BREAKING: Scott Weiland dead

[Rovim]

Too soon, Mary. Too soon.

[Bono]

I don't agree with her at all. The tragedy SHOULD be "glorfied" in the sense that it should be discussed what his demons were because it all stemed from addictions and the moment we start sweeping that under the carpet is the momeht we all lose that battle. Nobody is saying Scott was a saint. 99.9% of the praise he's recieving for the public is for his talent and what he gave to us not for what he took from his ex wife and his children. The latter has nothing to do with us. We will remember him how we "knew" him. She and her family will choose to remember him how they choose to. We don't know Scott so why would any of us remember him for his short comings as a father, husband, friend, person? We knew him as a talented musician. Yes an artist and we knew he struggled with addictions but not knowing him personally how were any of us to help in that area? We couldn't. I feel for her because I know what's it like to deal with loved ones suffering from severe addiction and I've even lost a brother to it. Her mistake however was glossing over anything in the first place. She did no favours to her children by doing that. Yes at the time she probably felt it was the right thing to do but it wasnt. If she, who was so much closer to Scott than any of us could ever be was willing to gloss over the short comings and the demons then how can she expect us not to celebrate the Scott Weiland we knew. He a arend gthis tragedy not being glorified for his short comings. It's being "glorfied" for what he gave to us. he was an artist and musician and for many he was the soundtrack to people's lives. Of course they will remember him that way. She can't ask the public to remember him how we never knew him.

If anything she should want the world to know he wasn't the man she fell in love with BECAUSE of those demons he struggled with and YES his death is tragic because of it.

[DR DOOM]

Fucking hell though, put yourself in her shoes...I think she has every right to be angry at him, she's left behind with the kids.

Heroin addiction isn't so romantic up close.

[stella]

Yep. And as far as forgiving is concerned, it's a bit overrated and inappropriate in some cases. There are some schools of thought that you can't offer forgiveness unless the offender a) makes tangible amends and b) asks directly for forgiveness after making those amends. Scott didn't, and his attitudes and drug abuse apparently hurt his children, and the fact that he died doesn't change any of that or make it less hurtful to those involved. Mary W. has every right to be angry and so do the kids.

[jekylhyde]

If the kid became an atheist because of Scott, we can say he did do a good thing to his children. Weird how she makes it look like a bad thing to break free from religion.

I've read that part many times now and I got the impression that it was Scott who became atheist.

Not that it matters, but he sings in Circles:

"There's no angels

There's no servants to save me

Save me

Ain't no heavens, no masters protect you

I'll care for you"

But yeah, anyways, I think it was a good letter. Sure, the real truth might lie somewhere in the middle, but it's always good to de-glorify drug-use.

[SlashElvisTCB]

People should respect her perspective, good or bad, that's her outlook and her story and she obviously feels strongly about it. Take it with a grain of salt and don't use it as the sole source to judge Scott by or to love Scott by. Like with Elvis, time has proven what a great man he was then as well as now, history gives perspective and 20/20 vision.

Its also very possible Mary is like Priscilla Presley in the fact she can say what she wants to vindicate herself now that the talented singer we all loved isn't able to defend himself, in which case, as I said earlier History will either vindicate her or vindicate him.

RIP Scott, we can only judge you by how you made us feel as fans. You weren't a child molester or rapist so whatever you did in life could have been redeemed, maybe you were working on things slowly but surely, history may still have a chance to show your true intentions that you figured you had time to sort out.

Edited December 8, 2015 by SlashElvisTCB

[maynard]

If the kid became an atheist because of Scott, we can say he did do a good thing to his children. Weird how she makes it look like a bad thing to break free from religion.

I've read that part many times now and I got the impression that it was Scott who became atheist.

Not that it matters, but he sings in Circles:

"There's no angels

There's no servants to save me

Save me

Ain't no heavens, no masters protect you

I'll care for you"

But yeah, anyways, I think it was a good letter. Sure, the real truth might lie somewhere in the middle, but it's always good to de-glorify drug-use.

