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Name: the media
Age: ageless
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the general public
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: pretending that Scott Weiland didn't exist
Age: ageless
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the general public
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: pretending that Scott Weiland didn't exist
---
April 8, 1994 was a day I'll never forget.
My father and I had just gotten back from the movies and I was in my bedroom, minding my business. Then, he told me to come to the living room. I did, and the NBC Nightly News was doing a news story on what it looked like the legendary grunge band Nirvana. The story ended with Tom Brokaw doing the usual "that's the NBC Nightly News, I'm Tom Brokaw, I'll see you Monday night". I turned to Dad and he told me, "he's dead. Blew his brains out."
I was stunned - but not too stunned - that the man who helped to change modern music in the early 1990s was gone. Years of drug abuse and a hectic life with Courtney Love took its toll on young 27-year-old Kurt. But for me, I didn't learn about his passing from MTV or the internet. I learned it from my father, who just happened to be watching the over-the-air NBC Nightly News.
True, there were many other bands breaking out around that period, including Stone Temple Pilots and its big-voiced lead singer Scott Weiland. I remembered hearing "Plush" on the radio in 1993, thinking that it would become an important rock anthem at the time, and it did.
Over the years, STP recorded five albums with Weiland and many of their singles became radio standards such as "Vasoline", "Interstate Love Song", "Dead and Bloated" and "Creep". However, problems with drugs caused Weiland to be ostracized from the band, causing STP to break up several times. Of course, he formed another band, Velvet Revolver with former Guns 'N Roses members, which provided several hits such as "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces"(seen above). In recent years, Weiland was touring with a new band, The Wildabouts and people had been worried about Weiland's inner psyche because of, well, moments like these.
On Thursday night, Weiland was found on his tour bus in Bloomington, MN in full cardiac arrest and hours later, he passed away at the age of 48. Cocaine was found on the premises and his guitarist was soon arrested for being in possession. Although Weiland claimed that he hadn't done drugs in 13 years, it will take a toxicologist to determine if that was true or not.
Friday morning, I was watching Daybreak on WOOD-TV here in Grand Rapids. They made no mention on Weiland's death. I watched the NBC Nightly News later that night. It was wall-to-wall coverage of the shootings in California with no mention of other news. I watched Fox 17's afternoon news. Nothing.
So I wonder, how could a man whose music sold millions of copies and produced several hits's death not get a mention on the news? Hell, I learned about Weiland's death on Facebook. How could the fact that Kim Kardashian gave birth to ANOTHER kid made the news and not the death of a man who unlike Mrs. West actually did something in his life?
True, Scott Weiland was an asshole for being a junkie, but still, he did more in his 48 years than most people would do in their lives. I hope and pray for his family, friends and bandmates. Shame on the mainstream media for not touching on his passing. I don't want to hear the excuse "rock is dead" or "well, there's no real rock stations in New York" bullshit, either. Hell, I wonder if the California shootings didn't happen that his passing would still make the news.
But what do you expect from the medium that's controlled by the Koch Brothers?
---
Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com!
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
April 8, 1994 was a day I'll never forget.
My father and I had just gotten back from the movies and I was in my bedroom, minding my business. Then, he told me to come to the living room. I did, and the NBC Nightly News was doing a news story on what it looked like the legendary grunge band Nirvana. The story ended with Tom Brokaw doing the usual "that's the NBC Nightly News, I'm Tom Brokaw, I'll see you Monday night". I turned to Dad and he told me, "he's dead. Blew his brains out."
I was stunned - but not too stunned - that the man who helped to change modern music in the early 1990s was gone. Years of drug abuse and a hectic life with Courtney Love took its toll on young 27-year-old Kurt. But for me, I didn't learn about his passing from MTV or the internet. I learned it from my father, who just happened to be watching the over-the-air NBC Nightly News.
True, there were many other bands breaking out around that period, including Stone Temple Pilots and its big-voiced lead singer Scott Weiland. I remembered hearing "Plush" on the radio in 1993, thinking that it would become an important rock anthem at the time, and it did.
Over the years, STP recorded five albums with Weiland and many of their singles became radio standards such as "Vasoline", "Interstate Love Song", "Dead and Bloated" and "Creep". However, problems with drugs caused Weiland to be ostracized from the band, causing STP to break up several times. Of course, he formed another band, Velvet Revolver with former Guns 'N Roses members, which provided several hits such as "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces"(seen above). In recent years, Weiland was touring with a new band, The Wildabouts and people had been worried about Weiland's inner psyche because of, well, moments like these.
On Thursday night, Weiland was found on his tour bus in Bloomington, MN in full cardiac arrest and hours later, he passed away at the age of 48. Cocaine was found on the premises and his guitarist was soon arrested for being in possession. Although Weiland claimed that he hadn't done drugs in 13 years, it will take a toxicologist to determine if that was true or not.
Friday morning, I was watching Daybreak on WOOD-TV here in Grand Rapids. They made no mention on Weiland's death. I watched the NBC Nightly News later that night. It was wall-to-wall coverage of the shootings in California with no mention of other news. I watched Fox 17's afternoon news. Nothing.
So I wonder, how could a man whose music sold millions of copies and produced several hits's death not get a mention on the news? Hell, I learned about Weiland's death on Facebook. How could the fact that Kim Kardashian gave birth to ANOTHER kid made the news and not the death of a man who unlike Mrs. West actually did something in his life?
True, Scott Weiland was an asshole for being a junkie, but still, he did more in his 48 years than most people would do in their lives. I hope and pray for his family, friends and bandmates. Shame on the mainstream media for not touching on his passing. I don't want to hear the excuse "rock is dead" or "well, there's no real rock stations in New York" bullshit, either. Hell, I wonder if the California shootings didn't happen that his passing would still make the news.
But what do you expect from the medium that's controlled by the Koch Brothers?
---
Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com!
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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