American rock band Stone Temple Pilots have revealed that they have officially ‘terminated’ a member of their band, issuing a short, one-sentence press release to fans and media that states: “Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland – no further information is available at this time.”
Weiland though, who refuses to leave silently, has shot back a statement in response to the news via his own Facebook page claiming that he does not understand his termination from a band he “founded.”
“I learned of my supposed “termination” from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be “terminated” from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits,” writes the frontman, “but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday.”
The statement comes after Weiland told Rolling Stone just two days ago that all was fine regarding his position in Stone Temple Pilots.
Weiland spoke out in response to Slash’s comments a couple of months ago that he was being fired by the band. “STP has not broken up,” said Weiland. “I haven’t quit. I haven’t been fired.” Despite the news of his termination yesterday, Weiland said at the time: “Slash doesn’t know anything about STP.”
I learned of my supposed “termination” from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be “terminated” from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits.”- Scott Weiland.While Weiland did hint at some tensions in the band, “there were some hurt egos,” he remained adamant about the future of the group saying: “We’re talking right now about when we want to tour next.”
“No one has ever fired anybody in STP. We’re like a family. It’s also a partnership. I started the band. We’ve always kept things going. We’ve taken time off before. They’ve done their own projects and I fully support that. No one has been fired and I haven’t quit. That’s all hearsay,” said Weiland.
The singer’s musical career, which has spanned back to as early as the eighties yet has been consistently dampened by his drug abuse and multiple arrests, began with Stone Temple Pilots, forming the alternative rock band in 1986 with drummer, Eric Kretz, and brothers Robert DeLo and Dean DeLo. The band separated in 2002 and after a five year break reunited in 2008 with tours and a self titled album released in 2010.
It was during this break that Weiland joined Velvet Revolver which featured former Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum as well as Dave Kushner, from punk band Wasted Youth.
However, he left in 2007 following tensions in the band that he described as being due to “ego and jealousy” (as Blabbermouth points out). The relationship between the two creative forces of Velvet Revolver’, Slash and Weiland, also remains tense.
Speaking to Tone Deaf in an interview for his Australian tour last year, Slash spoke of his relationship with Weiland saying that, “anything having to do with Scott is laughable to me.” At the rumoured reunion of Velvet Revolver getting back together with Weiland he said “there’s absolutely nothing happening with Scott and Velvet Revolver and I don’t think anybody in the band is going to exercise that.”
Despite the tensions with the alleged firing of the Stone Temple Pilot’s frontman, Weiland is set to launch his solo tour ‘Purple at The Core’ in March around North America.
