A letter from Mary.

[DeadAndNotForSale]

Of course he was sick and a shitty dad. He was a shitty human. He was shitty to fans for gods sake. He was pretty much mentally disabled for the last few years. Alienated eveyone, family friends.
What did Mary expect? It's not putting him on a pedestal - it's saying 'let it all go, don't go embarrassig him even further in death'. She can tell her children whatever she wants but she doesn't need to publish it 4 days after the mans death.

Exactly.  It's a stretch to say that the point of her article was for us all to pay more attention to our kids (although she would like us to believe this); it's actually a thinly veiled cheap shot at Scott.  I get the feeling she detests the outpouring of love and support he has gotten over the last few days.  This was her chance to say, "Hey everyone, look at me.  You know about this man that you loved?  Well, he didn't love me nor my children the way he should have and you should know about it."

You know what, Mary?  We shouldn't know about it.  To act as if we, the fans, created the deadbeat dad is asinine.  You married the "junkie", you had kids with the "junkie", you demanded $60k a month from the "junkie". 

Don't let her pull the wool over our eyes.  It's very easy to see that she has ulterior motives in this piece.

She married the junkie because at the time, she was one herself. There was an interview somewhere where Scott himself said she sat on his chest and told him she needed a man not a fucking child or something similar. She obviously cleaned herself up and grew up. She had to. So I don't think she's off base here. And if you wanna call it a money grab, go ahead, I don't think it is, but I'll cede the point. It was about glorifying a man that chose narcotics and alcohol over his kids. It was about a man that didn't invite his kids to his wedding. It was about a man that never saw fit to spend Father's Day with his son and daughter. It was about a man whose soul died years ago whose body passed last Thursday night. Bashing her is way off base. I mean, shit, I can't get over the fact that just last week Scott didn't even know how old his kids were. And regarding pictures with the kids, Brett may have taken the most recent one that I know of. But there were certainly plenty of pictures of him and Tommy Black boozing it up.

You're missing the point.  I never defended Scott's actions in my post.  I completely agreed with what Aylin said.  My point was that we, the fans, did not need to know about it 4 days after the news of his death broke.  The timing and the blaming on the fans are both in very poor taste.

[SoftVinyl]

Of course he was sick and a shitty dad. He was a shitty human. He was shitty to fans for gods sake. He was pretty much mentally disabled for the last few years. Alienated eveyone, family friends.
What did Mary expect? It's not putting him on a pedestal - it's saying 'let it all go, don't go embarrassig him even further in death'. She can tell her children whatever she wants but she doesn't need to publish it 4 days after the mans death.

Exactly.  It's a stretch to say that the point of her article was for us all to pay more attention to our kids (although she would like us to believe this); it's actually a thinly veiled cheap shot at Scott.  I get the feeling she detests the outpouring of love and support he has gotten over the last few days.  This was her chance to say, "Hey everyone, look at me.  You know about this man that you loved?  Well, he didn't love me nor my children the way he should have and you should know about it."

You know what, Mary?  We shouldn't know about it.  To act as if we, the fans, created the deadbeat dad is asinine.  You married the "junkie", you had kids with the "junkie", you demanded $60k a month from the "junkie". 

Don't let her pull the wool over our eyes.  It's very easy to see that she has ulterior motives in this piece.

She married the junkie because at the time, she was one herself. There was an interview somewhere where Scott himself said she sat on his chest and told him she needed a man not a fucking child or something similar. She obviously cleaned herself up and grew up. She had to. So I don't think she's off base here. And if you wanna call it a money grab, go ahead, I don't think it is, but I'll cede the point. It was about glorifying a man that chose narcotics and alcohol over his kids. It was about a man that didn't invite his kids to his wedding. It was about a man that never saw fit to spend Father's Day with his son and daughter. It was about a man whose soul died years ago whose body passed last Thursday night. Bashing her is way off base. I mean, shit, I can't get over the fact that just last week Scott didn't even know how old his kids were. And regarding pictures with the kids, Brett may have taken the most recent one that I know of. But there were certainly plenty of pictures of him and Tommy Black boozing it up.

