Drugs and Music; Mary Weiland’s Book, Scott, Stone Temple Pilots, and Velvet Revolver

     Mary Weiland was, at one time, married to Scott Weiland, singer of 90’s legendary band Stone Temple Pilots and supergroup Velvet Revolver.  Her new book, “Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Mental Illness.”  Was released November 10th.  Not a bad read, actually, if unsurprising.  Turns out that she and Scott spent the majority of the Grunge area stoned.  Why are people surprised?  Everyone in the Grunge area was stoned or strung out on Heroin.  In fact, if you look back over the years at classic music, it’s a pretty safe assumption that some of the best music ever made can be directly attributed to drugs.  Ever heard of the 60’s?  Yup.  They were all stoned.  70’s?  Nobody sober then either.  Everybody was on Coke in the 80’s.

    So the book ends up being a litany of incidents that are, for the most part, just like every other Rock Star story ever written.  Seems like the only thing missing is the music; I’ve always been of the opinion that if they’re going to publish these things, they should issue a cd of the applicable music along with it.  No such luck here.  So let’s have one.  The music of Scott Weiland may have been influenced by Heroin and a plethora of random drugs, but we love it just the same.  So here is my soundtrack to the Scott Weiland story.

Sex Type Thing

The band’s first single.

Plush

This was the one that started it all for the boys of STP.  They weren’t quite as harsh as the Nirvanas and Soundgardens of the grunge scene, and that made them a bit more accessible to pop culture.

Wicked Garden

Need proof that Scott was high?  Watch him here.

Creep

Creep was a disturbing, haunting song; one of those epic songs that looked and sounded like a ballad, but left you with that uneasy feeling in your stomach…. one of the best songs to come out of the grunge era.

Vasaline

This was probably their biggest hit; it was one of those songs that was everywhere.

Interstate Love Song

If there is one song of theirs that will stand the test of time, it’s this one.  It wasn’t a great grunge song; it was a plain old classic rock and roll song.

Sour Girl

Definately the best video if you and Scott share the same recreational tendencies.

The Velvet Revolver Era

Set Me Free

The thought of Scott basically singing for Guns and Roses wasn’t really taken all that seriously at first;  this song took a lot of people by surprise.

Slither

Slither was one of those brilliant songs that changes tempos and directions so many times, and so seamlessly, that you felt like you were out of breath when it was done with you.

Fall To Pieces

Not their last song, but their last great song.  If this is the last we hear from Scott musically, There will always be this.