Earlier this year, Scott Weiland was fired from Stone Temple Pilots, a claim he openly disputed. Now, it appears as though the split is becoming increasingly acrimonious.
Last week, STP performed at KROQ’s Weenie Roast accompanied by a new singer, Linkin Park front man Chester Bennington, and debuted a new song entitled “Out Of Time.” Bennington confirmed to KROQ that he would indeed by joining STP as a full-time member.
Scott Weiland responded by penning an open letter to his 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. (via CoS)
It would probably be in his best interests to give up on the band — STP filed a lawsuit accusing Weiland of misusing the band’s name in to advance his solo work, and asked a judge to block him from using the band’s name and their songs.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles, and claims that Weiland’s chronic tardiness and struggles with addiction had hurt the band’s earning potential when he was a member. It also claims that Weiland has attempted to interfere with airplay of the band’s new single. According to the suit, Weiland’s lawyer had called the head of programming at KROQ and told them that they would be infringing on Weiland’s rights if the station played “Out of Time.”
The band claims in the suit that they own the rights to the name Stone Temple Pilots, as well as all the group’s songs, citing agreements made in 1996 and 2010 that no former members can use the Stone Temple Pilots name. STP has asked the judge to stop Weiland from performing STP songs in his solo career, or even calling himself a former member of the band. (via RS)