Jeff Gutt joined Stone Temple Pilots in 2017.
In an interview with American radio station Wfpk, the new Stone Temple Pilots vocalist spoke about whether he considered himself the right person to fill the vocalist position: “Because I love Stone Temple Pilots very much and it meant a lot to me as a musician throughout my process – along with other bands as well – but they were definitely one of those bands that influenced me. I just wanted to continue the journey – for them, I feel they deserved it, I wanted to do it for them as much as anything else – more than myself, I’m really there for them. I want them to continue on this journey and continue to grow and I want them to finish strong.”
“It was their decision [to keep the band going]. It’s not like I decided to continue Stone Temple Pilots. But the fact that they wanted to do it… And they hadn’t found someone yet. I was abroad when they started all the searching [for a new singer], and when I got back, they still hadn’t found anyone. I was like, ‘Man, [how about] me?’ That’s what I thought to myself. It was important to me as a fan too. That’s why I understand the people back there [watching the show] with their arms crossed, because I would have been one of them. […] In the end, I’m just trying to feel the music and be free, as free as possible. Because that was the thing I learned most from Scott and that I envied most – he was so brave and free. There was no fear. I envied that in him.”