Kyle Meredith of Louisville’s 91.9 WFPK radio station recently interviewed new Stone Temple Pilots singer Jeff Gutt. Blabbermouth.net transcribed some quotes.
On what it has been like filling the shoes of iconic singers like Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington:
Jeff: “For me, it’s kind of different, ’cause to me, it’s more a relationship with the guys in the band. It was a real long process of getting to know each other and getting comfortable with each other. ‘Cause to us, that was just as important as what I bring to the table musically and stuff. It was a long process. And part of making the [new self-titled] record was part of that process as well. So it was really an organic thing that really worked. So I don’t really think about all that stuff all that much. I just try to do what I can, control what I can, and let the rest handle itself.”
On whether he ever wondered to himself if he was the right guy to fill the vocalist spot in Stone Temple Pilots:
Jeff: “You know what? ‘Cause I love STP so much and it meant so much to me as a musician throughout my process — along with other bands too — but they were definitely one of those bands that influenced me and that I looked up to a lot, I just wanted to continue their journey — for them. I feel like they deserved it. I wanted to do it for them as much as anything else — more than myself even. I’m really there for them. And I want them to continue on this journey and continue the growth of the process and I want them to finish it out strong.”
On the other guys’ desire to continue Stone Temple Pilots with a new singer:
Jeff: “It was their decision at the end of the day [to keep the band going]. It’s not like I decided to continue the Stone Temple Pilots. But the fact that they wanted to do that… And they hadn’t found the guy yet. I was overseas when they started their whole search [for a new singer], and when I got back, they still hadn’t found anyone. I was, like, ‘Man, [what about] me?’ That’s kind of what I thought to myself. ‘Cause I’m, like, ‘I can do that.’ If they’re gonna do it, it was important to me that it was done right too — as a fan. That’s why I understand the people in the back [who watch the show] with their arms crossed, ’cause I would have been one of those people. So all those things went into making the record, and how to approach the stage — all those things went into that. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to feel the music and be free — as free as possible. Because that’s the thing that I learned most from Scott and that I envied the most — he was just so brave and free. There was no fear. I envied that in him. So I just to bring that.”
