STP, meanwhile, having enlisted a rather unusual replacement in the form of Chester Bennington, seemed determined to soldier on-that is until Bennington eventually returned to his central role in Linkin Park before tragically committing suicide in mid 2017–all of which brings us to the latest chapter in the STP saga. Less that 3 years later, Weiland would succumb to his demons while on tour with his band The Wildabouts, marking the sad end to yet another life ruined by addiction. In early 2013 Weiland’s drug abuse and legal issues became too much of a drag and so STP fired him permanently. Following an all-too-familiar pattern, the band spent most of the 2000’s generally treading water they released a few middling albums, dabbled in a handful of side projects, and toured sporadically, all while trying to maintain some sort of creative rhythm with the troubled Weiland. As a result, STP struggled to build any sort of significant momentum after their initial run of popularity in the mid-90’s. His on-stage charisma and shape-shifting vocal talents were such that it seemed like STP’s only limitation would be how far Weiland could take them which wasn’t near as far as likely would have been possible due to his widely publicized battle with drug addiction and mental health issues. Despite the fact that I don’t believe he ever played an instrument on stage (unless you count a megaphone), Weiland-as talented frontmen almost always do-defined the STP sound as much or more than the music itself. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not, things get considerably more complicated when contemplating the tragic case of the one and only Scott Weiland. And I’ll take it one step further: STP’s third album, Tiny Music…Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) is a pure gem which demonstrates growth and maturity on a level that few of their peers could match, making it unquestionably one of the very best rock albums of the 90’s.

Still, there is certainly no shame in being mentioned in the same breath alongside the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, or Alice in Chains-even if they were perceived to be a few notches down the totem pole-but compile a list of the most memorable songs from that era and STP casts a massive shadow behind such hits as “Plush”, “Interstate Love Song”, and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”.

They’ve always been viewed as second tier amongst their sonic brethren from the “grunge” era, but I’d argue that’s because they weren’t really a “grunge” band to begin with. Any way you look at it, Stone Temple Pilots have a complicated legacy.

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