. We have some great people that work with us. My partner Doug, Dan, Carly, Eric and John. We have interns that come in and work their asses off all the time. It's a label that's really passionate about the artists on the label. When we tell these artists that we're going to work hard for them, we mean that we're going to work hard for them. I remember the feeling I got when I got signed for the first time, and that's the reason I wanted to form a record company because I wanted to bring others that feeling of what it felt like to get signed, make my first record, go on tour and hear my song on the radio. Those are the reasons behind starting this.
Where did the inspiration behind the Softdrive webisodes come about?
That's something we had done before with Velvet Revolver. Our friend Rocko does that, and he actually directed "The Last Fight" video. He's quite a filmmaker. He's also a producer. He edited all of that stuff together and shot a lot of it as well.
Do you feel like you're in one of the most creative spaces you've ever been in between the new Stone Temple Pilots, Softdrive and your solo work? Are you on fire?
I think I definitely am. I come to the studio, and I work every day. The whole idea is to get a song done a day?at least to rough it out. Most of the time, we get pretty close to getting a finished vocal done, not necessarily a mastered vocal, but a finished complete demo vocal done with harmonies, backups and everything.
How have you grown as a lyricist? Have your ideas or perspective changed?
Definitely because in the '90s I was so overwhelmed with my heroin addiction, and so a lot of the stuff was just from my point of view. Now, I tend to look at some of the greats like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. I look at their storytelling. I try to tell stories. Every song doesn't have to be narcissistically written about how I feel on that day.
Are you taking a cinematic approach?
That's been the goal. That's the new challenge.
Going back to a song like "The Big Empty," you've always done that though.
Yeah, but there are times when I did it and there were times when I didn't. As a whole, there are some new songs that really tell stories. I've chosen some interesting characters to write about. I don't want to give anything away, but you'll get to hear it, and you'll hear it probably before 99.9 percent of everybody else hears it [Laughs].
Right when you got back into the studio with STP, did music instantly begin pouring out of you?
Definitely, there are a lot of songs written.
Was the reunion tour last summer particularly fun? I'll never forget the Hollywood Bowl show.
I think that show was one of our best shows on that tour. There were some really good shows. I think we perhaps toured two months too long because we were doing the "Greatest Hits" set really. Once we get out on the road when our new album comes out, we'll start playing a lot more of the new material mixed in with the old material, and that will reinvigorate the band and everyone will feel a lot more inspired.
Last summer to see a song like "Sin" come to life on stage was amazing because it felt like you guys were improvising and adding more of a psychedelic vibe. That vibe had always been improvised but it was amplified.
That was the idea! We're playing with smaller amps and going with smaller amp sounds, not just relying on a wall of Marshalls to create sounds that were actually created by an amp that you could put in the passenger seat of your car right next to you.
Would you ever want to publish your lyrics in a book?
There will be some. It's funny because there's that book about the most often misinterpreted words from songs. We're in it [Laughs]. In "Plush," it says, "Where are you going for tomorrow? Where are you going with the master plan?" [Laughs] A lot of people misinterpreted that one there.
You've always had a great sense of style?almost like the Sinatra of alt rock. How intertwined are style and performing on stage?
I see style and rock n' roll as hand-in-hand. If you look at The Beatles, The Stones, those guys knew how to dress. Bowie is my ultimate fashion icon. It was all part of the same thing. It's just something that feels like a natural thing for me. It's a natural part of rock n' roll.
What's next?
We have Softdrive releases planned through the year. Tommy Joe Wilson's record is out, and we're working hard on that. We partnered up with a management company and another label Nashville because we are obviously not a Nashville-influenced label, but he was just too good to pass up on. Something to Burn is a band that we have going to coming out soon. Their release is out September 18th. The Color Turning is slated for August 4th. We have a few shows lined up with STP, we'll finish the record and then we'll be out doing our thing, touring for awhile once the record comes out. It'll probably be a Christmas release.
?Rick Florino
06.16.09
Edited to fit:
http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/interview-stone-temple-pilots/6069759
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