You're missing the point.  I never defended Scott's actions in my post.  I completely agreed with what Aylin said.  My point was that we, the fans, did not need to know about it 4 days after the news of his death broke.  The timing and the blaming on the fans are both in very poor taste.

The timing is perfect. She and the kids are venting feelings that the public needs to hear while his name is in the news. They are pointing out important things.

[Slither]

Of course he was sick and a shitty dad. He was a shitty human. He was shitty to fans for gods sake. He was pretty much mentally disabled for the last few years. Alienated eveyone, family friends.
What did Mary expect? It's not putting him on a pedestal - it's saying 'let it all go, don't go embarrassig him even further in death'. She can tell her children whatever she wants but she doesn't need to publish it 4 days after the mans death.

Exactly.  It's a stretch to say that the point of her article was for us all to pay more attention to our kids (although she would like us to believe this); it's actually a thinly veiled cheap shot at Scott.  I get the feeling she detests the outpouring of love and support he has gotten over the last few days.  This was her chance to say, "Hey everyone, look at me.  You know about this man that you loved?  Well, he didn't love me nor my children the way he should have and you should know about it."

You know what, Mary?  We shouldn't know about it.  To act as if we, the fans, created the deadbeat dad is asinine.  You married the "junkie", you had kids with the "junkie", you demanded $60k a month from the "junkie". 

Don't let her pull the wool over our eyes.  It's very easy to see that she has ulterior motives in this piece.

She married the junkie because at the time, she was one herself. There was an interview somewhere where Scott himself said she sat on his chest and told him she needed a man not a fucking child or something similar. She obviously cleaned herself up and grew up. She had to. So I don't think she's off base here. And if you wanna call it a money grab, go ahead, I don't think it is, but I'll cede the point. It was about glorifying a man that chose narcotics and alcohol over his kids. It was about a man that didn't invite his kids to his wedding. It was about a man that never saw fit to spend Father's Day with his son and daughter. It was about a man whose soul died years ago whose body passed last Thursday night. Bashing her is way off base. I mean, shit, I can't get over the fact that just last week Scott didn't even know how old his kids were. And regarding pictures with the kids, Brett may have taken the most recent one that I know of. But there were certainly plenty of pictures of him and Tommy Black boozing it up.

You're missing the point.  I never defended Scott's actions in my post.  I completely agreed with what Aylin said.  My point was that we, the fans, did not need to know about it 4 days after the news of his death broke.  The timing and the blaming on the fans are both in very poor taste.

It's not about us right now. Maybe tangentially, but the people most affected by this are who we should be thinking of the most - his family, his close friends, the family he left behind. I have no problem with Mary issuing a statement about how things were and how they can be prevented going forward.

[DeadAndNotForSale]

Of course he was sick and a shitty dad. He was a shitty human. He was shitty to fans for gods sake. He was pretty much mentally disabled for the last few years. Alienated eveyone, family friends.
What did Mary expect? It's not putting him on a pedestal - it's saying 'let it all go, don't go embarrassig him even further in death'. She can tell her children whatever she wants but she doesn't need to publish it 4 days after the mans death.

Exactly.  It's a stretch to say that the point of her article was for us all to pay more attention to our kids (although she would like us to believe this); it's actually a thinly veiled cheap shot at Scott.  I get the feeling she detests the outpouring of love and support he has gotten over the last few days.  This was her chance to say, "Hey everyone, look at me.  You know about this man that you loved?  Well, he didn't love me nor my children the way he should have and you should know about it."

You know what, Mary?  We shouldn't know about it.  To act as if we, the fans, created the deadbeat dad is asinine.  You married the "junkie", you had kids with the "junkie", you demanded $60k a month from the "junkie". 

Don't let her pull the wool over our eyes.  It's very easy to see that she has ulterior motives in this piece.

She married the junkie because at the time, she was one herself. There was an interview somewhere where Scott himself said she sat on his chest and told him she needed a man not a fucking child or something similar. She obviously cleaned herself up and grew up. She had to. So I don't think she's off base here. And if you wanna call it a money grab, go ahead, I don't think it is, but I'll cede the point. It was about glorifying a man that chose narcotics and alcohol over his kids. It was about a man that didn't invite his kids to his wedding. It was about a man that never saw fit to spend Father's Day with his son and daughter. It was about a man whose soul died years ago whose body passed last Thursday night. Bashing her is way off base. I mean, shit, I can't get over the fact that just last week Scott didn't even know how old his kids were. And regarding pictures with the kids, Brett may have taken the most recent one that I know of. But there were certainly plenty of pictures of him and Tommy Black boozing it up.

