Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots
Origin	San Diego, California
Genres	Grunge, Country
Years active	1986–2003 2008–present
Website	StoneTemplePilots.com
Members	Scott Weiland Dean DeLeo Robert DeLeo Eric Kretz

Stone Temple Pilots, formerly known as "Reverend Joe Black", and "Shirley Temple's Pussy", is a Grunge Country band, formed in San Diego, California in 1986. Following a Willie Nelson concert where professional drug addict/vocalist Scott Weiland, and bass player Robert DeLeo had met. Widely recognized as an influence on bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana throughout their humble beginnings, their first two CD's Rotten To The Core and Purple Rain gained much publicity worldwide after their 1992 and 1994 releases. With comparisons to such greats that came before them as The Doors, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. Despite Weiland's rampant drug abuse, and violent temper tantrums, which forced a five-year break-up of the band in 2003, they would follow these up with 4 more commercially successful releases (PSYCHE!). Including their most recent one, Eponymous Hippopotamus, released on May 25th, 2010 to rave reviews.

Early Years (1986 - 1992)

Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo were attending a Willie Nelson concert in San Diego one night in 1986, when they noticed each other, and struck up a conversation. Eventually they came to realize through conversing that they were both dating the same woman. Upon further speculation between the two of them, they also came to realize that the woman they were seeing was actually a transvestite. Immediately, they left the concert, broke up with her, forced her out of town, and proceeded to take the deed to her apartment. Fearing they would once again be homeless, when she came back to try and reclaim the apartment some time later, they collectively had a hit put out on her. Which was successful. This event also inspired the musical hit off of their first album, "Dead & Bloated".

In the time following this incident, Weiland and DeLeo were both arrested. But due to the lack of evidence, they were acquitted of all charges. This is, however, where they had an epiphany. While they were sitting in their jail cells, contemplating life, they were listening to one of the other inmates playing a harmonica. As Scott Weiland would describe years later, "the feeling... came over me, unlike my wildest hallucination. It was more powerful than any drug I had ever taken through the years. And that's saying something." This is when they knew. It was their destiny, their calling, to start a band. After recruiting drummer Eric Kretz, and guitar player Dean DeLeo (no relation to Robert), and playing under the names Reverend Joe Black and Shirley Temple's Pussy for six years, they finally settled on the name Stone Temple Pilots. Which is rumored to have been quipped from an episode of The Flinstones.

Rotten To The Core and Purple Rain (1992 - 1995)

After they were discovered by Atlantic Records, playing on a street corner in Los Angeles for mere pennies, they went into the studio to record their first album, Rotten To The Core. By the end of 1992, with the release of the album, they were regarded as the biggest band in Grunge, and in Country Music. Inspiring a slew of other artists in the Grunge Country genre such as Seattle's own Pearl Jam. Which even went on to have a brand of Smucker's Jelly named after them. Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain even committed suicide because he couldn't live up to Weiland's prowess. The rest of the band even admitted to suicidal tendencies themselves, for lacking the technical proficiencies, and inventions in melody that STP had crafted. And while this has driven Krist Novoselic to largely drop off the face of the earth following Cobain's death, Dave Grohl continues to this day, with the Foo Fighters, determined to try and better himself. Every attempt as of 2011 has been in vain.

In 1994, with others in the genre still collapsing under their own weight, or finding short-term success with the formula that the band had crafted, they went into the studio with Prince to record their sophomore album, Purple Rain. Staying at #1 slot in the Billboard charts until the release of their third album, the band were once again praised for their efforts by fans, their many contemporaries, and critics alike. This is also the period where Scott Weiland added Heroin, and Cocaine to his drug roster. In 1995, he was arrested, tried, and convicted of possession with the latter, for which he was sentenced to one of his many stints in rehab. He also formed a side-project called The Inglorious Bastards. They recorded one song for some shitty John Lennon compilation. Then they broke up.

Tiny Dancer... and No. 1694422 (1996 - 2000)

The infamous cover to the band's fourth CD, released in 1999.

Experimenting with cover songs, and attempting to widen the demographic to people over 50, the band went into the studio in 1996 for the recording of their third album, Tiny Dancer... Songs From The Elton John Catalog. While it found success with critics, and the intended audience, long-time fans weren't exactly receptive to the idea. And this greatly upset Weiland, who dove deeper into his drug abuse at this revelation. He is quoted, as follows, from a 2008 issue of Rolling Stone magazine: "I didn't expect this to happen. Not in a million years. We were on top for so long, and for the first time... I was afraid. So I kept using."

Shortly after the release of the album, Weiland went back into Rehab again. Then, while the band took a three-year Hiatus, he recorded his first solo CD. 12 Beer Blues. After the tour, he was... again... back in rehab. Thinking he could stay sober this time, he reformed Stone Temple Pilots and went back into the studio to record what would be the ultimate downfall for the band. Despite their return to form. The mediocre, repetitive, and now discontinued No. 1694422. Which was Weiland's mugshot number in his previous arrest. Ironically, three days after the album's release, he would be arrested again. For the exact same thing as four years earlier.

In 2000, he was released from jail. And tried to promote the CD with no luck. So, now thinking he could redeem himself and the band with their fan base, they went into the studio to record what would be their last CD for nearly 10 years.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, The Breakup, and Fuck You (2001 - 2008)

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da was released in 2001 to slightly better, but still shitty reviews, as opposed to the previous effort, No. 1694422, which had been largely snubbed by the general public as well. Riding on the singles "I Love U (Every Day Of The Week)" (Feat. N*SYNC), and "Hollywood Is Just Fantastic", it faired slightly better on the Billboard charts, and the band thought it would be best to take the album on tour as a last ditch effort to regain their place in music. Not too surprisingly at this point, they failed. Now at their wits end with Weiland's half-assed performances, frequent trips to rehab, and spontaneous temper tantrums, which almost escalated into a knife fight one day with Dean DeLeo, the band decided to call it a day in 2003. Equally fed up with trying to get their fans to like them again, but desperately needing the money, they released a compilation of half-assed polka covers that same year entitled Fuck You. They would proceed to stay out of the spotlight for five years, eventually settling their differences and getting back together. When the time came, it played out just like an episode of One Life To Live.

Reunion and Eponymous Hippopotamus (2008 - Present)

In 2008, after Scott Weiland, again, got out of rehab, broke it off with Velvet Revolver over the members stealing his drugs (Slash particularly, which inspired the song "Pills, Demons, Etc." from their final album), and completed his second solo album, Unhappy On Anti-Depressants, the band reunited. With the Fuck You compilation nearly forgotten at this time, and everything else perfectly fine on the home front, everybody welcomed them back with open arms. Following that, the band embarked on a 71-date world tour through Venice. Which was well-received. Then they went back into the studio in 2009 to record the long-awaited Eponymous Hippopotamus. It was also well-received. As of now, they live happily ever after. The end.

Discography & Compilations

Studio Albums

Rotten To The Core (1992)
Purple Rain (1994)
Tiny Dancer... Songs From The Elton John Catalog (1996)
No. 1694422 (1999)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2001)
Eponymous Hippopotamus (2010)

Compilations

Fuck You (2003)
Give Us Money (2008) (Bust Buy exclusive)