In the summer of 1993, Stone Temple Pilots co-headlined a US tour together. Stone Temple Pilots were supporting their debut album, Core, which was a massive commercial success. The Butthole Surfers were supporting their sixth studio album, Independent Worm Saloon, produced by former Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. On July 3, 1993, the tour stopped in Seattle, the home city of the grunge movement. Since they were performing nearby, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain decided to attend the concert.
This seems completely normal and expected, but it’s what he had previously said that made things awkward. Cobain was notably a fan of the Butthole Surfers, so there’s nothing off there. He consistently included the band on lists of influences, and also included them on a list of his top 50 favorite albums later found in his personal journal. But when it came to Stone Temple Pilots, Cobain didn’t care for bands who suddenly emerged during the rise of grunge. Notably, he was standoffish towards Pearl Jam, and members of Stone Temple Pilots assumed his “bandwagon” comments were also about them.
Cobain Appears Backstage
In 2019, Alternative Nation published an account from former Mudhoney manager Bob Whittaker. Reportedly, Whittaker took Cobain backstage, where he hung out with the guys in the Butthole Surfers and met Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland. Whittaker said, “I remember in Seattle, Butthole Surfers opened for them. We were backstage to say hi to the band after the show. I was goofing around with Kurt. He jumped on my back, and I took him into the Stone Temple Pilots dressing room. Security was going to toss us out, but Scott saw Kurt and rescued us.”
Things got awkward real fast, but the tension was hilariously broken. “I set Kurt down, and then Scott and Kurt talked at the deli tray table. A bit awkward at first. Kurt said, ‘People tell me you sound like Nirvana’. You must owe me some publishing money then.’ Scott didn’t miss a beat and pulled out a crumpled, sweaty $1 bill from his pocket and gave it to Kurt. Kurt took it. We all laughed and left.”
This was the only encounter between these two grunge giants. Less than a year later, Kurt Cobain would take his own life, marking the beginning of the end of the grunge era. Following this, the post-grunge era commenced in the latter half of the 90s with bands such as Stone Temple Pilots transforming their sound with each release.
Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
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