You're missing the point.  I never defended Scott's actions in my post.  I completely agreed with what Aylin said.  My point was that we, the fans, did not need to know about it 4 days after the news of his death broke.  The timing and the blaming on the fans are both in very poor taste.

The timing is perfect. She and the kids are venting feelings that the public needs to hear while his name is in the news. They are pointing out important things.

I disagree.  What does this piece really establish?  There have been numerous accounts of Scott's shaded past throughout his life, how does this one differ?  Yes, it gives insight to some very personal anecdotes that Scott, in my mind, undoubtedly was guilty of.  But like I said, the public does not need to know this.  When compared to all of the articles singing his praises since Friday, the only reason her piece has such a buzz on this board is because it flipped the narrative on its head.  That's exactly why she released this when she did.

I just don't buy that her sole motive is for people to be better parents and to pay more attention to their kids.  Her piece comes off as both petty and a preemptive look into her next book. 

That's just how I feel about it, though.  To each, his own.

[Elvis]

Last time I checked, Scott Weiland was not employed as an accountant at the local CPA firm. 


The magic he showed on stage, in the studio, and in his writing just does not happen with an everyday Joe that comes home from work, kisses his wife and kids on their cheeks, puts on his loafers, and helps set the table for dinner.


[size=78%]He was different.  He was a goddamn rockstar.  [/size]He had higher highs and lower lows that none of us can even remotely relate to.


He had many faults and demons, but it was a price he had to pay for the genius that came out of the other end of the spectrum.

[loungefly611]

This makes me angry. I will never understand people who abandon their children.

It also makes me sad. Should I have stayed home two weeks ago? Did I, inadvertently, contribute to the death of someone I had nothing but love for?

This fucking sucks. I hate it.

No. Absolutely not. You did not contribute to the death of anyone. All you did was continue to show your love and support to someone who you cared deeply for and have for all these years.

Musicians live a the life of a double edged sword. You provide for your family, but that often...Well, always means you will miss birthdays and holidays. It is very familiar to the pro wrestling business, or any entertainment business for that matter. Pro wrestlers are on the road 250 days a year. Back in the 80s, it was over 300 days a year. Bottom line though, they did it to provide food for the table of your family, even it that meant never seeing them. Sometimes kids never knew their fathers except for who they were on TV. That's the nature of the beast. Scott was not the first, nor the last to live that life.

[Slither]

You literally answer your own question:

What does this piece really establish?

the only reason her piece has such a buzz on this board is because it flipped the narrative on its head. 

This is important!

People need to realize that, yes, while artists like Scott have unquestioned gifts and abilities, it can be easy to get swallowed up in the fandom and look past the real issues going on behind the scenes. It remains to be seen whether Mary will try and publish another book now that Scott's gone, but to me her piece sounds like a genuine cry for help on behalf of all the disenchanted kids out there like Noah and Lucy.

[Strat]

The timing of this article is sensitive, but I have no reason to question Mary's honesty. She seemed very honest in her book, and very willing to portray herself in a less-than-flattering light.

People have very strong opinions about Scott, but for the most part those opinions are based on nothing factual. They write, 'deep down he seems like a really good guy" because that's the way they want to see him. In truth they know little to nothing about the real person, so they fill in the blanks and create an idealized version of him.

Then along comes Mary, who is probably the greatest living expert on Scott. She knows more about him than everyone here put together. And she smashes this idealized creation that people have fabricated in their minds. And it hurts.

Maybe it's time for some of us to let go of this fantasy about who Scott was. I'm sure she's been sitting on this information for a long time. There's probably a lot more where that came from. I'm sure the guys in STP and VR have been holding back as well as some of the former Wildabouts.

If she's lying, I'm sure reputable people who were in Scott's life will come to his defense. Not some random stranger, but people who can be identified as having been in their lives.

