STP announce new singer search

[Rol2292]

What we have to keep in mind is that Scott really had been out of the band for a few years now. And their relationship/friendship was over much longer than that. So I don't really have an issue with this.

[loungefly90]

Although my opinion will be unpopular, I absolutely support the band in their search for a new singer.


Is it too soon? Possibly, but that's a matter of opinion, and obviously the remaining members of STP feel that it is not too soon. How long should they wait? STP doesn't need our permission to go and play shows and record albums. Scott may have recently passed away, but they hadn't played with him in several years. Moving on with a healthy singer and continuing what legacy they have left is what is best for them, and saying STP is dead insinuates that there was only one contributing member of the band, which could not be farther from the truth. Do the math: STP is still 75% alive. Saying that without Scott they are nothing is a huge insult to the rest of the guys who wrote some incredible music over the years.


The way I see it is that although we make Eric, Robert, Dean, & Scott to be somewhat superhuman in our minds, these guys do have to make money, do have mortgages, and do have to feed themselves just as the rest of us do. Do you suggest they work at Wal-Mart? If people feel they should not continue, are you going to hire them for work? It isn't right to tell them that they aren't allowed to make money and pursue a living doing what they've been doing for 25 years. If anything was "disrespectful" it was having Chester sing the melodies and lyrics that Scott wrote as it was an obvious stab in the back since they were friends from Family Values. Now that Scott has passed, people expect them to hang it up? Why? There are still three guys who have plenty of playing ability left in them. 


Am I supposed to believe that as fans, you wouldn't want to see these guys play the old classics once again and with a healthy person doing so? I would absolutely see them live and look forward to it.


Look at Alice in Chains. Certainly, Layne is not replaceable, but their newer singer does an excellent job playing new and old stuff, and he sounds incredible. Alice in Chains is doing just fine and literally had the same career highs and lows as STP, a total parallel. Try and see this as the same thing. The remaining band members have the right to move forward and I'm glad they are continuing with STP instead of another Army of Anyone or Talk Show project.

[Slither]

I never had a problem with the money angle, people need to understand that there's more to just making music than making music, it's a job and a lifeline. Everyone needs to eat. But I just can't get over how tone deaf this is. The guy's been dead 8 weeks, and here they are with "We're looking for a new singer!". I'm not saying wait 4 years like AIC, but come on, the body's not even cold yet.

[Drew06]

This is extremely lame

[mrmojorisin]

So since they're doing this no matter what, would you guys want them to get a Scott clone as far as the voice part goes or somebody else with their own kind of flare?

[Pingfah]

This is what the Band wants they tried to move on with Chester but many people wouldn't accept it and ripped them constantly. I thought he was a decent fit the High Rise Ep is Excellent. What do you want them to do Chester is too busy Scott has passed. If they move on with another name they will disappear into Obscurity just look at their past two attempts. They really have no choice either break up or disappear. I for one want new STP over nothing. Who knows they could see a revival. Lets give this a chance.

People would rather see them have no career than use a brand they spent their whole career building.

The sense of entitlement is strong in the forum.

[hahninator]

I get that they want to continue to make new music but Scott has been gone for only two months now...they need to let STP rest for a bit longer.

What would you say if Chester was still singing and they had a 4-5 week tour that started right now?

How do they not see how disrespectful this is - not only to their precious "legacy" but also to their fans? How are they not seeing that STP is LITERALLY dead now? These are a bunch of ignorant assholes who only want money and don't give one flying fuck about the people that made their success possible. Really. So embarrassing.

Lmao talk about an overreaction. They are humans, they love the music and want to continue on. STP is more than just one person. Lots of bands have done this over time, this is nothing new. Who cares if they keep the name, they are able to make a little more money that way. It doesn't make them ignorant assholes. They are 3/4 of STP, they have every right to continue on like this.

[EyesOfDisarray]

Since Scott's death, my opinion has been that they should not continue as STP with a new singer. And this is coming from someone who supported CheSTP. This doesn't feel right. But I will try to keep an open mind.

[Sklashboombash]

Together, they have the capability of making great music that most of us will really enjoy. So I wouldn't want to see them go their separate ways. But at this point, the name is just really better suited to be laid to rest.
Treat the band legacy like one of the greats. I don't want to see them end up with a revolving door of guys every few years. They are more than that. They are better than that. This news bums me out.

[CagedTiger]

"2016 marks a new year for Stone Temple Pilots…

A year of hope, optimism, and most importantly, new music! We are immensely proud of all that we have been able to share with you over the years. Music, music, music. We very much want to continue doing that, but that’s going to take a little help from all of you.

