Scott Weiland says fans didn’t connect to ‘arty’ albums so he’s back to rock

TORONTO – It’s clear from the opening moments of the blistering new record “Blaster” that Scott Weiland has rediscovered his passion for loud rock music.

The former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman is now heading up an outfit called Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, and although this marks their debut record (out Tuesday) they’ve in fact been playing together on and off for nine years.

Weiland says that after several relatively docile solo records, he had a hunger for something heavier.

“I decided I didn’t want to make another adventurous art record,” he explained in a recent interview.

“My two solo albums were more experimental and arty, and that was fun, but it had a hard time connecting with my fanbase. I think my fanbase wanted a rock album, and I was in the mood to make a rock album.

“I just had to have the right band.”

In advance of “Blaster”‘s release — and a show in Toronto on May 7 — Weiland spoke with The Canadian Press about songwriting and showmanship, critics and his ex-bands.

CP: The song “Hotel Rio” finds you telling a story. Has storytelling become a lyrical focus for you?

Weiland: Definitely. Because my personal life is so much happier and in a great place, as opposed to where it was when I was younger. You can’t always just write about your own apathy.

In “Hotel Rio,” part of it is about my wife and I — but it’s my wife and I on an adventure, as if we were “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

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CP: Stone Temple Pilots got beat up by critics in the ’90s. Have you noticed a change in the way the band is regarded critically?

Weiland: The real change was probably (1996’s) “Tiny Music” — that was where we started getting some critical acclaim. Then there were albums that critics liked more than others.

On our first two albums, we were written off by critics. I don’t think they got what we were about. But on “Tiny Music,” we pushed the envelope a bit and made more of a lo-fi sounding record, which I think is attractive to music critics.

It’s very fulfilling now to have my music appreciated.

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CP: You’ve had a rocky relationship with both STP and Velvet Revolver. Does that acrimony change how you feel about the music you made together?

Weiland: Not at all. I’m very proud of the music with Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver.

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CP: Would you collaborate again?

Weiland: In rock and roll, you never say never. Because stranger things have happened.

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CP: Much of the drama with those bands seemed indivisible from struggles in your personal life. Are you in a better place now?

Weiland: I’m very happy. I’m very happy with my music, I’m very happy with my band, I’m very happy in my personal life.

I just really like where my life is at.

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CP: Rock doesn’t have the place culturally that it used to.

Weiland: Yeah, most alternative music now is more keyboard oriented and ’80s-derivative.

I still think there are great bands playing rock and roll — the Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Jack White, of course.

But it’s just not what it was in the early ’90s, when it seemed like everywhere you turned, there was a multi-platinum-selling alternative-rock band.

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CP: You still howl into a megaphone onstage. Has that sort of showmanship become less popular?

Weiland: In general, yeah, and I do miss that.

One of my heroes who was also a peer was Perry Farrell. Growing up in Los Angeles and seeing him play in clubs and then in theatres and then in headlining festivals, you’d watch Perry and see what an amazing showman he was.

It was the same with Kurt Cobain. It’s sort of lacking now. But I don’t change what I do. I still perform the way I always have.

Follow @CP_Patch on Twitter.

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