[etcreative]

         Thoughts.....

 Make no mistake Mary's letter is about more than her children, its about herself and $$$$.  After reading this I feel bad for Jamie and his kids mostly.  Lets remember Scott has a mother and father also....

 I believe she's telling the truth from her perspective about this.  Its believable.  It mirrors much of stuff we heard from members of STP and VR.  To a degree I respect her point of view as a mother.  Her kids have been abandoned and they are shattered.  But she has to act like a grown woman and assume greater ownership for her actions.

 Scott was a life long heavy drug addict and alcoholic.  They burn bridges and lie to support their addiction. And to make matters worst he's an artist....unfortunately if you read some credible biographies of these genius (actors, painters, musicians, writers, comedians etc.) you'll notice most of them are full blown narcissists.  They think they are better than you and me and nothing is more important to them than their 'art' and 'creativity'. 

 I can easily see him neglecting others to spend all of his time doing the things he loved (writing music, playing music, and doing drugs). 

 Today, I believe he never got clean.  He identified himself as a chronic relapser.  He would try and fail again. The circles these musicians travel in make it near impossible to get clean (old playmates and playgrounds).  I think his addiction systematically alienated him from anyone he would have to answer to.

 I also believe the heavy drug use caused brain damage.  I've watched tons of interviews and performances and there is evidence to support this.  He admitted to large parts of his life being totally lost in his memory. This would account for some of the things STP and she said.
 Okay get ready for real grown up talk.....You may not like it.....I don’t agree with her airing her personal family's dirty laundry with (rolling stone magazine of all places) the mass media after the guy dies.  In think its unhealthy for her family and a classless act.  These kind of issues should be handled by trained professionals behind closed doors.  These celebrities have no shame.  The narrative that the fans should feel guilty about enabling Scotts addiction is bullshit.

 Yes, his addiction destroyed his family and his relationship with his two children, but that’s not our fault. That’s his and hers.  Most of his fans are grown ass adults we can read between the lines and don’t need a full spread in RS magazine to shed light into the disease of addiction and the damage it does to families. 
 Mary takes little responsibility in her letter.  Now all the sudden she's not bi-polar?  Truth is if you read their biographies it sounds like they are both 'borderline personality'.  Similar pathologies attract each other.  And yes, she is an addict as well.....hope she hasn’t forget her 12 step program.

 She chose to live that lifestyle with that man and bear his children.  These are the consequences.  She suggests we (the fan's or society) should feel somehow culpable for Scott's self destruction and poor parenting?

 Ironically I bet if someone offered her a million dollars (tomorrow) for all the 'down and dirty' details about her children’s father she wouldn’t think twice about smearing the mans name....(oh that’s right she still uses his last name).

 I also think people (like her) underestimated how much this man was respected and loved for his talents.  I'm actually pleasantly surprised how much publicity and respect his work has received from the mass media since his passing.  Guys he was good and its deserving.  He had his major flaws - but he earned that.

 In the end its all politics.   Why feel the need to tell us he's an atheist?  After reading her 'letter' I feel a lot of the negative energy that us fans have felt on the outer edges of the network were generated from Scott's dysfunctional inner social circles.
 All of these people that have offered testimony on Scott (Dean, Mary, Matt, Slash, Richard Patrick etc) all happen to be addicts themselves.  When we read their 'finger pointing' we are experiencing their version of problem solving and family conflict. (victim, persecutor, rescuer -triangle) repeatedly.

 If no one cared about his death she wouldn’t feel so compelled to offer her point of view.  The opposite of love isn’t hate...its indifference....Mary clearly has unresolved feelings.  Scott hurt her and her children.

 60k a month is one hell of a child support payment.  I'm sure there was some major family conflict over that over the years.  Mary also seems a bit bitter towards him starting over with Jamie and her family.  I can understand why.

 I guess one would have to ask themselves, who gets most of the money from those ("depressing" 1967-2015 Scott Weiland) T-Shirts that sell?

 I feel horrible about this.  I feel nothing but sadness for Scott and his family.  I still cant bear to listen to anything of his music since his passing and I've listened to him almost every day of my life.  I grew up with him. As Scott's music evolved so did I. I didn't know him personally.  I've never met him.  He was a very flawed person I'm sure.  But I still love the guy....
 

[DeadAndNotForSale]

You literally answer your own question:

What does this piece really establish?

the only reason her piece has such a buzz on this board is because it flipped the narrative on its head. 

This is important!

People need to realize that, yes, while artists like Scott have unquestioned gifts and abilities, it can be easy to get swallowed up in the fandom and look past the real issues going on behind the scenes. It remains to be seen whether Mary will try and publish another book now that Scott's gone, but to me her piece sounds like a genuine cry for help on behalf of all the disenchanted kids out there like Noah and Lucy.

Look, I get it, Scott wasn't the best person.  Great artist.  Shitty husband, shitty father, shitty person in general most of his life. 

My point is, Mary comes off as putting a piece of the blame on the fans when that, in my opinion, is just asinine.  If I want to listen to great music, I will buy a Scott Weiland album no matter what the hell it is: "grunge", Christmas, pop, glam, rap, country, you catch my drift.  I love his music.  I'm not obligated to think, "hey is this person a good father or a good person in general?  If not, maybe I shouldn't buy this album." 


To me, her piece comes off as thinking that the fans had a role to play in his demise.  Give me a break.

[Strat]

BTW, I've seen about a dozen comments claiming that Scott paid 60k per month in child support. He never said that. Go back and listen to the Stern clip. He needed 60k to make ends meet. I'm sure child support was part of that, but he never claimed to pay 60k in child support.

[etcreative]

I'm not going to loose my objectivity about it.  I refuse to get pulled into Mary's family drama in the wake of Scotts passing.  The intention of her letter was really to tarnish the man.  Btw, he made her a multimillionaire.  She's trying to come off profound but it really sounds like borderline rage. I think one day she will look back at it and regret she drug her kids through the mud by allowing rollingstone to publish that.  Another example of unhealthy exhibitionism and shamelessness.....who puts their kids out there like that?

[Sklashboombash]

Then along comes Mary, who is probably the greatest living expert on Scott. She knows more about him than everyone here put together. And she smashes this idealized creation that people have fabricated in their minds. And it hurts.

Nobody necessarily is praising the guy's personal life.
We're fans of the music. That’s our connection.

But to rule out the even slight possibility that here’s a person with an axe to grind is also turning a blind eye.
And if the intention here was to not glorify this as a poor tortured artist, I think it could have been still been done more eloquently and without the divulging of personal details.

You can clearly sense the anger and resentment in her words and her use of real family matters is her springboard.

[DeadAndNotForSale]

Then along comes Mary, who is probably the greatest living expert on Scott. She knows more about him than everyone here put together. And she smashes this idealized creation that people have fabricated in their minds. And it hurts.

Nobody necessarily is praising the guy's personal life.
We're fans of the music. That’s our connection.

But to rule out the even slight possibility that here’s a person with an axe to grind is also turning a blind eye.
And if the intention here was to not glorify this as a poor tortured artist, I think it could have been still been done more eloquently and without the divulging of personal details.

You can clearly sense the anger and resentment in her words and her use of real family matters is her springboard.

Well said.  It comes off as a displeased spouse ranting about relationship matters on Facebook.  Except in this case, you know, it's only on the front page of Rolling Stone 4 days after Scott's death.

[DankoJones]

Then along comes Mary, who is probably the greatest living expert on Scott. She knows more about him than everyone here put together. And she smashes this idealized creation that people have fabricated in their minds. And it hurts.

Nobody necessarily is praising the guy's personal life.
We're fans of the music. That’s our connection.

But to rule out the even slight possibility that here’s a person with an axe to grind is also turning a blind eye.
And if the intention here was to not glorify this as a poor tortured artist, I think it could have been still been done more eloquently and without the divulging of personal details.

You can clearly sense the anger and resentment in her words and her use of real family matters is her springboard.

Well said.  It comes off as a displeased spouse ranting about relationship matters on Facebook.  Except in this case, you know, it's only on the front page of Rolling Stone 4 days after Scott's death.

I get the same vibe from it as well