The Lasting Legacy of Stone Temple Pilot’s “Purple” in My Life

What is it about Stone Temple Pilots’ 1994 sophomore album Purple that keeps bringing me back? I didn’t really follow STP after Purple; in fact, I rarely even go back to their debut album Core, a record I listened to extensively when it came out. Yet, over the past year, I’ve been returning to Purple, again and again.

Last fall, I drove back to my childhood home, a ten hour drive, to see my mom who was in hospice at the time. I stayed a few days, spending time with her and seeing family members. When I left, I drove down the familiar interstate east, away from Louisiana, a road I traversed countless times during college and the years that followed. It’s a flat stretch of road, lined with pine trees and flood plains until you hit Mississippi. On that drive, I started playing some of the albums I used to listen to, and for some reason, I chose Purple.

When the groove of “Meatplow” started, I began thinking about the album as a whole, and it started to hit me that Purple, in many ways, is one of those rare albums that I can listen to from start to finish. Even though I am a huge Nirvana fan, and have been for years, I can’t say that In Utero or Nevermind are albums that I can play from start to finish and really enjoy. I’m looking at you “Serve the Servants” and “Stay Away.” Those albums are phenomenal, but even…