Lead singer Scott Weiland’s burly Jim Morrison-esque baritone and brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo’s bass-and-guitar assault helped make Stone Temple Pilots alternative-FM darlings in the early ’90s. With singles like “Plush,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Big Empty,” the STP crew began a upward ascent that rivaled even certain other flannel-clad groups. As STP was releasing their third LP, dark-horse fan favorite Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop, in 1996, Weiland and his drug addictions began to overshadow the music; the singer began working on a solo album and the rest of the band formed the little-remembered project Talk Show in late 1997. The band reconvened for two new albums in 1999 and 2001, but didn’t create much of a ruckus and folded in late 2002. Six years and change later, STP reunited for a tour and began recording this year’s self-titled comeback album. Today the band’s influence on the current crop of modern rockers is undeniable, if a little annoying.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2010.