New Classic Rock Weiland Interview

[Cowboy Buddha]

http://www.velvetrevolverforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=29553.msg682122#msg682122

Thanks to the people at VR Fan Forum



"Velvet Revolver are a band full of junkies and fucking tramps who are trying to pretend they're fucking St. Francis!"
At least that's what Scott Weiland says. In a world exclusive the former Velvet Revolver singer gives Classic Rock his side of the story, just days before he was sacked from the band.

"I guess the problem at the moment is that I have some great things ahead of me and I'm in a band that I'm not getting along with who are junkies and fucking tramps and are trying to pretend that they are St. fucking Francis!"
Scott Weiland is, to use an American colloquialism, pissed. It's Easter Monday, the day before Velvet Revolver's first night in London's Brixton Academy ((4 days after the Glasgow gig when he announced the split)) and Weiland's relationship with the band is in meltdown. Right now he's aggrieved because he claims the management have confiscated his passport to prevent him absconding before the end of the tour. But he is also very optimistic about future prospects including a reunited Stone Temple Pilots tour; a solo double album and a biography - all happening this year.
Wearing a skinny black suit and Wayfarer shades, he looks like a hybrid of Bob Dylan and John Cooper Clarke - the epitome of grunge chic. Still very raw from a recent and much publicised stint in rehab, in this interview - a week before his sacking from the band - he speaks openly and uncensored about his grievances with Velvet Revolver, the tragic death of his brother Michael, his on-going battles with addiction and the re-formation of Stone Temple Pilots.

What's your take on the Velvet Revolver situation?
Theres a lot of baggage that comes with the band, and a lot of displaced anger. Y'know when I first joined Velvet Revolver I already had issues regarding the politics of a rock'n'roll band. When you're the frontman and the person who writes the majority of the music - all the melodies, all the lyrics - the person who comes up with all the creative ideas - video ideas, concepts for covers, that sort of thing - eventually other band members start looking at you.
Initially you're the asset, especially in the first couple of years. You're the one who has to give all the interviews, when times are great and when times are not so great. So suddenly people are saying "Why is he getting all the attention?" Well sometimes none of the other guys want the attention. Well, they want the attention but they don't want the responsibility that comes with it. Which is one of the issues I brought with me from STP. The problem with STP - which leads into the VR problem - was that we were best friends for a long time. We grew up together as kids. I was 19 when I formed the band together with Robert (DeLeo, bass) and I knew him from when I was 16. It started out as every band does as a gang and it really never was a case of me trying to jump out and sieze the spotlight; because I was really conflicted about the whole thing.
I don't mind doing photo shoots and I don't mind doing an interview if it's an important interview. Talking to Classic Rock - that's an important thing. It's a respected, legendary magazine. I'm not one of those people who are into saturating the media. if you have an important thing to say then say it.
But along the way with STP our communication broke down. it was this great band with great chemistry. We were not only great songwriters together, it was based on camaraderie, experience, the friendship I had with Robert. All of this ended up breaking down because of resentment we never spoke about. It ended up with Dead (DeLeo, guitar) and I having fist fights.
So there was this period of time before Velvet Revolver that I really didn't want to play in a rock band again. I was knee-deep in recording my solo record, I was in the process of putting together my record company and I was producing other bands. I produced two of the Limp Bizkit records. Not my favourite band by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely put me on the map as a producer. I also had kids and didn't want to spend the rest of my life on the road.
But those guys (the rest of VR) were looking at a bunch of singers and doing a movie. They were sending me Cd's of songs and eventually I heard some stuff that I found intriguing and I started to get to know them a little bit. I felt a kinship with them in the beginning because they had gone through some shit with their previous band.

