Hey look, Weiland’s high again!
Having already endured a messy breakup and an equally messy reunion, ’90s alternative rock hitmakers Stone Temple Pilots have moved on to the next phase of their increasingly rocky career — the suing of former members.
The band — or the remaining three original members anyway — filed suit in Los Angeles today against former lead singer Scott Weiland, accusing him of essentially sabotaging their 2012 tour and interfering with their plans to release new material with Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. The lawsuit specifically accuses Weiland of being chronically late to shows, as well as damaging the band due to his poor live performances and drug addictions. So basically, just being Scott Weiland.
While it’s not known what STP is looking for in terms of monetary damages, they are asking the court to prevent Weiland from performing the band’s songs live or even using their name to promote his tours. Curiously, they did not ask for an injunction to prevent him from releasing any more Christmas albums.
For his part, Weiland posted the following message on his official web site after Stone Temple Pilots performed live at the KROQ Weenie Roast with Bennington:
A letter to my fans,
Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.
But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.
First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band. And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.
When I tour on my own, it’s never as Stone Temple Pilots. It’s as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they’re getting.
Like any band that’s stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy – the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that’s their prerogative.
I don’t give a fuck what they call themselves, but it’s not Stone Temple Pilots.
And so I say to you, our fans, I’ll see you out there on the road this summer where I’m touring as “Scott Weiland” with my band The Wildabouts. But don’t give up on STP. I know I haven’t.
~ Scott
Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, it’s nice to see that fans of ’90s bands can now experience the same feelings of regret and nausea that their older siblings and parents did with their favorite groups. And the circle of life continues.
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