Alt-rock luminaries Stone Temple Pilots have opened up about the departure of notoriously troubled frontman Scott Weiland. Bassist Robert DeLeo and new frontman Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, discussed the motivation behind Weiland’s firing and the ensuing legal issues.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, DeLeo remarked on the gravity of the band’s decision to fire Weiland, whose problems with drugs and alcohol are well-documented. Said DeLeo: “It was a very difficult decision to terminate the face of your band. But we really didn’t have any other choice.”
DeLeo, who’d previously labelled Weiland’s dismissal “a quality of life decision”, declined to elaborate further citing, “legal things” preventing him from doing so. DeLeo said that the band had been “saddled by someone for a long time” before adding “We’ve always looked out for Scott’s best interests and tried to be a great friend to someone who really didn’t care to be friends with us. I don’t think we had any other choice. We knew that was what we wanted before we thought about getting another singer.”
But in late August, Weiland told a Florida radio station that getting rid of him won’t be so easy, insisting that the band “can’t use the name with me not being in the band, without us coming to an agreement. They’ll have to buy me out of the company because I have major value in the company and in the brand.”
The band are currently gearing up to release their first EP with Bennington on vocals, titled High Rise and set for an Australian release of 11th October, as well as embarking on a global tour, which will include dates in Australia for Soundwave 2014.
(Via Alternative Addiction)
