Velvet Revolver "Weeks Away" From Announcing New Singer

Velvet Revolver are only "weeks away" from announcing their new singer, according to bassist Duff McKagan. "It's down to a couple of guys," he tells Rolling Stone. "That's way down from the 400 original guys we got submissions from." Don't expect it to be another superstar like Scott Weiland. "It's not like Chris Cornell or one of those guys," says the former Guns n' Roses member. "We just want someone that fits. It can't just be good. It has to be amazing or we won't do it."

The hunt for a new frontman — which began shortly after Weiland split from the band a year ago — has proved daunting. "We thought it was going to be real easy," says McKagan. "After Scott left we said, 'Ok, we're just going to find a guy in the next couple of weeks. It's going to be easy.' You start hearing all these singers and you're like, 'This guy's really good. That guy's really good. Wait? Was that guy any good?' You start getting really confused."

On April 1, 2008, Velvet Revolver announced their official split with Weiland via a press release, citing the Stone Temple Pilots singer's "erratic onstage behavior" and "personal problems," and Slash told RS "We're just excited about finding someone else and moving on." Later that month, Velvet Revolver revealed they were setting up a Website where hopefuls could post video auditions. A month later, the band announced that they weren't going to use a reality show to cast their new frontman, even though they'd been approached by Survivor and Rock Star producer Mark Burnett. In August 2008, McKagan denied that VR had picked up Spacehog singer Royston Langdon, but noted that the frontman is "fucking awesome."

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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