These Are The Best Scott Weiland Videos
Singer Scott Weiland passed away at the too-young age of 48, after a protracted and public battle with addiction demons. The former frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver had a wonderfully emotive and unforgettable voice, as he steered the polished, semi-post-grunge songs of both of his rock bands. He also had an "Iggy Poop meets David Bowie" kind of vibe: rail thin, infinitely stylish, and almost debonair, especially when he was shirtless, which was actually quite often, and a bottomless reserve of talent. The accompanying visuals in his music videos matched the sounds he was making. In honor of his memory, these are the seven best music videos featuring Scott Weiland.
"Creep"
For Stone Temple Pilots' "Creep," Weiland is seated at the head of the table, singing this ballad while looking directly at the camera. He's also found sitting on a step all by his lonesome. This convention seems to unintentionally (and perhaps in tragic hindsight) capture the essence of isolation, which is also a byproduct of addiction and substance abuse problems. There are plenty of close shots of the singer, who hugs himself while rocking back and forth and singing. It gets very close. Maybe a little too close...
"Plush"
With his shock of pink hair, Weiland offers a distant stare while performing in front of his Stone Temple Pilots bandmates and a silvery, fringed curtain in the video for "Plush." He immediately attracts the eye of the viewer. But it's the way he cradles the mic and moves his body to the groove of the song that is somewhat unsettling. Something seemed a bit "off" about him, yet it was hard to pinpoint what "it" was. That's likely due to the fact that the footage is grainy and you can't get a clear look at it him. Even so, you couldn't and didn't look away.
"Vasoline"
Yes, clowns are creepy and there is one in the beginning of the video for "Vasoline," a gnarly, razor sharp, riff-driven Stone Temple Pilots jam. But it's hard not to be captivated by Weiland, dressed in a black suit and doing a slithery dance with a cane in his hand. The video also exudes an unexpected playful vibe, with Weiland and his bandmates popping around in their black ensembles. The dogs are cute, too. This felt like a tongue-in-cheek version of the Weiland-fronted STP.
"Sour Girl"
It's all about those dance moves. "Sour Girl" was a bit of a departure for STP, with its contemplative guitars and sweet melodies. But the video features Weiland dancing like a whirling dervish, while shirtless. It wasn't gratuitous shirtlessness, either, like, say, Jacob in Twilight. Weiland was often positioned, at least in his videos, as a modern day Iggy Pop; that is, he was buff, maybe a bit too skinny, tattooed, and striking. Sure, those Teletubby-like creatures are creepy. But the stars of the video are Weiland and his sculpted torso. He is a legit rock star in this video, which also stars Sarah Michelle Gellar in all her goth glory.
"Sex Type Thing"
The crunch of guitars and the snarl of Weiland's vocals made "Sex Type Thing" one of STP's best early songs. But the visual of Weiland performing shirtless (of course) and connecting with the camera via a piercing stare would become a familiar sight in many of his videos across multiple projects. His presence is also a bit intimidating in this clip. No, it's not the most artful video in his repertoire, but it remains impossible to forget.
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"
In 2011, Weiland released a video for his solo cover of the holiday classic "I'll Be Home for Christmas." It has a World War II theme, with the singer portraying a singing soldier with slicked back hair while wearing a military uniform. It's a deceptively simple clip. Standing beside a Christmas tree, with war footage playing on a screen behind him, Weiland looks every inch a military man as he sings into the old-fashioned microphone. It transports you to a simpler time. But it's not that simple, especially if you pay attention to the background visuals and his dramatic countenance.
"Slither"
For Velvet Revolver's video for "Slither," we see a shirtless Scott Weiland. No shocker there! Given his heroin chic physique and his serpentine dance moves, it felt like this was a glimpse of the entire Weiland package, warts and all. The performance footage, spliced with scenes of women driving fast cars in tight spaces, among other things, reminds us that living life on the edge has it privileges and its tragedies. His "Iggy-Bowie" style was never more apparent than it was here.