Scott Weiland has had a well-documented, tumultuous few years. Early last year, his brother Michael passed away due to an overdose. He is in the process of getting divorced after eight years of marriage, he left Velvet Revolver and re-started Stone Temple Pilots and spent some time in jail earlier this year as well. All these experiences have informed Happy In Galoshes, Weiland’s first solo album in a decade.
Speaking to MTV News, Weiland said, “Most of the heavy writing that was done for this record has been done [during the] separation between my wife and I. In those moments of emotional desperation, [my recording] studio would become my home, really. It’s a massive warehouse place that used to be a heavy-machinery factory, which originally reeked of thick machine oil. I’ve had the studio for about 10 years, and it’s like my art studio. It’s a place where I have gone for solace. It’s like my church, in a sense. When people ask me if I have a hobby, a lot of times my answer is that I like to surf in warm water. I like to ski, if I have the opportunity. But really, I like to go to my studio and write music that I want to write, where there’s no pressure to come up with a hit single.”
With 20 songs spread out across two discs, Weiland says that “There’s such a wide array of sounds and styles and textures on this album. It’s kind of like every style of music that I’ve ever been influenced by and fell in love with, from my childhood up until currently. So, at times, it’s sort of a hodgepodge. I’m putting out what my experience has been, essentially, with [his wife] Mary and with my brother’s death. The record’s got a few different vibes, and there’s a lot of really atmospheric, beautiful and surreal-sounding songs on it.”
A cover of David Bowie’s “Fame” appears on Happy In Galoshes and Weiland calls the British music icon “obviously my biggest influence.” He says that they share the same publicists and that “I want to send him a copy of the song and write a letter to him,” he said. “I am hoping the next time I’m in New York, if he’s there, I’d love to meet him. He’s probably the last of my real idols that I haven’t met.”
As previously reported, Weiland will play a handful of radio festivals in December before a proper solo tour kicks off in Austin, TX on January 16.
In related news, Velvet Revolver’s Duff McKagen spoke to The BJ Shea Morning Experience on KISW/Seattle this morning and discussed Weiland’s exit from the band. McKagen said that the band “knew four months prior” that they were going to kick out the singer, “we just wanted to finish the tour.” He added, “Scott is a great guy but he has another demon that gets into the way of him being a great guy. And it got in the way of us doing good business. We were coming on late and he missed a couple shows that we had to cancel two tours.
McKagen continued, “He has the same disease I have that a lot of us have and that is alcoholism and drug addiction. And he is in a different stage of addiction than I am. I don’t use or drink. I’ve done things to help me through life. I have a great life, there are some that are just less fortunate.”
Tags: david bowie, happy in galoshes, mtv news, Music News, RadioRNR, scott weiland, Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver
