Fired Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland has insisted his drug problems are 14 years in his past.
And he says the upcoming album from his band the Wildabouts marks a new beginning for an older version of himself.
His addiction issues were cited in his departure from VR in 2008, which has left the band in limbo ever since, and his dismissal from STP last year, which saw them hiring Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington as his replacement.
Just two weeks ago Weiland discussed the chance of a, “easy money” reunion with Slash, Duff McKagan and co in VR, while the interviewer described the singer as “slurring all the time” and saying it wasn’t clear whether he was “joking or just in a daze.”
But now the frontman tells News1130: “Past demons are past demons. That’s stuff with I dealt with, like, 14 years ago. I guess Keith Richards gets asked about it, so why shouldn’t I? But it’s not something I think about ever – those days of my dope abuse and use are long since by me.”
The Wildabouts release is expected in November. Weiland says: “We start here, square one. A lot has changed. I’m quite a bit older but I still want to have a rock’n’roll band, still be viable and still make artistic contributions. It’s still possible to have success.
“STP did a lot of exploring from album to album; VR was just a great straightforward rock’n’roll band. Two different entities, two different artistic visions.”
Describing his outfit’s material as “fuzzy, furry rock’n’roll” he adds: “We’re like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – I’m the boss but we’re a band, and we write as a band. I hope these guys are still with me ten years down the road.”
