Scott Weiland Says Supergroup Was ‘Scam From the Beginning’
Scott Weiland has already distanced himself from the recently formed hard rock supergroup Art of Anarchy, claiming his association was restricted to writing and performing lyrics and vocals for the band’s debut LP. Now, in an interview with About.com (via Ultimate Classic Rock), the former Stone Temple Pilots frontman has blasted the entire project, calling it a “scam from the beginning.”
The drama started in January, when Art of Anarchy issued a press release implying that Weiland was a full-fledged member of the band (which includes members of Guns N’ Roses and Disturbed). Weiland posted a statement on Facebook, explaining that while he “had a lot of fun” contributing to the “side project,” he was not an actual member. “When they find their frontman to hit the road and play some dates, check them out,” he wrote.
Now the singer’s tone has shifted from passive-aggressive to full-on annoyed. “I wish I could say I was surprised [by the press release], but I wasn’t surprised,” he told About.com. “I was paid to do [the album]. But they were an unsigned band, and they’re still an unsigned band. Hey. They’re gonna put it out on the Internet, and as fate will have it, they don’t even have a lead singer. I’m not worried about it taking away any thunder from [Weiland’s band] the Wildabouts.”
The singer – who released his debut album with the Wildabouts, Blaster, in March – also explains that he didn’t even know the identities of the other Art of Anarchy members when he worked on his vocals. “I had them send me the files, and I worked in my studio with my engineer, and I wrote the lyrics and the melodies, and I sent them back,” he said. “I didn’t even know what their names were.”
Art of Anarchy – guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses), guitarist Jon Votta, drummer Vince Votta and bassist John Moyer (Disturbed) – will release their self-titled debut LP on June 2nd. Adding to the lineup confusion, Weiland appears in the band’s music video for “‘Til the Dust Is Gone,” which was released last week.
In a January e-mail statement to Rolling Stone, Thal took a more diplomatic tone when addressing the supergroup situation. “Art of Anarchy is not competition or a threat or interference to what any of us are doing – it’s a complement, an addition, one I’m proud of creatively,” the guitarist said.
“No need to minimize or undermine or devalue a project we all worked on together over the course of two years,” he added. “I enjoyed working with Scott. And I’m looking forward to the Wildabouts album release, the Bumblefoot album release and the Art of Anarchy album release. The more music the better, it’s what we do, right? 🙂 Artists do collaborations and a month later, their own album comes out. This is normal stuff. All good. :)”