THE RISE OF VELVET REVOLVER

It’s January 2003, several years after former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum walked away from the band that made them rock stars. And here they are in a North Hollywood rehearsal studio trying to rekindle their undeniable musical chemistry. All they need is the perfect singer. But finding a worthy…

THIS IS A SONG CALLED PLUSH

The lyrics were inspired, in part, by an unfortunate news story in Stone Temple Pilots’ hometown of San Diego, California about a missing young woman who was later discovered dead by local law enforcement (“And I feel, when the dogs begin to smell her…”). At a concert in Columbus, Ohio on May 17, 2008, lead…

BI-POLAR BEAR

Combining the phrases “bipolar disorder” and “polar bear,” Scott Weiland arrived at “Bi-Polar Bear,” which he wrote after he and his wife Mary Forsberg were diagnosed with the condition. Wondering if there was something in their brain chemistry that was causing them to be temperamental and impulsive, they went to a psychiatrist who confirmed the diagnosis. Weiland…

ATLANTA

A haunting ballad written in Atlanta, this song is about Scott Weiland’s first wife, Janina Castaneda, and the end of their relationship – they were going through a divorce at the time that was finalized in 2000. Scott’s vocal is reminiscent of Jim Morrison of The Doors. They got married in 1994, just as STP…

FALL TO PIECES (THE BOOK)

Around the time that The Strokes were first being hyped-up-the-ass in the press as the Saviors of Rock – while simultaneously confounding my senses with their hopelessly derivative, shitty music – I found myself in the NYC office of that band’s publicist. This particular guy, who I’ll call Ken, because that is his name, had…