Scott Weiland (1967–2015)

What a sad, tortured creature Scott Weiland was.

This is quite a light book—I believe I went through it in about 90 minutes—and Weiland is not one to dwell on anything. No, instead, he'll lift a curtain here, peel back a cover there, and grant you a quick peek into some truly horrific events in his life, most of his own doing, some out of his control.

As an example, he quite calmly talks of an older boy who ultimately raped him, but doesn't detail the fallout, the dealing with it, whether he ever came across that boy in school again...nothing. A blunt statement of facts of the event, and moving on, people.

And very often, especially in the latter chapters, he also shows you the lyrics that ultimately came from all these events.

With the exception of the women in his life, and his children, Weiland tends to provide entertaining and well-written accounts, but everything seems to be held at arms' length. There's a dispassionate quality to it. The drugs, the booze, the fame, the money, falling off the wagon, going back into rehab again... I wondered, as I read all this, if this was his way of dealing with all the shit, just keeping it a safe distance away.

When it came to the women and children, Weiland's heart is on full display.

But the thing that struck me most was, though the book ended on a relatively high note toward the end of 2011, he'd already detailed one thing—his participation in Velvet Revolver more for the paycheque than anything—and the world knew that within four years of this book's publication, Scott Weiland, lyrical genius and stunning vocalist, would be dead.

So, that title? Ultimately, it's completely wrong. Too Much Trippin' and My Soul's Worn Thin would be my choice for a title.

It's a sad tale that I think, for the most part, I will try to forget as I go listen to my STP, solo albums, and Velvet Revolver stuff.

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To see the full review including pictures and video please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Not Dead and Not for Sale: The Earthling Papers by Scott Weiland and David Ritz is a memoir that covers Scott Weiland's life from the time when he was just a little child up until around the year 2011.



For the most part, this book is told in chronological order. Scott takes us back to his early childhood, school life, and his athletic abilities.



He discusses his relationship with God, his first band-Soi Disant, and other gigs, first love affairs and relationships, and finally from the start of the band Mighty Joe Young into Stone Temple Pilots.



One incredible aspect with Scott's writing here is the information given about the records, covers, and many of the song meanings. There are also many tidbits given that offer insight into what was going on with the band.

"We were overstimulated from touring and, to sleep on the plane, we took a handful of powerful pills-my first- that coated our brains and numbed out the world. When we got to the fancy hotel in New York, I vomited in the lobby. Dean barely made it up to the room before he vomited all over the bathroom. When we got to MTV at six in the morning we were high as zombies, and yet...Dean played his most heartbreakingly soulful version of "Plush"- and I sang it with more relaxed feeling than ever before or since. It was chill and it was mellow, an acoustic statement still being played on radio stations some eighteen years later. This is a story that seems to have a somewhat happy ending. It is a false ending, however, because my story only became more painful. "

The original video performance of "Plush" from Headbanger's Ball that Scott is speaking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0M5m5OFfs

What I loved about this book is that it gave me new insight to Scott's feelings about how he's lived his life and the choices he made. Rather than just listening to his music, I now know a little more about him as a person. Readers will learn things they never knew about Scott and discover that he endured some painful events in his childhood and beyond.

Overall, I devoured this book. I loved it and recommend it to any STP fan and to those who want to learn more about who he was. It's brimming with photographs of Scott and his family and I love the format of the book. There's also a section in the back that includes selections of Scott's sketchbook. With that said, I'll say that the book did feel like it had a lot of gaps. In this case, I'm willing to overlook that and still love it for the information it does contain.



5*****… (more)

Well this is a bit of an awkward title for his memoir as Scott Weiland is now in fact dead. I was never a big Stone Temple Pilots fan but I love a good memoir to live vicariously through other peoples lives. This was just an accounting of who Scott slept with and what drugs he took. The first 100 pages were okay and then I got fed up with him. He got to front two successful rock bands, had a couple of nice wives who loved him, and by all accounts had two lovely children. Everything was just handed to him and he threw it all away. By the end of this book I had zero sympathy for him and basically wondered how he lasted as long as he did. The only people who should have to read this disjointed rambling mess are his children so they can realize that they come from a family with deep seated addictions and they should never ever touch drugs or alcohol if they want to live. For everyone else you can skip this.… (more)