[Cowboy Buddha]

From the outside you and those guys getting together looked like two people comming out of horrendous divorces; relating to each others appearance but also having the baggage that comes with that experience.
Definitely but it was almost like comming off a rebound. At first it was very exciting and we did jive. We had a lot of common interests; Duff and I shared a lot of the same musical interests with punk rock; Matt and I shared an interest in experimental music. Dave and I had known each other from back in the days of playing clubs in Hollywood. And then you had Slash and I who were - and I don't want to come over as lifesaving - two iconic figures, which the media tried to turn into a Mick/Keef kind of thing. We did have that gang type camaraderie at first. At the same time I was going through the worst period of my drug addiction that I'd ever gone through.

Was Slash messed up too?
Not at that time, he was just drinking a lot, he hadn't done drugs in a few years. He seemed pretty cool at the time. Duff had been sober for a long time and Matt had been sober for five and a half years. Dave, of course, was solid as a rock.
So VR was a musical thing that looked like it could be promising, but it also looked like it could be a life-raft. These were guys that had walked the same streets that I'd walked and in the same shoes. They were totally supportive and non-judgemental.
In the last couple of years in STP the guys had become very judgemental and, to jump ahead a little, ironically Dean ended up comming to me a couple of years later and said "Listen man I need to make amends to you. I was a horrible hypocrite, I was strung out too."

You told me in our last interview that you were getting the brunt of STP's criticism while Dean was getting wasted at home.
Yeah. There were some tours where we would be smoking crack and heroin together. And then the next tour I would say "Alright! Let's get on with it." And he'd say "What are you talking about man? Get your shit together!" But he made amends to me and I was shocked because he had gone to rehab and he's been clean for some time now.
But going back to VR, at the time it seemed like a completely different situation to STP. It felt like the most non-judgemental situation because the first six months was like the process of me getting clean. The first thing to go was the heroin and then the cocaine and then the pills. Then I got into treatment and I got clean. I was clean and sober for two years and then I started drinking. And all that seemed cool for about a year, but then it started escalating. During that time is when the guys started falling off the wagon. Matt relapsed and went into treatment and then Duff relapsed and went into treatment and then Slash had his situation. So everybody in the band ended up falling off except for Dave of course. At that time I was maintaining my problem in a sane way and I didn't really fall off intensely until my brother died.

I was going to bring that up. It seemed a little too current the last time we spoke as you had just been to his funeral a week before.
He was a great guy. Very smart, very well read, a great writer. He was very loving, a great dad. Unfortunately he didn't love himself as much as he loved other people. There were years when we were just ripping and roaring together and then unfortunately we were never clean at the same time. I was loaded, he was clean; he was clean I was loaded. We could never be on the same page, on the same schedule, to support each other.

Did you write the song For A Brother before or after he died?
I wrote it for him when...it's the most fucked up story. He had a custody date in court. There was a restraining order against him and he was going to be able to see his kids and have visitation again which would lead up to partial custody. We'd been getting along the best we had in years, he spent Christmas with me. Two days before the court date he did the same thing he always does: whenever something good is going to happen he shot himself in the foot. And he went out and got loaded and got arrested for possession. So that completely fucked up his situation. He turned up at court and told his wife what had happened and that he wouldn't be able to see his girls for a while and to tell them that he loved them. She told me afterwards that she had a feeling that she wasn't going to see him again.
I was so angry when I heard about it that I never called him. I felt I had to wait a week before I called him, to let it sink in. So I never had a chance to talk to him again. I got a call when they found him, I had to go over and identify the body.  Nobody knows for sure if it was intentional. When I got to his place he was lying on the bed with the sheets pulled up to his chest. There weren't any works nearby. I felt he just sort of gave up, died of a broken heart. There were drugs in his system but not enough to kill a junkie. There was a notice on his fridge door that said "Live for Sophia and Claudette' - his daughters.
So that's when things started going downhill for me. The family came out and we kind of had a wake for a week. I started drinking non-stop.

