Dean DeLeo Recalls Scott Weiland’s Daunting Task While Hiring Him To Stone Temple Pilots

It can be said that Stone Temple Pilots had achieved natural chemistry. The band reflected this harmony into their sound and the guitarist Dean DeLeo made an important contribution to defining their sound. However, it wasn’t always a smooth sailing journey. While conversing with Metal Edge, Dean DeLeo recalled when frontman Scott Weiland had to make a hard decision to recruit DeLeo.

Stone Temple Pilots received much praise thanks to Dean DeLeo’s guitar riffs, although he wasn’t the band’s original guitarist. At first, DeLeo was brought in to record some solos, and the lead guitar player of the act was one of Scott’s best friends, Corey Hicock. However, after Dean’s introduction to the band, it became apparent that some things needed to change.

DeLeo expressed that the frontman had an awareness about what he wanted the guitar to sound like. When Dean started to play with the band, Weiland was impressed by his performance. It was apparent that the singer had found what he was looking for in a guitar player as DeLeo’s sound suited the band.

The guitarist recalled Weiland’s decision to recruit him:

“Stone Temple Pilots asked me to come and play some solos on some stuff, and one of Scott’s best friends was in the band as their guitar player. And it was evident to Scott what he wanted his guitar player to sound like. Whatever I was doing at the time, that’s what I brought in to the bag of tricks, you know.”

The newly found guitar player was able to reflect the riffs Scott desired to hear. Yet, not everybody would be content with this decision. Dean DeLeo expressed that Weiland had the hard task of announcing to his good friend, Corey Hicock, that he wouldn’t be playing with the band anymore. However, after Hicock’s dismissal, the band carried on, and the guitarist was recruited.

Dean DeLeo disclosed Weiland’s daunting task:

“Sadly, Scott was given the daunting task of telling one of his best friends he no longer has a gig. And I was kind of given the task at hand.”

To become a successful act, musicians need to separate their personal lives from their professional ones. It’s apparent that the late frontman Scott Weiland knew what he wanted for his band. The singer didn’t hesitate to dismiss one of his best friends from Stone Temple Pilots as it would enable the establishment of the act’s cult sound.