STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Bassist Explains Decision To Have Two Self-Titled Albums

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo was recently interviewed by France's United Rock Nations Radio. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether STONE TEMPLE PILOTS auditioned any well-known singers prior to choosing Jeff Gutt as their new vocalist:

Robert: "No, there weren't really any known singers. We weren't really concerned about someone being known. We were just kind of looking for someone who was a good fit as far as being a singer and as a human being. And I think the time that we spent out on the road here [on our first tour with Jeff] has proven that we've made the right decision."

On working with a different singer on each of the last three STONE TEMPLE PILOTS releases:

Robert: "A lot of time has gone by, and I think when you look back at when you were younger and making records… With Scott [Weiland], it wasn't always the easiest thing to do. We made it through [several] records [with him] and there's many, many memories — good and bad — of making those records and getting through them. But whatever anyone was doing personally, I think we were always concentrating on making the best songs that we could write. And I think that is the thread and the theme that always carried us through from the beginning — really just trying to make the best songs that we can. Whether it was with Scott, or whether it was with Chester [Bennington], or now with Jeff, I think that theme is really the most important thing to us. 'Cause it's really what lasts — great songs. Great songs are such a huge part of all of our lives."

On why STONE TEMPLE PILOTS chose to once again have a self-titled album with the latest release (following 2010's "Stone Temple Pilots"):

Robert: "Well, we love the artwork so much and we love the songs so much that we didn't really wanna put a name on it. It would be almost very pretentious to put something on that record, [like] 'New Beginning'… We just wanted the songs [to speak for themselves] and [to] leave it open for people to get out of it what they want it to."

STP's self-titled seventh studio effort and first with Gutt was released March 16.

Gutt made his live debut with the band last November in Los Angeles. The band recently did its first round of dates in support of the new album and next plays on April 14 in Tucson, Arizona.