![UPDATED: Filter’s Richard Patrick and Scott Weiland Trade Barbs Over Drug Use](http://townsquare.media/site/295/files/2015/04/Richard-Patrick-and-Scott-Weiland-630x420.jpg?w=980&q=75)
UPDATED: Filter’s Richard Patrick and Scott Weiland Trade Barbs Over Drug Use
Scott Weiland fans might think they're showing their support by continuing to turn out for gigs and new albums no matter how much he struggles with substance abuse and personal problems, but Filter frontman Richard Patrick suggests they really aren't doing Weiland any favors.
Patrick, who says he became privy to a number of backstage stories while working with Weiland's former Stone Temple Pilots bandmates in the band Army of Anyone, weighed in on the subject during a recent interview in which he argued, "We all want Scott to be Scott, but Scott’s not even really Scott. I love him, but he’s transformed into a very different person."
Detailing a bit of the bad behavior he remembered hearing about during his Army of Anyone days, Patrick suggests that the fans have a responsibility to send a wakeup call when their favorite artists start getting out of hand — one that, in Weiland's case, they aren't necessarily living up to.
"They’re pushing him into his death, because they’re making him believe that, ‘Whatever I did is acceptable, and I can be as high as I want and I can do as much drugs as I want,'" explained Patrick. "It’s bizarre that the biggest enabler for Scott is the audience … at least [as] of a couple of years ago. I don’t know what it’s like now."
Updated 4/22: Scott Weiland has responded to Patrick's comments with a statement released to Blabbermouth. It reads:
"Hey, Richard — thanks for your thoughts and opinions on my life. Just so you know, and others do as well, I haven't had a needle in my arm in thirteen years. Overcoming my addiction to heroin was the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm damn proud of the fact that the time in my life when drugs were stronger than my commitment to my health is so far behind me, and always will be.
By the way, man, I recall when I DID do drugs, and you were one of the guys getting high with me. It's behind you, please note and respect that it's behind me too. As for my issues with my former band — just remember the old adage that there are two sides to every story. I haven't been late for a show in a very long time. I have worked hard to be present and on time for my fans.
I'm not perfect — no one is — but I have worked my ass off to repair the reputation I created by being thoughtless years ago. Why you felt the need to attack me is unclear but I am happy to set the record straight. Best regards to you."
Patrick's comments have proven predictably controversial with Weiland's fan base, but his sentiments have been echoed in at least one respect by STP guitarist Dean DeLeo, who recently shared his sadness regarding the group's inability to achieve lasting stability with its former singer in the lineup. "In his day," argued DeLeo, "there was no one better …no one. I will take that to my grave. In his day, there was no one better, but my dear Scott left us long ago."
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