metalrockjeff guttscott weilandstone temple pillots
16:38 Tuesday, 8 March 2022
Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Jeff Gutt recently gave an interview to Australia’s Rockpit and stated that he is very proud of carrying the band’s original frontman, Scott Weiland‘s legacy.
As you know, Scott Weiland was the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2013. He contributed to the band’s first six albums until he was fired following the tensions he experienced with the rest of the band. However, Weiland’s departure didn’t end the tension between the two sides. The band members sued him by claiming that he had sabotaged the band’s 20th-anniversary tour.
Later on, Scott Weiland was replaced by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. However, his tenure within the band didn’t last long, and Bennington left Stone Temple Pilots two years later to focus more on his work in Linkin Park. In 2016, the band started to look for a new vocalist and rehearsed with several singers until they agreed on Jeff Gutt to replace Bennington.
Gutt has performed with the band ever since and contributed to the band’s latest two records. During the recent interview, he shared his feelings about performing in Stone Temple Pilots after his iconic predecessors. Jeff Gutt stated that he respects both of them a lot, and especially Scott Weiland has had a considerable influence on him throughout his whole music career. For Gutt, it is a great honor to sing all those songs on the stage and carry Weiland’s legacy.
Jeff Gutt’s words on replacing Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington:
“I looked up to those guys personally. I never met Scott, but I love Scott — he was a big influence on me when I was learning how to sing and what it meant to be a frontman and his fearlessness and all those things that made him who he was. So I learned a lot from him, and to be able to go up there and sing those songs and carry on his legacy like that is definitely something I’m very proud of and humbled by.
I try not to think about it too much as a me-versus-them kind of thing; I just try and go out there because I love those songs too as the fans do, so I just really want to go out there and represent it honorably.”
Jeff Gutt also added that he doesn’t like to think about it as a comparison between him and the previous singers. He just tries to do his best when he gets on the stage but doesn’t intend to outdo them. All he wants is to be able to represent the band and their legacy.
