By Aidin Vaziri
People should be waging wars against Scott Weiland. But I happen to like him. Who cares if his solo record 12 Bar Blues is less than stellar (way less)? Who cares if he's on the cover of every "alternative" music magazine? Who cares if he likes to wear bourgeois Gucci clothes and black eyeliner?
I like him because first he thought he was Kurt Cobain, and now he thinks he's John Frusciante. I think messed-up people are cool. And he talks like he just inhaled helium.
A few weeks ago, Scott called me on his cell phone while he was cruisin' around Hollywood. First, I wanted to know what business a skinny-ass Orange County punk like himself had making a blues record, or what he considers blues.
"There are a lot of references to the pain that I have gone through due to my drug experiences," Scott said, quite sensibly. "That's why I named the album 12 Bar Blues. Blues are based on emotional pain and hardships. The lyrics deal largely with personal situations that I needed to write about. It's very therapeutic."
I wondered how the hell he put together all these songs when much of his life was spent in a smack-induced drunken blur.
"The thing is, I actually wrote most of the songs while I was sober and after I had gone through a lot of self-torture," he said. "I was pretty coherent while I was writing the songs, so I was able to draw on the experiences with a clear mind. A lot of the songs are written about my experiences and my feelings during that period of time."
Then Scott started talking about being sober and got all spiritual.
"It's become much more easy to manage and has made it possible for me to enjoy the journey of life on a day to day basis," he said.
I tried to convince him to pull the car over and buy some beer, but for some reason he wouldn't do it. Instead, he wanted to spend more time promoting his record.
"12 Bar Blues is the most satisfying album that I've ever made," Scott insisted. "I wanted to do something different, but it didn't fit into Stone Temple Pilots. When you are writing with a band, you end up collaborating with four guys with four different musical ideas. This album is my vision, so I can follow it through exactly how I see it. I wanted to make an album that was sonically very bold and modern sounding."
Modern? Some would beg to differ. Time to change the topic. I wanted to know if Scott's opinion of himself changed now because his picture is in every magazine.
"It is an unnerving thing sometimes," Scott said. "But it can be kind of cool. Especially if the picture is good, of course. I'm vain and insecure. If I think I look like a monster in the picture the magazine chooses, in then it's not such a cool thing. Then it becomes a bummer."
So what the hell is he doing wearing women's clothes and flowers in all his photo shoots?
"I definitely would not pick myself as the most beautiful person, not that I think I'm ugly," he said. "There are a lot of cool looking people."
Like who?
"I can't think of any at the moment," he said, thinking forever. "I feel like I've been put on the spot. It's hard. Let's come back to that one."
My friend who went to high school with Scott Weiland in Newport Beach, Calif., said that before he became a grunge dude he was all into bands like the Thompson Twins and Duran Duran, the latter who got their name from the movie Barbarella. Coincidentally, the first single from 12 Bar Blues is called "Barbarella." Hmmm...
"Well, I wasn't just into Duran Duran. I liked them, but just as my musical tastes are very diverse now, they were diverse then too," Scott said. "I was into everything from Duran Duran and Visage to the Sex Pistols and Vandals; and, of course, the Beatles, David Bowie and Roxy Music. My tastes are pretty broad."
I bet him a bottle of Thunderbird that he didn't even know how to spell Roxy Music.
Anyway, since Scott has done so many drugs in his life, I wondered if he's worried his looks will deteriorate, just like his favorite band in the whole world Duran Duran.
"Some people do deteriorate," he said. "But some people start to look cooler. It all depends. David Bowie looks amazing, but I don't know what's up with his haircut. I don't know if his wife [supermodel Iman] influences him in that direction, but it's a very '80s haircut."
And what grooming advice would he offer Mr. Bowie?
"He should just let his hair grow a little bit and slick it back," Scott said. "He could make it classy and gentleman-like."
Before Scott's cell battery died, I wanted to ask him one more question: What is the real deal with Stone Temple Pilots?
"There will definitely be another Stone Temple Pilots record, and it will save rock 'n' roll," Scott said. "I just want to explore musical territories that aren't being explored."
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