Noah Weiland has recorded his own version of the 2004 Velvet Revolver classic “Slither” that he posted over the weekend to honor his later father, Scott Weiland, on Father’s Day. He also created an AI-generated video for it that contains trippy images of Slash, Duff, his father, himself, and even Spider-Man.
“The video is supposed to be like a gnarly fever dream,” Weiland tells Rolling Stone via e-mail. “One second I’m running away from my own demons, the next I’m lusting over a girl that I have a crush on trying to save her. I even get a visit from my father in the dream as well, which is something that happens to me in real life as well. I basically did the whole video from my iPhone lying in bed, same way I record all of my music too.”
This isn’t the first time that the young Weiland has tackled one of his father’s songs. Earlier this year, he cut his own version of the 1993 Stone Temple Pilots hit “Sex Type Thing.” But he’s also recorded several original “gritty alternative pop” tracks he’s released over the past few years.
“I don’t want my entire identity based off my father’s work,” he says. “I would rather make music on my own terms that is true to myself but the fans will love as well. I’ve recently been going back to my rock/grunge/punk roots for my solo music, especially a lot heavier songs for my upcoming EP Crashout Junkie.”
This new cover of “Slither” was born out of a casual acoustic jam with Weiland’s buddy, Spencer Carr Reed. “I heard him start playing the riff to ‘Slither’ just messing around,” says Weiland. “I was like, ‘Ya know, I wonder if we actually tried making a video to that, would people go nuts over it?’ So within a few minutes of pulling up the lyrics and trying, we got a pretty good take!”
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Looking forward, Weiland is booking shows for the summer, and working on tunes for Crashout Junkie. And even though some Velvet Revolver fans have imagined a situation where he’d front a reformed version of the group — a setup similar to the new incarnation of Sublime with Bradley’s Nowell’s son Jakob Nowell at the helm — Weiland says that is unlikely. “In a perfect world I think we would all want a Velvet Revolver reunion tour,” he says, “although most of these guys act like I don’t exist. I’m always open to opportunities though.”
It’s a similar situation with Stone Temple Pilots, who have been gigging with singer Jeff Gutt since 2017. “I haven’t heard from them in YEARS,” Weiland writes. “From where I’m standing, it feels like these bands are more focused on catering to the nostalgia of older fans than supporting the next generation. I’m building something of my own, and it would be cool to see that acknowledged instead of watching the same recycled stories play out without inclusion or growth. Legacy should evolve… not stay stuck in the past.”