Yeah I'll have to reread it. I was almost sleeping when I read it last night.

[wasted]

I got a bit emotional listening to Blue Eyes off Blaster. It's too early to listen to his music.

Any time someone close to me dies, I can't help but torture myself and indulge in every moment and memory with them. Pictures, stories, old text/Facebook convos, with Scott I'm torturing myself through music. I keep leaning toward his solo stuff as I kind of feel that is the most "him." It's cliche to say that an artists true self is in their solo stuff but with Scott, shit, the difference between 12 bar blues and any STP or Happy in Golashes and VR is insane. This is the first time in my adult life that someone I admired, at least musically and rooted for to get better as a human, had passed. My family grew up on Baltimore, and my Dad cried when Johnny Unitas, legendary Baltimore Colts NFL quarterback died. I didn't really get it until now, how someone you didn't know could have such a profound influence on your life. It's hard to fathom Scott is gone.

I read somewhere people die twice. Once when they die and again when everyone they knew or knew them dies. So Scott is still alive while you listen to the music and remember him.

[-W.A.R-]

If the kid became an atheist because of Scott, we can say he did do a good thing to his children. Weird how she makes it look like a bad thing to break free from religion.

I've read that part many times now and I got the impression that it was Scott who became atheist.

Not that it matters, but he sings in Circles:

"There's no angels

There's no servants to save me

Save me

Ain't no heavens, no masters protect you

I'll care for you"

But yeah, anyways, I think it was a good letter. Sure, the real truth might lie somewhere in the middle, but it's always good to de-glorify drug-use.

Yeah I'll have to reread it. I was almost sleeping when I read it last night.

i read it that way aswell....i thought their son refused to watch other kids participate in a parade or something lol

it did strike me as odd she brought that up but it makes total sense now that she was talking about Scott....that was a dick move by him

im not a believer either but not enough to not go see my kids on Christmas Eve

Edited December 8, 2015 by -W.A.R-

[Bono]

Fucking hell though, put yourself in her shoes...I think she has every right to be angry at him, she's left behind with the kids.

Heroin addiction isn't so romantic up close.

She does. And also has no right to suggest the public remember him how she does. We didn't know him that way so it's ridiculous for her to want us to know him and remember him that way. I get her anger, hurt and sadness, I truely do as I've dealt with loved ones who suffered from severe addiction and lost my brother to it, but it doesn't mean she's right in telling the public how to remember him nor is she right in saying that his art(how we knew him) should not be celebrated or glorified.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Bono

[TeeJay410]

I have a hard time telling someone in Mary's position what is and isn't appropriate to say. I can also see from her perspective how the media and those paying tribute make reference to Scott battling demons as if it were a noble fight, but not acknowledge the people who were left to suffer in his wake. She looks at her kids who must be hurting but aren't exactly sure why, considering all Scott hasn't done for them, and then looks back at her phone, computer, TV and sees heartfelt tribute after heartfelt tribute to his artistry and good intentions. I'm not sure I would react any differently than she did, I'm just not sure I would do it publicly.

The most interesting part was that she made it seem as if he wasn't really trying, she dragged him kicking and screaming. She would know better than anyone, but I can't recall too many people close to Scott coming out and say he wasn't trying. What was revealing in that regard was re-reading the first person Weiland piece in Esquire from 2005 that has made the rounds again. The way he described doing drugs, it was explicitly tied into rock n roll for him. He wanted to so drugs because at his core, he liked them. In his gut, even if he did genuinely want to get clean, until the end he could never get to a point where he liked how being clean felt more than doing how drugs and all that came with it felt.

Edited December 8, 2015 by TeeJay410

[Bono]

No doubt she's hurting and resentful and angry and sad but you cannot wait till he dies and then get upset at those celebrating the artist and acknowledging he had demons while i the past she acknowledges she glossed over it.