It's strange that you responded to your brothers relapse and tragic death by relapsing yourself.
Exactly! It was a bad year, my mother got cancer, they got the cancer but she had to go through radiation therapy. My grandfather got really sick with heartdisease and emphysema. A lot of bad stuff happened that year.

[Cowboy Buddha]

You also split up with your wife. How do you deal with all that? Where does that stress go?
How did I deal with it? It was even more confusing because in the band I was playing with until then we'd all had each others backs and then suddenly it all started evaporating. Suddenly these guys who had all fallen appart themselves all became very judgemental. When they went through their shit I was the last person who would be judgemental after what I had gone through in my life.
The relationship I had with Matt became horrendous, he and I came close to fist-fights so many times it became ridiculous. He has an attitude with lead singers - it's a problem he had before Velvet Revolver, in Guns and The Cult and who knows, maybe even before that. Slash and I have always been able to maintain, except on a few occasions, a professional relationship. Duff and I have usually been close. Then everything started to erode. I couldn't believe I was in this situation where I was getting ostracised by these people who had been in the same fucking situation I was in.
So while all this was going on I had been talking to the guys in STP and we said: "Let's get back together. This story's not over." I feel like we had the best shit ahead of us. I definitely didn't want to put VR to bed. I also don't believe in outstaying your welcome when you're touring a dead album.
We toured Contraband for a long time because it sold 3.5 million copies. But when you have an album that didn't do that well you don't tour it for over a year. You take a break, you wait for the songs to happen. Like Keith Richards said: "Don't fucking labour over songs."
So the whole thing with STP doing a tour and some festivals was a perfect window of opportunity while the rest of the band could have been taking some time off, working on some songs of their own. And then when I was done VR could get back together.
Right now it's like a relationship that's dead in the water where you need some space to figure out if it's important enough to last. The band need time out to sit back and let the creative juices flow and also to realise what everyone's part is in why things have reached the point they have. Now I'm not saying I'm innocent in all of this but everybody's at this place where the fucking finger is getting pointed and they're all pointing the finger at me. When you think about it isn't it ironic that they did with Axl Rose in the last band where the lead singer was deamonised? Originally I thought: "What a troll he must have been. What an evil man." But you know what? I have to say that I have an entirely different opinion of him today.

That's a turnaround. Last year you verbally laid into him in a very public manner.
But you know what? That was a long time ago and I'd heard a lot of stories. But there are two sides to every story and having been in this band I actually feel for the guy and understand him a whole lot more.

Is it true that VR's Australian tour was cancelled because you relapsed and the band and management insisted you went back into rehab before going back on the road?
Oh that's a bunch of bullshit! There's absolutely zero truth in that. The band had nothing to do with me going to rehab at all. I never even had a conversation with them about it. I wasn't even speaking to them at the time, as a matter of fact they didn't even know I was going until the night of the show.

Did you do that impulsively?
I was talking to my manager - who is not their manager - and trying to get a bed at this place. The only person who had an idea I was going was Matt because he went when the original tour got cancelled. What happened then was I went to dry out for three days at a place my shrink has, because I was drinking a lot. We were supposed to leave for Australia but Matt came to rehearsals and was so fucked up the band sent him back to rehab. That's why the first tour of Australia got cancelled. A tour gets cancelled and regardless of what Matt's offences were no one pays attention to that because quite honestly no one gives a shit.
A couple of months later I was saying to my manager "I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I need to go back to rehab again." I was looking for a place by my house but prices had changed from five years ago. So Matt directed me to a place in Orange County. It's fucking ironic that the band says they asked me to go because I tried to stop the tour earlier and go. So eventually I said "fuck it! Book me a bed and after the gig I'm going." So I packed a bag, did the gig and split off without them even knowing. So the last couple of dates (in the US) we didn't do. But y'know what? It was more important that I went because I was in a really miserable place. It was the first time in years that I went to a rehab place because I wanted to.

