STONE TEMPLE PILOTS OFFICIALLY FIRE SCOTT WEILAND

Kevin Winter, Getty Images
by Graham 'Gruhamed' Hartmann (loudwire.com)

According to a press release just sent out on behalf of Stone Temple Pilots, singer Scott Weiland has been officially been fired from the band. The troubled vocalist is no stranger to internal conflict, and it seems that those days are far from over for Weiland, as he once again finds himself out of a job.

Weiland was dismissed from Velvet Revolver in 2008, and one of his former bandmates in that group, Slash, unofficially broke the news of Weiland’s latest exit from Stone Temple Pilots during an interview with Minneapolis/St. Paul radio station 93X. While discussing Weiland’s insistence that he was back in Velvet Revolver in December 2012, Slash threw in, “That’s because he got fired from STP.”

Although Slash is considered a reliable source, the news was still thought to be hearsay until Stone Temple Pilots officially announced Weiland’s leave in a short press release issued today (Feb. 27) that reads entirely as follows:

Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland.

Strangely enough, in an interview with Rolling Stone conducted just yesterday (Feb. 26), Weiland insisted that he was still a member of Stone Temple Pilots. ”STP has not broken up,” said Weiland. “I haven’t quit. I haven’t been fired … Slash doesn’t know anything about STP. 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.”

Scott Weiland is currently working on his career as a solo artist with backing band the Wildabouts. Weiland and the Wildabouts will be hitting the road on their ‘Purple at the Core’ tour, signifying that the string of dates will focus heavily on Stone Temple Pilots’ first two albums, ‘Core’ and ‘Purple.’ Weiland is also expected to perform Velvet Revolver and solo material. The trek begins March 1 in Flint, Mich.