My brother and ex girlfriend tried their fucking ass off time and time again and failed time and time again. Addiction isn't pretty. She knows that and it's just wrong for her to admit to glossing over his issues in the past and now that he's died suggest fans and people who didn't know him on a personal level acknowledge him on that personal level. That's for her to do, not for any of us to do.

[LA_0013]

I can see it from both sides.

Guess you can't judge someone till you've walked a mile in their shoes. I can only imagine the long term trials and tribulations of being a husband or wife to what was essentially a raging drug addict. And having to raise children in that shadow.

Her timing is certainly questionable, but she's entitled to share her views, when modern day society often makes a martyr of such people without considering the deep flaws in their character.

At th end of the day, she didn't really disclose anything that should come as a surprise to anyone.

LA

[wasted]

She sounds pissed she won't be getting anymore alimony.

[GunnerOne 84]

My sister in law suffers from addiction. Before her habit, she was one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of being around. She is my wife's stepsister, and we both loved her as if she were our own flesh and blood. She was a wonderful niece to our daughter. She loved and helped rescue animals.

Unfortunately all of that changed when she became an addict. She disappeared for months at a time. She stole money and possessions from various family members, including her grandmother that was suffering from dementia. She blamed her grandmother's illness for her thinking she was stealing money. She began to treat her young daughter very poorly. She hooked up with a drug dealer and began selling herself for drugs. Her drug dealer threatened to shoot me for trying to help her get clean. She's been charged with multiple crimes related to her addiction, including assault and theft. She's had multiple kids with her drug dealer boyfriend, contracted STDs, and lives in a house with no power because they can't, or won't, pay the power bill before buying drugs. Her boyfriend cut her ear off for not turning enough money in. It was blamed on a dog at the hospital but the cut was too clean for it to have actually been a dog. She no longer sees the child she had with her one-time husband.

I get where Mary is coming from. The choice is to either walk away or let the addicted person drag you to hell with them. I'm sure she's not perfect, but she has every right to be angry and every right to be sad that her children have been robbed of a father. I was a big fan of Scott's. He was an incredible talent. But for those of you criticizing his ex for ever getting involved with him while absolving Scott for his faults, remember that he was one of the most charismatic people in music. Of course people were drawn to him. As much as we enjoyed his talent, Scott was not the person we saw on stage entertaining us. We can enjoy his work while still understanding that his addictions made him a terrible husband and father.

His kids will go throw life hearing how wonderful Scott was-a characterization they will not be familiar with.

[jekylhyde]

This whole thing is so sad. He really was a troubled man. Talented, but troubled. Hopefully his death, and Mary's letter, will open people's eyes. And I know fighting addiction is more than just opening your eyes and realizing drugs are bad, but... I just hope something good would come from all of this.

Sorry to hear about your sister-in-law GunnerOne.

Edited December 8, 2015 by jekylhyde

[Intercourse]

As more time passes, the more of a piece of shit I feel like for not dishing out the $40 and seeing Scott 2 weeks ago at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. I didn't go because it was on a Sunday night and I thought it would be a depressing train wreck. According to my buddy who worked sound, it was exactly that. But at least I would have that as opposed to have seeing him 10 years ago.

Don't feel guilty TeeJay. Scott wasn't earning that $40 any time soon either way. You made a value judgement and came to the correct conclusion.

Like Axl, bad behaviours should not be mindlessly rewarded, it does nobody any good.

I had the pleasure of seeing Scott with STP in Dublin on their last tour together and he was amazing. I'll keep that memory instead of any bad ones forever more. The man wrote the soundtrack of my youth (along with GNR) so I'm sad to see him go like this.

[Bono]

My sister in law suffers from addiction. Before her habit, she was one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of being around. She is my wife's stepsister, and we both loved her as if she were our own flesh and blood. She was a wonderful niece to our daughter. She loved and helped rescue animals.

