Slash recently gave an interview to Classic Rock and revealed why he found Scott Weiland and Velvet Revolver challenging to work with.
Following Scott Weiland’s departure in 2008, Velvet Revolver began writing new material and looking for a new lead singer. They then recorded nine demos but couldn’t decide on their new vocalist. So, the band went on a hiatus, and the members have focused on other projects ever since.
On the other hand, Scott Weiland, who struggled with heavy substance abuse throughout that time, continued his solo music career until he was found dead following an accidental overdose on December 3, 2015, while on tour with his backing band Wildabouts.
In an interview with Classic Rock, the host Paul Elliott asked Slash how he felt about working with Weiland in the past as he was also struggling with alcohol and substance addiction. As a response, Slash said it was difficult as there were many issues within the band.
Following that, Slash admitted Scott Weiland was also difficult because he was irretrievable. The guitarist was informed about Weiland’s attitude before Velvet Revolver, but he didn’t know anything about him until their collaboration. However, the guitarist still thinks they had some good times in Velvet Revolver.
In the interview, Classic Rock’s Paul Elliott asked Slash the following:
“Your decision to get sober and drug-free was in the last days of Velvet Revolver. And some years later, in 2015, the singer in that band, Scott Weiland, died of an accidental drug overdose. Looking back on those years you spent with him, what emotions do you have?”
As a response, Slash said:
“Velvet Revolver was always a difficult situation. I’m proud of the fact that we managed to pull that together and had a couple of cool records. But it was difficult because I never really managed to establish a solid footing with that band. There was a lot of shit going on, man. A lot of people involved with the band had a major agenda. And Scott was difficult.
All things considered, he was irretrievable. Everybody had told me about that when the band first started, but I just did not know anything about Scott up until I started working with him. It was sad to go through that and how that all turned out. But like I said, we had some good times in that band too.“
Back in 2001, Slash was diagnosed with a form of congestive heart failure due to his heavy alcohol and drug abuse and was given less than two months to live. However, he survived and has been sober since 2006. Considering Weiland’s drug addiction and antics, it’s not surprising that Slash found him difficult to work with.
