TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HEROIN ADDICT'S FAN

Stone Temple Pilots' Frontman Scott Weiland Back To Rehab And Disappointing
Fans

I feel violated, used and worthless. My heart is broken. But the culprit of
these heinous acts is not a woman, as you probably think. A woman at least
I could deal with. What has fractured my delicate being this time around is
something much, much more important than the love of any girl, and that is
my love of music. More specifically, my dismay stems from my love of the
band Stone Temple Pilots.

The seeds of my conflict were planted many moons ago. I have been enamored
with STP ever since I was blessed with their first album, Core. In fact, I
can scarcely remember a time when a Pilots' album was not somewhere in my
stereo. Core, Pruple, Tiny Music, and No. 4 are four of the greatest rock
albums ever to have been put on this earth. And I even have a confession to
make ... I like STP's oft-ridiculed fifth effort, Shangri-La-Dee-Da. Their
music has been my main solace for as long as I've required solacing.

My current state of ire stems from Scott Weiland's most recent bout with
the law. The STP frontman was arrested on May 18 after cocaine and heroin
were found in his BMW during a routine traffic stop. It was announced
earlier this week that Weiland pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming
the drugs belonged to the woman he was with. He has also offered to check
back into rehab.

This, of course, is neither Scott's first go-round with police nor his
first experience with rehab. As a matter of fact, I struggle to think of a
single celebrity who has been in and out of rehab with more frequency than
Weiland. He has been arrested three times previously for possession of
narcotics, in 1995, 1998 and 1999. According to those close to him, Scott
has been bouncing to and from rehab since the conclusion of the No. 4 tour.

Seeing Weiland relapse again makes me incredibly sad. Maybe sad is the
wrong word to use, as it's more like frightened. So many amazing musicians
have fought the same battle that Weiland faces now and failed. Think Layne
Staley, Shannon Hoon, Hilel Slovak, Kurt Cobain, Keith Moon and even Jimi
Hendrix, all victims of their addictions. However, many musicians have
triumphed in their own war against drugs, Weiland's STP bandmate Dean DeLeo
being one of them.

All of this drama occurs right after Scott was announced to be the vocalist
for a new band, dubbed The Project, which features three former members of
Guns 'n Roses. The thought of Weiland performing with guitarist
extraordinaire Slash is enough to destroy my feeble brain. The word
"super-group" comes to mind. So does "prolific." So does "probably not
gonna happen."

Since his recent arrest is his third in the state of California, Weiland
faces serious jail time, up to a year if convicted. Despite having already
cut two songs with The Project, it seems unlikely that the rest of the
group will sit on their laurels when other vocalists, including Days of the
New's Travis Meeks, Lit's A. Jay Popoff and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row have
also tried out for the band.

I sit in my room now, listening to "Atlanta" off of No. 4, and I think of
what the Stone Temple Pilots would be like right now had Scott Weiland been
able to kick his habits sooner. With their leader in and out of rehab, STP
has only put out five albums in almost fourteen years together. A fan can
only sit and wonder what might have been.

And that is the real concern here, the fans. We've been watching our idols
go down in flames for far too long. It is a true shame when these talented
individuals are cut down so early in life. It almost seems ironic, but
Stone Temple Pilots wrote a song about late Nirvana frontman Cobain. If he
doesn't sober up soon, we might be hearing tribute songs about Scott
Weiland. So please Scott, for the sake of your fans, stay clean and come
out of this one on top. There'd be a big empty without you.