Comming out of rehab this time and going straight on tour must have been quite a shock to the system. You must be in quite a raw and vulnerable place.
Yeah but it's not like it's the first time I've done it. It's what my life is really. But it has changed my philosophy to the concept of what VR is about. With this band everything is about touring. I think by this time we should have made three albums but we've spent almost the entire life of the band on the road and I've missed a lot of things in my children's lives because of it. At this point I prefere recording. At least it gives you something a little more thrilling to do when you are touring. Something more challenging than playing 'It's So Easy/Sex Type Thing' every night.
I think the emotional let-down that we achieved was something special. We pushed the envelope and created something special and then blew it. The initial goal was to tour our albums and not fall back on our old catalogue from our respective past. What ended up happening was exactly the opposite. We needed up falling back on the old material because there's not enough confidence in what this band is about. It seemed to be more important to play the old rock stuff than to build a legacy with the new band and it just became not fun. I think I have a lot more to say musically.

There have been rumors on the net that during the last shows you're going to destroy the stage or just split prematurely.
Oh I can't do that because the management have threatened to arrest me. How do you figure that one? What is this a fucking Mormon Tabernacle choir?

Wouldn't an alternative to this heated situation be that you all cool off, do your respectively projects and then regroup and see how the land lies?
I think they should get Guns N' Roses back together to tell you the truth. I think that would be the greatest thing they could do. I think the world would be very happy. If they could stop talking trash about Axl in the press. It almost happened, the pens were ready to sign. With the Greatest Hits there was the possibility but there was too much stuff being said but it was a close call. As A GNR fan I would love to see that.

[FunkyMonkey]

In the same article, VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan was asked about Weiland's statement that Duff, guitarist Slash and drummer Matt Sorum should reunite with Axl Rose in GUNS N' ROSES, as well as Scott's claim that "the pens were ready to sign" at one point for a GN'R reunion and that the contracts were on the table. "I know he [Weiland] was really paranoid about that and we had to allay his fears at one point, when we were writing for [VELVET REVOLVER's second album] 'Libertad'," McKagan responded. "He got wind that our manager at that point had been talking to Axl about bringing Axl over to what was our management company back then. And Scott freaked out that we were getting GN'R back together and we weren't going to make the second record. I don't know where it came from ? there was no contract on the table or pens ready to sign. Maybe now he's convinced himself that's what happened."

Blabbermouth.net

[jarmo]

I think Scott really thought the last paragraph was the truth.



Who knew Matt was like that!

The TRUTH Rock On!!!!!!




/jarmo

[Ali]

Now I'm not saying I'm innocent in all of this but everybody's at this place where the fucking finger is getting pointed and they're all pointing the finger at me. When you think about it isn't it ironic that they did with Axl Rose in the last band where the lead singer was deamonised? Originally I thought: "What a troll he must have been. What an evil man." But you know what? I have to say that I have an entirely different opinion of him today.

The part that was most striking to me.  I have to say I got a little chuckle out of that one.

Ali

[D]

What did u censor out Jarmo?

[jarmo]

What did u censor out Jarmo?

So just because it says I edited the post you assume that? 


I changed the subject to describe the thread instead of focusing on something which isn't even true.




/jarmo

[D]

HAHAHAHA

well yeah, I thought maybe he said something about something.......

[Smoking Guns]

That was a good interview.  I feel bad for the guy.  I think he really liked each member at one time.  I don't know if he really likes GNR or if he just says that. 

Jarmo, see, he didn't want to tour cause it was a dead album.  Not sure I love that attitude.  A lot of bands tour with no album.  People want to see the shows.  The shows in a way help promote the album.

[Ali]

That was a good interview.  I feel bad for the guy.  I think he really liked each member at one time.  I don't know if he really likes GNR or if he just says that. 

Jarmo, see, he didn't want to tour cause it was a dead album.  Not sure I love that attitude.  A lot of bands tour with no album.  People want to see the shows.  The shows in a way help promote the album.

