How do you go about picking the set list? Is it set in stone before hand or are you guys at the point where you can just wink at each other and know what to play next?
I think everyone has to be there at rehearsal. I think everyone has to be relearning these songs, and that’s where it starts. We would like to try to get into songs that we haven’t done in a long time, and also songs that we have never preformed before. I think that’s part of keeping the time out on the road healthy, and not falling into doing the same set all the time. I think that’s going to be challenging, and it’s going to be rewarding, too. We are going to be able to do songs that we never preformed before.
Could you give some clues as to which ones?
We are thinking about stuff off our last record, Shangri-La Dee Da, there’s a song on there called ‘Bi- Polar Bear’ that I think we are going to try to tackle. Let’s see, there’s a song on there called ‘Dumb Love,’ and there’s a song on there, ‘Long Way Home,’ I think we’ve only preformed that once. There’s some stuff off No. 4 that we have only performed once or twice. There is a song called ‘Glide’ that we never performed before. It’s a matter of finding the time, and getting all the stuff. We have been in rehearsal, and I think the band is sounding amazing. I think the band is sounding better than I would say we ever sounded. There is a lot more focus and sobriety and wisdom that goes along with doing with what we are doing right now. It’s a good place.
Seeing you guys live in the past has been amazing, and I think people who are even into like the thrash metal or punk would really dig your set, because you bring it with such intensity, so to imagine it sounding even better than before is just mind- blowing.
Yeah, I think when you write great songs, when anyone tries to write great songs, they are those things…those are going to stand the test of time, and a lot of people are going to get turned onto great songs. It’s nice to able to know that we can do shows where there’s…you know I think we have had 12 or 15 top ten singles. That’s a good feeling to know you can go out and do 15, 20 songs and people know all the songs. It’s pretty nice.
Is it true that you will be writing a new record after the tour is done?
Yeah, we’ll see, I mean. I think there’s a lot of things that a lot of us individually are trying to do. I am starting a new record company myself, a music company. I am really excited about that. I want to see where that takes me you know. I really want to try to concentrate on that. I have built myself a home studio here and I am gathering some artists together, and I am going to start doing that and see where that takes me, too.
So would the goal be to have the next STP record on your label?
Well, no, I think if we do STP stuff, I will be able to record it at home, which is just a really great luxury. I have just built myself a home recording studio, so I am actually tracking an artist today. I am really excited about that. The company is called Long Live Music and Long Live Records. So we’ll see where that takes me, and I am very excited about that.
Who are you tracking today?
His name is Mike Stocksdale, it’s an acoustic James Taylor-type thing. Just a great storyteller, and a really great artist.
Speaking of being behind the scenes and possibly tracking new STP material in your home studio, how does the inner process of songwriting happen for STP?
Well, I think everyone has different degrees of the material they have inside them. Whether it’s just if you are caring it around… I have never put anything down on a recorder, I have always had this thing where if it’s a great song, you don’t have to record it or put it down. If it’s a great idea, it will always be in your head. If I forget it, then I guess it wasn’t a very good idea. There are songs that I haven’t recorded yet that haunt me throughout each day of my life. Those are the songs that you really want to get down and record, and yeah, I have several of those haunting me right now.
Well the world is excited about your new hauntings.
Yeah, thanks[laughing].
What was it like seeing Velvet Revolver play some of your songs?
I laugh about it, because I think if you had told me 20 years ago, that’s when Appetite For Destruction came out…if you had told me at the time that those guys were going to be covering my songs…[laughing]. It’s kind of a trip, it’s kind of a trip. I am honored.
Is it true that one of the contributing factors to reuniting is so you could play with Zeppelin?
You know it’s funny that it went as long as it did, because it was kind of joke. It was really in jest that we got together, because Zeppelin got together. It was just merely a joke, ‘Yeah, we got together because Zeppelin got together because we want to play with them.’ But you know, Zeppelin for me, personally, is still my Bible. It’s one of the Commandments. You shall listen to Led Zeppelin. If that ever came about, that would be great! That would be really, really great! Yeah, we played some shows with Robert Plant a long time ago, and I love the guy to death, he was very nice, just a gentleman. It’s one of those things that if happens that would be great, but it was mainly in jest.
The Stone Temple Pilots are playing at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, on May 31. For more info visit stonetemplepilots.com