As you know, prior to the untimely passing of our brother in arms, Scott, we had been working with the incomparable Chester Bennington. What you also likely know is that having Chester front two bands of this size and scope was too much for one man to be able to do and so regretfully we had to move onto a new chapter together. This is where you come in…"
--------Translation------


"2016 marks a NEW LOW for Stone Temple Pilots…

As you know, we drifted into musical obscurity without Scott, so we all reunited for money in 2008. After that initial surge of money dried up, we decided to tour non-stop and make as much money as possible because records don't sell anymore. We like money. As we've proven with the greatest STP album and musical achievement in the past thirty years S/T, we don't need anyone else, so we fired Scott. He was only slowing us down on tour, and rather than take a break, we used his personal issues & demons against him in order to secure the rights to the STP brand. 


We had been working with the incomparable Chester Bennington because he looked up to us, and we knew we could control him. What you also likely know is that we like money, and as mentioned before, records don't sell, so we needed someone young and popular to tour with non-stop. Unfortunately from our experience with Scott, we couldn't let Chester "front" OUR BAND, and since we didn't make as much money as we expected touring with Chester, we decided to part ways.


We are officially announcing that we are officially desperate, and rather than trying to survive on our own musical abilities, or start a new band, we'd rather find an unknown talent that we can use for never-ending karaoke tours, so that we can play the same songs we've been playing since 2008. Ultimately we're looking for another gimmick that can get us back into the spotlight, and help us squeeze every last dime out of the STP brand that we built 100% without any help from anyone else.

Love,Robert, Eric, Dean”
 

Yeah that's pretty much how it reads to me too. Their 'brother in arms' Scott Weiland, the one Dean was calling a 'fucking mess' and giggling about with Chester in interviews only months prior to his death, had made his displeasure of them continuing to use the STP name without him known during interviews. He'd said he felt like 'the brand was falling apart', then after Chester left he had stated he would like to reunite with them in the future. Here we are less than 2 months after his passing and they're ready to start up again under the same name with some unknown guy. To me this is disrespectful to Scott's memory and they're also just tarnishing their legacy once more. How many singers is this band going to have before they realise.
I don't expect them to 'work in Walmart' or quit music, they 100% deserve to carry on making music. I just wish they'd leave STP alone and start something new or do Army of Anyone again with Rich. The use of the STP name is clearly all about making them the maximum amount of money and nothing else.

[Rol2292]

Clearly - there a lot of members of this forum that have never heard of a business continuity plan. Let's be frank here, STP is a business. The boys are entitled to carry on.

[Blue]

Ugh.


They absolutely have the right to go on as STP, and I personally won't begrudge them for that. But searching for some random guy ONLINE is not the way to go. They need someone who has an established charisma with the band, who has the range to cover the catalog, loves the material, and has the charisma to front the band and hold and audience.


Obviously, Chester was that sort of guy. They aren't going to find another Chester online. And of course, they are never going to find another Scott in a million years.


Besides which, announcing to the world that they are doing NOW seems tacky and insensitive. They could have privately searched for a singer, and it would have seemed tasteful. OR a year from now they could have announced the search for a new singer. But doing this, NOW, seems so distasteful.

[loungefly90]

Clearly - there a lot of members of this forum that have never heard of a business continuity plan. Let's be frank here, STP is a business. The boys are entitled to carry on.

Agree with this 100%.

In situations like this, I believe the true fans of the STP music product come out. The ones saying they'd rather see it die are not making sense to me. I'd rather see the three of them with a new singer doing STP stuff rather than going with Richard Patrick and doing AOA stuff. Why? Because I am a fan of STP's music and want it to continue. Obviously sticking with STP has always been their biggest money maker and faulting them for wanting to maximize their profit with an already established fan-base is ridiculous.

[CoconutBackwards]

All the pissing and moaning going on in here about STP wanting to move on.

I loved Scott Weiland also, but how many years were STP not writing/touring because of him?

Now we have to wait even longer because it's "too soon"?

This is their decision.

[Blue]

The thing for me is that it's about doing justice to the music. A time came when Scott clearly didn't give a shit about the music, and made no effort to do the music justice, that's why I supported STP with Chester.


But the thing with Chester was that he fit a VERY specific criteria to qualify to sing for the band. He had the range to sing about 95% of the music, he probably loved the music more than any of the original members did, he had decades of experience fronting one of the biggest rock bands in the world, and he had more than enough charisma to carry a performance. But, most importantly, he had chemistry with the band. When those four got together, it wasn't the DeLeos and Kretz playing music on stage with some dude in front of them, as Talk Show had been or frankly the last 3 years of the reunion had, it was very clearly a BAND, that somehow seemed like they had been playing these songs together for years when they had only now just gotten together.


The point is the shoes that Scott left for the band when he was at his peak were impossible to fill. Scott in his final years sure as shit couldn't fill those shoes. But God dammit, Chester could wear those shoes. Sure, they were a little loose, but somehow they fucking stayed on his feet.


So the question becomes, does anyone here look at ALL the things that made Chester qualified to be in the band, and thus justified STP's continuation, and think that there is an honest shot that they are going to find someone like that on the fucking internet?