It's a preference thing.  He'd rather be at home, writing and recording than touring behind a dead album, to use his words.

Ali

[kobys]

Well when people are at odds about things they usually have their own versions about what actually happened and the versions usually don't match. One thing that I really can't agree with Scott on is his view of Axl. I'm not saying that the demise of the original GnR was totally his fault but I really think that he had a difficult disposition and he had a lot to do with what happened in the end. I can tell you that I really do feel sorry for Scott because for one thing, his being bi-polar isn't his fault and I'm sure that makes his life very hard. And he's separated from his wife right now and that has to be very upsetting. Another thing is that he seems like he worships his small kids and if he's separated from Mary then he cannot be getting to see them much. His life must be so sad at the moment. How tragic.

[Ali]

Well when people are at odds about things they usually have their own versions about what actually happened and the versions usually don't match. One thing that I really can't agree with Scott on is his view of Axl. I'm not saying that the demise of the original GnR was totally his fault but I really think that he had a difficult disposition and he had a lot to do with what happened in the end. I can tell you that I really do feel sorry for Scott because for one thing, his being bi-polar isn't his fault and I'm sure that makes his life very hard. And he's separated from his wife right now and that has to be very upsetting. Another thing is that he seems like he worships his small kids and if he's separated from Mary then he cannot be getting to see them much. His life must be so sad at the moment. How tragic.

You can't agree or disagree with Scott's view of Axl.  You don't know Axl.  And it wasn't Axl the person that Scott was commenting on anyway.  He was expressing some sympathy for him as far as being made the scapegoat for a band falling apart because the same thing is happening to Scott.  At least from Slash's end.

Ali

[Genesis]

Moral of the story: Don't do drugs.
Dave is probably the only blameless person in all of this. Too bad things didn't work out for him.

[kobys]

Moral of the story: Don't do drugs.
Dave is probably the only blameless person in all of this. Too bad things didn't work out for him.

Who's to say things didn't work out for Dave? Slash already said that VR is staying together despite getting rid of Scott. I'm sure that means that Dave is staying in the band.

[Genesis]

Moral of the story: Don't do drugs.
Dave is probably the only blameless person in all of this. Too bad things didn't work out for him.

Who's to say things didn't work out for Dave? Slash already said that VR is staying together despite getting rid of Scott. I'm sure that means that Dave is staying in the band.

Well, what I meant was that VR was the first major band he's been in and they've broken up after two albums, so...
I know they'll continue without Scott, but the future looks a bit uncertain at this point.

[elmir]

good interview....some very good bits in there....

[Fingers]

Good interview, but Stone Temple Pilots are now touring w/o and new material, Scott

[oldgunsfan]

That was a good interview.  I feel bad for the guy.  I think he really liked each member at one time.  I don't know if he really likes GNR or if he just says that. 

Jarmo, see, he didn't want to tour cause it was a dead album.  Not sure I love that attitude.  A lot of bands tour with no album.  People want to see the shows.  The shows in a way help promote the album.

It's a preference thing.  He'd rather be at home, writing and recording than touring behind a dead album, to use his words.

Ali

well since as he said earlier in the interview about the singers responsibilities, doing press, interviews, speaking to the media, writing lyrics, harmonies, blah, blah, blah..........it could be reasoned he's the reason Libertad was a dead album

And his interview with Classic Rock magazine just so happens to coincide with STP going on a 65 date tour; but I thought he wanted to be Mr. Mom;

To me, Scott got the call from Dean and just went for a quick cash grab as I'm sure they got tons of cash thrown at them to do this

[Wheres Izzy]

Moral of the story: Don't do drugs.
Dave is probably the only blameless person in all of this. Too bad things didn't work out for him.

I know Duff relapsed, but other than that I haven't seen where much of this could be his fault. I think Scott even mentioned most of the time they stayed close. It's coming off as being a combination of Matt, Slash, and Scott.