Screw Scott Weiland (and the future of Velvet Revolver)

“Supergroups” usually don’t work out, so it probably shouldn’t be all that surprising that Velvet Revolver didn’t last for more than two albums. (That’s as far as Audioslave got, too.)  Likewise, it isn’t that surprising that there’s a dispute over the technicalities of how it ended–Slash & co. said they were firing Scott Weiland whereas, in a press release sent to MTV, Weiland claims that he’d already declared the band “dead in the water”. Whatever–that’s to be expected.

That said…well, screw Scott Weiland. Stone Temple Pilots may have been very successful once upon a time, but they aren’t timeless and as he returns to that gig I think he’ll find that fanbase has long since moved on. And even if they haven’t, Weiland’s a hack–not an original bone in his body. Having the opportunity to essentially join Guns n’ Roses was a tremendous coup for him and an honor he never deserved. Worse, his flat delivery ruined what was lyrically a pretty interesting first VR album and a sonic powerhouse of a second one in “Libertad”. I always got the impression from interviews and news reports that, while he’d never admit it, Weiland was threatened by the spectre of Axl Rose, so rather than meet it head on he reverted into a monotone completely lacking in charisma.

Maybe he’ll be better off.

That said, where does VR go from here?

One popular name popping up is Sebastian Bach. Even Weiland drops that name in the press release, although I’m fairly certain it’s in a back-handed kind of way. (Again, screw Scott Weiland.) To me, that’s an intriguing idea. Bach’s got an interesting voice and has long surrounded himself with “metal” guys–maybe playing dirty rock ‘n’ roll with VR would bring out the best in him. Apparently Bach was one of the finalists last time VR was in the hunt for a singer but was perhaps considered “too 80s” by the rest of the band. Since then he’s really been nurtured by Axl Rose and if the VR gig were offered you’d have to think that would put him in a very awkward position–Axl took him out on a world tour and even sang three songs on his album. And they may not offer as Bach has a well-earned reputation for being difficult.

I was ahead of the curve on Buckcherry (doesn’t happen often) and was hopeful Josh Todd would get the gig after auditioning the first time. Now with Buckcherry enjoying significant success for a sleaze-rock group I doubt there’s any way VR could tear him away. That’s a real lost opportunity and should be a lesson that this time VR need not go for the biggest “name”.

Speaking of big names, Billy Idol’s is floating around out there. I don’t get that. In fact, I’ve never really gotten Billy Idol at all. Is he supposed to be punk? If so, then what’s “Flesh for Fantasy” all about? I dunno–he’s had lots of success and many fans but his influence seems exceptionally narrow. Plus… he’s not exactly a young gun at this point.

Neither is John Corabi I suppose, but that’s an exciting idea. Best known as the guy who sang on the one Motley Crue album without Vince Neil, he’s really rock’s best-kept secret. That album is truly outstanding–I remember in college when the “Daily Tar Heel” reviewed it that it made me so mad that when they next had open applications I made the staff by submitting my own review of the record. (The DTH review was one of those clever college gimmicks where they spent about six column inches not talking about the record at all and going on and on about how the new Crue album made the writer think about some social issue or the other and then the last line was something like, “Oh yeah, the album? It sucks.”) The primetime seemed to have passed Corabi by, but this might be his best shot–he’s got great pipes and can really create a lot of different voices to suit whatever song he’s working with. He’s a no-name, and like Gary Cherone in Van Halen has to carry a legacy of utterly failing the replacement of a popular lead singer, but Corabi might be worth the risk.

Chris Cornell’s name will almost surely come up but I don’t think he’d be a great fit. This may sound stupid, but that dude just isn’t “fun” enough, although maybe after two years with socialist revolutionaries in Audioslave perhaps he’d be up for some songs about, you know, pretty girls.

What about Dave Wyndorf? Monster Magnet released 4-Way Diablo last year and it’s pretty good but the band seems basically comatose in terms of promotion and touring. Wyndorf’s a star and it’s scary to think about how great he could be with that kind of band around him. It’d be said to see Monster Magnet officially killed off but for Slash, Duff, and company, it’d be worth it.

Want a real wildcard? What about Biff Malibu, singer from Norway’s now-defunt band Gluecifer? I think he’d be a great fit.

Better yet, there’s always this guy…