Photo credit: Corey Hickok
Alternative Nation will soon be publishing the first in-depth interview with former Talk Show singer Dave Coutts in over 20 years. Stone Temple Pilots members Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz joined forces with Coutts in the mid 90’s in their first attempt to move on without the late Scott Weiland. They released their lone album Talk Show in 1997. Coutts also fronted Ten Inch Men until 1993.
As Ten Inch Men were disintegrating, STP were taking off with their debut album, Core, and preparing for the release of their second record, Purple. It was during this time that STP frontman Scott Weiland’s heroin addiction began to really take a firm hold of his life, derailing the band’s momentum. As early as 1994, soon after the release of Purple, talks of getting a new frontman began taking shape. Robert DeLeo remembered Dave Coutts.
“One year [after Ten Inch Men broke up], I was contacted by STP’s manager, Steve Stewart. He asked if I was interested in fronting the band. Yes, it overlapped with some of their tour dates, looking back. I am sure I was going to be their plan B. Or maybe just the thing to get Scott sober.”
After meeting the guys at his place of work in 1994, preparations went ahead for a potential Scott-less STP. Coutts recorded a demo version of the Talk Show tune “Hide” with them in San Diego. In 1995, Robert and Dean DeLeo started writing more material that could have easily ended up being sung by either Scott or Dave. It was unclear to Coutts whether or not they would continue as STP without Scott. “At that time I don’t think they had decided which way it was gonna happen.”