Unfortunately all of that changed when she became an addict. She disappeared for months at a time. She stole money and possessions from various family members, including her grandmother that was suffering from dementia. She blamed her grandmother's illness for her thinking she was stealing money. She began to treat her young daughter very poorly. She hooked up with a drug dealer and began selling herself for drugs. Her drug dealer threatened to shoot me for trying to help her get clean. She's been charged with multiple crimes related to her addiction, including assault and theft. She's had multiple kids with her drug dealer boyfriend, contracted STDs, and lives in a house with no power because they can't, or won't, pay the power bill before buying drugs. Her boyfriend cut her ear off for not turning enough money in. It was blamed on a dog at the hospital but the cut was too clean for it to have actually been a dog. She no longer sees the child she had with her one-time husband.

I get where Mary is coming from. The choice is to either walk away or let the addicted person drag you to hell with them. I'm sure she's not perfect, but she has every right to be angry and every right to be sad that her children have been robbed of a father. I was a big fan of Scott's. He was an incredible talent. But for those of you criticizing his ex for ever getting involved with him while absolving Scott for his faults, remember that he was one of the most charismatic people in music. Of course people were drawn to him. As much as we enjoyed his talent, Scott was not the person we saw on stage entertaining us. We can enjoy his work while still understanding that his addictions made him a terrible husband and father.

His kids will go throw life hearing how wonderful Scott was-a characterization they will not be familiar with.

His kids will grow up and learn to distinguish between the two. I fully agree Mary has the right to feel how she does. She has no right to tell the public how they should remember him though. We don't know the Scott she knew so there's no way in hell we should be asked to remember him for the way she knew him. It's justa ridiculous thing. I get her emotion behind it but her message is all wrong in my opinion. I mean shit she even admitted to glossing over his faults and demons in the past but now wants us to remember him for that and not for the artist he was? I'm sorry but no.

[Intercourse]

But at the same time, I feel like she is highlighting how un-glorious drug abuse is. How devastating it is for the people in the life of a drug addict. How these people need help and support, not attention and ridicule from the mainstream media and the circus that can be the music industry which is focused on paying attention to trainwrecks in an entertainment kind of way.

Is Mary's story ugly? Yes. But drug addiction is ugly. Not being a good father to your own children is ugly. And any cautionary tale that may bring awareness to people to make sure to give help or to give more beneficial attention to said drug addict is a positive thing in my option.

This is exactly what Mary was saying.

The man had kids and he put the drugs and the craziness ahead of them - and her.

Is she bitter?

Of course.

Scott committed suicide over a decade, he didn't die by some tragic accident.

Most people who are left behind by those that choose this path are angry.

I think none of us should judge - that's a woman and two kids in hell right there.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Intercourse

[TheSeeker]

Why the fuck was this moved?

[Dan H.]

Nobody was claiming Scott was a perfect human being. But I think it was inappropriate for Mary to make all of these negative, vindictive comments so soon after his death. Is this how she wants her children to remember their father? Wouldn't it be better for his kids to see the love and admiration millions of fans had for him and his music around the world - and how he touched their lives with his music?

I understand that she went through a lot with Scott and his addictions - and she even cashed in on it by writing a book about it a few years ago. But I don't see the purpose of dragging all of this out now - when his body is barely cold. Is this the legacy she wants her children to see?

Nobody is perfect - we all make mistakes and have problems - including Mary. But how many of us would want an ex-partner reminding the world of our mistakes after we've passed? Just doesn't seem right.

I don't think her goal in sharing that message was to bash Scott, but rather to offer perspective on the suffering that can occur behind the scenes of people who are glorified.

The letter read to me as sad, distraught, and frusterated, but not angry or vindictive. Perhaps she could have phrased some passages better, and left out some of the more specific examples of their personal life, but other than that I think she was just trying to illustrate what he was going through.

I dunno, in the Scott solo tour thread I saw a lot of people wondering what was going on in his personal life to make him seem so depressing and defeated at his shows. When someone who knew him better than any of us comes out and offers us that information, it's a little disheartening to see people lash out on her. It's not her fault that Scott was an addict and troubled, and it's not her fault that he (allegedly) treated his family with very little respect. It's also not her fault that his drug issues have been very very well publicized since the 90s. It's not like he was a secret addict and this is all coming as a huge shock to us. He's been struggling for years.

