Sunday 13 December 2015

Velvet Revolver - Slither


Sunday, time for a classic.

"Slither" is a song by American hard rock band VELVET REVOLVER, featured on their 2004 debut album Contraband.

The video was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic and Los Angeles. It starts with the band members playing their instruments inside a tunnel while a woman is driving a car seeking for the way to get to that tunnel. As the song continues, people become much more aggressive and the underground concert reaches a peak as band members play hard. Often in the video, Scott Weiland is seen standing before a wall made of human skulls.

Most famous for its instantly recognizable opening bass riff and its unmistakable guitar riff, it is arguably the band's signature song, and is frequently the closer to their shows. It was awarded a Grammy in 2005 for Best Hard Rock Performance, an award Weiland had won with his previous band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, for the song "Plush" in 1994. In 2009, the song was named the 85th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.


VELVET REVOLVER was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band WASTED YOUTH. Original vocalist Scott Weiland formerly of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS left the band in 2008. In 2004, the band achieved commercial success with their debut album, Contraband. Despite positive reviews, some critics initially described Velvet Revolver as a mere combination of Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N' Roses, criticizing them for a "disconnection" between Scott Weiland and the rest of the band. With their single "Slither", they won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.


On December 3, 2015, Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, prior to a performance with his band THE WILDABOUTS. He was 48. No underlying cause of death was immediately given. Police searched Weiland's tour bus and confirmed there were small amounts of cocaine in the bedroom where Weiland was discovered dead. Police also found prescription drugs including Xanax, Buprenorphine, Ziprasidone, Viagra, and sleeping pills on the tour bus. Additionally, two bags of cocaine were found and a bag of a green leafy substance. Tommy Black, bassist for THE WILDABOUTS, was arrested by police and charged with felony drug possession of cocaine.

News of Weiland's death quickly spread throughout the internet with many of his fellow musical peers, including his former band members along with fans and music critics throughout the world sharing their condolences, tributes and memories. A day following his death, his former bandmates in STONE TEMPLE PILOTS issued a statement saying, "Dear Scott Let us start by saying thank you for sharing your life with us. Together we crafted a legacy of music that has given so many people happiness and great memories. The memories are many, and they run deep for us. We know amidst the good and the bad you struggled, time and time again. It’s what made you who you were. You were gifted beyond words, Scott. Part of that gift was part of your curse. With deep sorrow for you and your family, we are saddened to see you go. All of our love and respect. We will miss you brother, Robert, Eric, Dean."

Weiland's ex-wife Mary Forsberg released an open letter about her ex-husband, his addictions and not being a good father to their children. Forsberg said, "I won't say he can rest now, or that he's in a better place. He belongs with his children barbecuing in the backyard and waiting for a Notre Dame game to come on. We are angry and sad about this loss, but we are most devastated that he chose to give up. Let's choose to make this the first time we don't glorify this tragedy with talk of rock and roll and the demons that, by the way, don't have to come with it. Skip the depressing T-shirt with 1967–2015 on it – use the money to take a kid to a ballgame or out for ice cream."

A small funeral for Weiland was held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on December 11, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA. Members of both STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER attended. Chris Kushner, the wife of VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Dave Kushner wrote on her Instagram page following the funeral "A very sad day when (you) bury a friend. He was a good man. Don't believe everything (you) read. Remember, we were all there."

Scott Richard Weiland (born Scott Richard Kline; October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer for the band Stone Temple Pilots from 1989 to 2013, as well as the supergroup Velvet Revolver from 2003 to 2008. He also established himself as a solo artist, releasing two studio albums, two cover albums, a live album and collaborations with several other musicians since 1995.

Today's tune "Slither" is in memory for Scott Weiland, the tune is taken from their debut album "Contraband", released 2004. R.I.P. Scott!



More info @

Official Scott Weiland Web

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