One of our co-workers in the Death Star (our code name for MTV’s Times Square building), one James Montgomery of the MTV News department, writes an interesting weekly-ish column called Bigger Than The Sound which we often find hilarious. However, this week Montgomery’s column comes to the defense of 90s alt-rock dudes Stone Temple Pilots and we take exception.
The one interesting thing STP did was release “Sex Type Thing” and then have Scott Weiland perform it in drag. We don’t know if you remember concerts in the ’90s but as a chick it sucked. People were getting felt up and raped in public and it pissed us all of (hello riotgrrls!). It wasn’t original though, because by the time they did it Nirvana, L7, Babes In Toyland, Hole and several others had already been there, done that.
The thing is, we don’t disagree that STP had some lovely hit songs. It was fine, whatever. The reason they were hated by critics is that they were completely unoriginal. For most of their career they regurgitated poppy alt-rock for consumption by the masses. There was very little art to it and only random moments of artifice. We liked Toad the Wet Sprocket’s songs well enough when they came on the radio too because they were inoffensive and easy to listen to but it doesn’t make them unsung geniuses of song writing.
It’s just our opinion, but we feel Montgomery confuses greatness and popularity. Montgomery also puts STP on his top 5 list of great alt-rock bands from the 90s. Subterranean blog readers, we are intrigued. Who’s on your top 5? If you tell us then we’ll give you ours. Since top 5 lists are a very personal thing we promise not to make fun of you. Much.
Oh, also we have a bet going in the office that STP won’t make it past 30 days of their 65 day reunion tour.
