Elite: Scott Weiland Shares His Troubled Past in Archival Interviews
Usually
when rock stars die, their fans are deeply saddened. That’s certainly
the case for former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver singer Scott
Weiland, who died Thursday in his sleep
in Bloomington, Minnesota, while on tour with his latest band, Scott
Weiland & The Wildabouts. But while those who followed Weiland are
heartbroken, they’re not necessarily surprised.
The talented artist reportedly died of a heart attack,
but he had a long history of depression and addiction, along with the
volatile behavior that often accompanies such conditions. He was kicked
out of Stone Temple Pilots for the final time in February 2013 for being
late to shows and exhibiting a lack of interest, and he was let go from
Guns N’ Roses-associated supergroup Velvet Revolver in 2008 due to
personality conflicts.
However,
for all his flaws, Weiland was a gifted songwriter and a charismatic
frontman. His raspy voice fell into the realm of the “Seattle sound,”
but he was just as interested in classic rock artists like the Beatles,
David Bowie, and Pink Floyd, and his sinewy stage moves and flashy sense
of style were always captivating.
Weiland
was plagued by demons, bounced in and out of rehab, and abused heroin –
he said – on and off until 2004. His last criminal wrangle with drug
abuse came in 2007, when he crashed his car in Los Angeles and was
charged with being “under the influence of a drug.” Yet both before,
during, and after his battles with drugs, Weiland created some great
post-grunge and alternative rock records. He played on six well-received
albums with Stone Temple Pilots and two discs with Velvet Revolver, and
he was prolific as a solo artist, releasing four eclectic studio
records, including one with the Wildabouts, Blaster, just this past February.
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