One of the hardest parts of being the current keyholder of the Late Nite Music Club is having to report a death.
With me being of traditional DIY punk rock ethics and many years working in the non-corporate spectrum of the music biz, the Stone Temple Pilots were always a constant whipping boy throughout the 90's. Rants about them being posers, co-opting a scene, being opportunists, not authentic and being a grunge rock version of the Monkees were often lobbed at them. A lot of the ire was directed at their singer Scott Weiland.
Waking up this the morning news of Scott Weiland's death was huge in my social media feeds. I started thinking about a song to note the occasion with. Having the attitude I've had about bands of their ilk I considered posting Pavement's "Range Life." The song drops a good diss line on them. Then I reconsidered because, well, it is one of those "Too Soon?!" moments. Also, because this was posted (but now gone) on Pavement's Facebook page this morning.
And really, who's to say that Pavement were talking smack about them. Maybe they really did feel that they were elegant bachelors and foxy.
I started thinking that at least when STP started straying from what sounded like a predetermined template for success they came up with a few interesting and somewhat clever ideas. One of those moments is "Big Bang Baby" from their 3rd album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop.
Rest In Peace.
What are you listening to tonight?
