"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.
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.
