Scott Weiland
A magnetic and tortured rock frontman whose gritty baritone defined the grunge era, even as his personal demons played out in public.
1967–2015 (age 48)·American singer·Birthday: October 27·Generation X
Biography
Scott Weiland emerged from the sun-bleached suburbs of Southern California to become the unpredictable heart of Stone Temple Pilots. With a voice that could shift from a seductive whisper to a raw-throated roar, he propelled the band to the top of the 1990s alternative rock scene. His stage presence was a mesmerizing spectacle of contorted dance moves and ever-changing personas, from a glam rock peacock to a brooding poet. Yet his career was a constant, public negotiation with addiction, a struggle that led to his departure from STP and a stint fronting the hard-rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. His later years were marked by solo work and intermittent reunions, a cycle of creative resurgence and personal collapse that ended with his death in 2015, leaving behind a legacy of brilliant, haunted music.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Scott was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Scott Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Scott's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2015Died at 48
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Led Stone Temple Pilots to sell over 35 million records worldwide, with albums like 'Core' and 'Purple' becoming multi-platinum landmarks of the 1990s.
- Won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2004 with Velvet Revolver for the song 'Slither'.
- Authored a candid and well-received memoir, 'Not Dead & Not for Sale,' detailing his life in music and struggles with substance abuse.
Did You Know?
He was a talented visual artist and designed many of his own stage costumes and album cover art.
Weiland's vocal style was heavily influenced by 1970s glam rock, particularly David Bowie and T. Rex.
He performed with a live boa constrictor named Diamond during Stone Temple Pilots' early tours.
The song 'Plush' was inspired by a newspaper article about a girl found dead in a culvert.
“The only thing I'm addicted to right now is winning.”
