Songcraft Classic: ROBERT DE LEO of Stone Temple Pilots (”Interstate Love Song”)

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2023 conversation with Robert De Leo of Stone Temple Pilots. 

ABOUT ROBERT DE LEO
Robert De Leo is best known for his work in Stone Temple Pilots. Collaborating with lyricist and vocalist Scott Weiland, Robert wrote or co-wrote the music for many of the group’s classic songs, including “Plush,” “Creep,” “Wicked Garden,” “Vaseline,” “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Bang Baby,” “Down,” “Hollywood Bitch,” and “Between the Lines.” Outside of their music in Stone Temple Pilots, Robert and his brother Dean have also written and recorded songs for their band Talk Show, as well as Army of Anyone, which is a collaboration with Filter frontman Richard Patrick. Since the death of Weiland and subsequent lead singer Chester Bennington, the De Leo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz continue to make music as Stone Temple Pilots with current vocalist Jeff Gutt. At the time of our conversation, Robert had released his debut solo album, Lessons Learned, a deeply personal collection of original songs. Featuring a handful of guest singers, it’s a different sound than listeners might expect from De Leo, exploring the vibes of Laurel Canyon, Americana, roots music, and a healthy dose of one of Robert’s musical heroes, Glen Campbell. In this episode you’ll hear a lot of great new music and gain a deeper appreciation for some of the amazing Stone Temple Pilots catalog as Robert grabs his guitar and breaks down some of those classics in mind-blowing depth. This is one of our favorite Songcraft conversations, and you definitely won’t want to miss it.