Scott Weiland Found Dead on Tour Bus

Cocaine found on bus, one detained:

Rock star Scott Weiland found dead in Bloomington; cocaine found on bus

 

I'm surprised he was booked to play at the Medina. Out on the far west side of the Twin Cities. Better venues in town. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

Great "grunge" band that never gets mentioned: Screaming Trees.

I like Alice in Chains a lot -- "Would?" is damn near perfect -- but I find if I listen to one AIC song, I'm good for about two weeks. It's a really cool sound in really small doses.

I was going to rank "grunge" bands, but I can't do it. But, favorite song from each...

Pearl Jam: "Yellow Ledbetter"
Nirvana: "About a Girl"
Soundgarden: "Burden in my Hand"
Alice in Chains: "Would?"
Screaming Trees: "Nearly Lost You"
Mudhoney: "Touch Me I'm Sick"
Mother Love Bone: "Chloe Dancer"
Hole: "Violet" (Her stuff ghostwritten by Cobain was infinitely better than her stuff ghostwritten by Corgan)
Stone Temple Pilots: "Plush" (Honorable mention to "Lady Picture Show")

 

That's surprising to hear from a guy named "Dick."

 

Meat Puppets -- Backwaters
Smashing Pumpkins -- Disarm

 

Love that Meat Puppets song.

I've never seen Smashing Pumpkins as a grunge band. I think I may be in the minority there.

 

I guess "Big Empty" is supposed to be a depressing song, but it always brings a smile to my face.
Spring of 1994, senior year of high school, my last class of the day was Freshwater and Marine Biology. It was a small class, about 15 people, and somehow everyone got along famously. We weren't necessarily best friends, or even hung out with each other outside of class (although a few people did), but everyone seemed to enjoy each other's company.
Which was good, because half the time we ended up getting off-topic and bullshitting for 45 minutes. Sometimes the lesson never started. We'd just be talking about something or other and the teacher rolled right along with us. It was the most enjoyable class I've ever had.

At the end of the year we took a field trip to a local lake to do some science projects. That took us about an hour, and it was obvious the teacher didn't care if we did them or not. So it was mostly just a great day at the lake. Five or six of us went for a hike around the lake, and we got to a point where the trail ended. We had a choice -- spend 30 minutes walking back the way we came, or swim about 200 yards across the lake. We could see the teacher and the rest of the class on the other side.
So we swam. In shoes and full clothes.
Me and a girl in the group were on the swim team, so we brought up the rear and played lifeguard for the others. Took us about 5 minutes to make it across. The teacher just laughed at us as we waded the last few yards to shore, soaking wet and stinking from the lake water.
We got back on the short bus a few minutes later. It had a tape deck, and someone in the class had brought along a copy of "The Crow" soundtrack. He convinced the teacher and bus driver to play it, and we listened to "Big Empty" and the rest of it on the way back to school (where we had to sit for 15 minutes, still stinking like Swamp Thing, until the bell rang to go home).

That remains one of my favorite high school memories, and will until the day I die. Every time I hear "Big Empty" it takes me back to that day, and that great group of people in that class.
Exactly what Scott Weiland had in mind, I'm sure.
RIP, Mr. Weiland.

 

Now you've done it @Batman. Your teacher story is certainly flashing the @YankeeFan signal.

 

Haven't read the whole thread, so not sure if this has been addressed, but I think the deaths of the aforementioned Andrew Wood and Cobain contributed greatly to that. I think the deaths of those two shook a lot of the guys from that era and they wised up pretty quickly.

I'd have to look it up, but I think PJ has mentioned as much in interviews.

 

One of the best songs to come out of the mid-90s.

And an actually good Soul Asylum song few people know about.

And to anyone who feels Pearl Jam peaked after two albums, they have one of the largest legions of fans in the world and still sell out the biggest arenas in the world, all while putting out good music (though I didn't buy Lightning Bolt).

Oh, and RIP to Scott Weiland, too. Been singing "Lady Picture Show" all day. That's a great song.

 

The Grateful Dead and Springsteen have legions of fans and they suck.