If what she is saying in the letter is the truth, then I think she has every right to expose the world to the nightmare that drugs and depression can suck people into. I don't feel it was in bad taste at all.

I like Scott a lot, and I don't think he's a bad guy. He was a sick guy, and he lost the fight against his illness. There's nothing sadder than that, and it happens everyday to a lot of people who aren't as privlaged as Scott. I think she may have been trying to illuminate that.

On a side note I'm bumming that I missed STP on their pass through my town a few years ago. Scott has always been an impressive and talented performer, he had a wonderful gift, I'm glad that even through all his suffering, he still took the time to offer that gift to his millions of fans. RIP Scott.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Dan H.

[Bono]

But at the same time, I feel like she is highlighting how un-glorious drug abuse is. How devastating it is for the people in the life of a drug addict. How these people need help and support, not attention and ridicule from the mainstream media and the circus that can be the music industry which is focused on paying attention to trainwrecks in an entertainment kind of way.

Is Mary's story ugly? Yes. But drug addiction is ugly. Not being a good father to your own children is ugly. And any cautionary tale that may bring awareness to people to make sure to give help or to give more beneficial attention to said drug addict is a positive thing in my option.

This is exactly what Mary was saying.

The man had kids and he put the drugs and the craziness ahead of them - and her.

Is she bitter?

Of course.

Scott committed suicide over a decade, he didn't die by some tragic accident.

Most people who are left behind by those that choose this path are angry.

I think none of us should judge - that's a woman and two kids in hell right there.

When you watch a loved one be strangled to death by addictions that's as tragic as it fucking gets.

[stella]

If the kid became an atheist because of Scott, we can say he did do a good thing to his children. Weird how she makes it look like a bad thing to break free from religion.

I've read that part many times now and I got the impression that it was Scott who became atheist.

Not that it matters, but he sings in Circles:

"There's no angels

There's no servants to save me

Save me

Ain't no heavens, no masters protect you

I'll care for you"

But yeah, anyways, I think it was a good letter. Sure, the real truth might lie somewhere in the middle, but it's always good to de-glorify drug-use.

Yeah I'll have to reread it. I was almost sleeping when I read it last night.

i read it that way aswell....i thought their son refused to watch other kids participate in a parade or something lol

it did strike me as odd she brought that up but it makes total sense now that she was talking about Scott....that was a dick move by him

im not a believer either but not enough to not go see my kids on Christmas Eve

She was saying that Scott would not see the kids perform in a Christmas play because he was atheist. Yeah, that was definitely a dick move...if your kids are in a play, you go see them. A lot of the time those things are mostly a celebration of the season and not overtly religious anyway.

Edited December 8, 2015 by stella

[alfierose]

Why the fuck was this moved?

We left this thread remain in the GNR D&N section for a few days out of respect for Scott's associations with GNR history.

Scott was a tremendous performer and was part of the soundtrack for many of our lives.

However, we feel time has come to move this conversation to My World and return the D&N section solely focused on GNR-related discussion.

Thanks!

[Funky.Monkey]

Details about Scott Weiland's death could be weeks away; bandmate freed from jail

Police arrested Thomas Delton Black, 47, of Studio City, Calif., a member of Weiland's current band, the Wildabouts, on suspicion of having an additional small amount of cocaine.

Black was released from the Bloomington city jail on Friday afternoon "pending further investigation" into Weiland's death, Deputy Police Chief Denis Otterness said Tuesday.

Otterness said his department is awaiting toxicology results from Weiland's autopsy. "We could be looking at four to eight weeks" before the Hennepin County medical examiner's office has details to release, the deputy chief added.

http://www.startribune.com/details-about-weiland-s-death-could-be-weeks-away-bandmate-freed-from-jail/360979131/#1

Edited December 8, 2015 by Funky.Monkey