R.I.P. Scott Weiland

Eulogizing the former Stones Temple Pilot, Velvet Revolver singer 
By Peter Lindblad

Scott Weiland 

The more callous among us are not surprised. Some will even go so far as to casually say, "I thought he was already dead," and in doing so, will not spill a drop of that milk of human kindness Shakespeare wrote about so eloquently in "Macbeth."

Scott Weiland's troubled life has ended, his well-documented battles with his addictions are over. Many are just waking up to the news that he died in his sleep and have expressed their sadness via social media.

Tributes are pouring in, and he is deserving of them, as Weiland was one of the last true rock stars, handsome, fashionable and debonair with a wild streak a mile wide and a riveting, charismatic stage presence. Not to mention that he had a commanding, confident voice capable of delivering the songs and poetry of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver with an assured air of someone who wanted all eyes and ears on him, but didn't need it. He was like a rock 'n' roll matador. Jesus, the guy even sang through a megaphone.

Weiland was no shrinking violet, which was actually refreshing. He sought the spotlight onstage at a time when many of his contemporaries were trying to flee it. And ironically enough, it was the onset of grunge – the very movement that made him a star – that seemed to foster a sense of guilt and shame for chasing fame and fortune. Weiland wouldn't have any of that. He dressed to attract attention. He dated beautiful women. He was damn sexy! Which seems like a terribly inappropriate thing to say now, but he was.

And, at the same time, he was at least partly responsible for making music that deeply touched people. Classic songs like "Plush," "Interstate Love Song," "Big Empty," "Wicked Garden," and"Vasoline" are proving to have real staying power, as does Velvet Revolver's "Slither." Their surreal, evocative lyrics left the door wide open to interpretation. Where some see them as nonsensical and shallow, others find sensuality, imaginative metaphors and interesting puzzles, as well as thoughtful ruminations about death, deceit, confusion and love in classics.

Is he a tragic figure? That's always a tricky question when it comes to those with self-destructive tendencies. We still don't know the actual cause of death. Those who cling tightly to the notion that "it's better to burn out than fade away" might believe that Weiland was the poster boy for such a philosophy. Then again, he was 48, not 27 – which seems to be the age when rock stars of a similar bent shuffle off this mortal coil. So, if he did indeed burn out, it was a very slow burn.

To those closest to him, however, such talk is horribly crass and offensive. It trivializes his life. All they care about is that he is gone and they are grieving the loss of their friend or their family member, no matter how difficult the relationship. To the rest of us, the fans, another great artistic voice has been silenced and somebody we felt close to, who somehow understood us even though we'd never met, is never coming back. So, yes, he is a tragic figure in that he died too young and had more to give. Rest well, Scott. "Where ya going to tomorrow?" None of us truly knows.

DVD Review: Velvet Revolver "Live in Houston"

DVD Review:  Velvet Revolver “Live in Houston”

Eagle Vision

All Access Review: B+

On paper, it was a match made in heaven, or at least somewhere on the Sunset Strip. Four ex-members of Guns N' Roses – Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner – backing a slithering, swaggering, fashion-plate of a singer with a highly publicized drug problem in former Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland seemed like a super group that might just rekindle the crash-and-burn, gutter-rock firestorm of Appetite for Destruction. To a large extent, the promise of this shotgun wedding went unfulfilled – that is if you were expecting Appetite … II, the Sequel.

With Contraband, Velvet Revolver came out swinging with a fairly strong debut, even if it didn’t quite provide the grit and utterly debilitating punch to the gut that Appetite did. A lack of new ideas, some rehashed guitar riffs and Weiland’s subdued sleaze all caused Contraband to fall just a bit short of expectations, which is not to say that Contraband missed the mark entirely. Gripping grooves, tough, irresistible rhythms and the occasional flashes of brilliance in Slash’s solos rescued Contraband from utter failure and gave hope that better days lay ahead for VR.

At the very least, none of the Velvet Revolver team has anything to be ashamed of in Contraband. It just wasn’t Appetite, and maybe, just maybe, it was asking too much to believe that it would be. After all, this wasn’t Guns N' Roses, and comparing the two projects is a little unfair. But, let’s be honest. From day one when this project was announced, everyone was waiting to see if VR measured up to both Guns N' Roses and the Pilots.

At the time of this writing, Weiland had returned to the Pilots, and Velvet Revolver was being coy about whether or not it had settled on a new lead singer. “Live in Houston,” a concert DVD that captures the band live in 2005, shows what the Weiland version of the band was capable of onstage.

A gutsier, sleazier, edgier Velvet Revolver emerged this night. Aside from the lamentably forced exhortations from Slash and Weiland for the crowd to abandon their inhibitions and lose themselves in all the sexual energy that a down-and-dirty rock show can muster, Velvet Revolver acquits themselves nicely, playing with vim and vigor in stomping through originals and a few covers of Guns N' Roses and Pilots tracks. They attack the heavy opener, “Sucker Train Blues,” with a pounding, frothing-at-the-mouth intensity that unrelentingly barrels on through satisfying, riff-heavy numbers like “Do it for the Kids,” the epically huge “Headspace” and an equally explosive “Crackerman.” Weiland plays the role of debauched ringleader perfectly, crawling around the stage like a predator, pouncing on monitors and pouring out sweaty vocals through a megaphone, while the band lets loose furious, bump-and-grind metal grooves. And on the Guns N' Roses classic “It’s So Easy,” Weiland sounds just as dangerous as Axl ever did. 

Captured from a variety of camera angles, Velvet Revolver sizzles live, and the quick cuts and creative image shaping add to the excitement of a live performance that tears the roof off the place, even if VR flat-lines on a weakened “Big Machine” and a boring take on “Used to Love Her” before reviving itself for “Slither,” which comes down from its atmospheric headspace to hit the streets with roaring guitars.  

Overall, “Live in Houston” is not only a cracking concert DVD, but it’s augmented by no-holds-barred, behind-the-scene footage and candid interviews that talk openly about helping Weiland get sober and how the band fought over who the lead singer would be before getting Weiland. Expertly filmed and edited, with a whole lot more to offer than just electrifying live rock and roll, “Live in Houston” finds Velvet Revolver firing round after round of tough, angry rock to a crowd eager to lap it all up. Stay tuned. Evidently, the Velvet Revolver story is far from finished.

- Peter Lindblad