All really good insights - I've always meant to either read or listen to Mary's book, and at some point time permitting I will. I've often wondered if their marriage wasn't as bad for Scott as it was good for him, and I don't mean that as a swipe at Mary in any way, I just mean that two addicts who are both very early into recovery and who both have mental health issues outside of addiction is likely a hardcore pressure cooker situation. In hindsight that may have been another one of Scott's problems - was he ever single *and* clean at the same time? If you need to constantly have *someone* with you, that's a major red flag, and just asking for codependency quicksand.
I do remember an interview where Scott was very outspoken about his hurt for the poor reception of SLDD, particularly as it had been the first time he had really laid himself bare lyrically instead of burying everything in metaphor, and the reaction had been veritable crickets.
I've always felt like (and it's only been re-enforced the last few weeks) Dean deeply cared for Scott, maybe on a deeper level than the rest of the guts. On the (really good) Yahoo SpinBack videos, in particular the one where they are discussing making the last album, Dean gets very emotional describing the new posse Scott had surrounded himself with/walled himself off with, and he gets audibly emotional on the Pinfield podcast as well.
I agree that Dean was often the hardest on Scott, but I understand that as well - Dean was already 30 (possibly 31 depending on the date they started) when they were recording Core, nearly a full decade older than Scott, and I think Dean A) has always vividly seen the potential that band had when all four members were in sync and B) knew that the clock was ticking a little faster for him than the rest of the band - when you're job is being a performer, it doesn't matter if you're an athlete or a musician, your peak years tend to be the top half of your thirties. I think the critical lashing they took at the beginning made that pressure on both Dean and the band that much greater - *just* as they would start to get the recognition they so richly deserved (both of their peers and the press), Scott would crash and burn. That cycle would repeat itself constantly, even as recently as the raves for the SXSW show in 2008 when they initially reformed, followed quickly by him starting to be obscenely late or just no-show once the full tour began.
It's a given to me that STP would be a Hall of Fame band (possibly already nominated since they qualify now) *had* things kept moving forward after No. 4 and SLDD. There's no doubt in my mind about it. I honestly think if they achieved that, then they probably wouldn't even be bringing on a new singer - I think bringing in Chester and now whoever they have picked is born out of hope to capture some of the legacy they were denied due to Scott's addiction. I've got a friend who has poo-pooed any thought of there even *being* an STP without Scott, but I understand what they are wanting to accomplish (not going out as a "What could have been.." band), and I'm rooting for them.
It just really sucks - even the Scott solo show I went to at the end of 2009, which started right on time and was AMAZING, felt like the real, live Scott. He definitely had a lot of miles on him, but he was visibly happy, and sang beautifully that night (Killing Me Softly and Atlanta being standouts). I think Doug was truly his last anchor - they were joking around for a lot of the show that night, clearly enjoying each other's company. Once Doug announced his departure, I felt like that was probably a sign Scott was about to reach the end, and had run off his last true port in the storm, and that turned out to be the case.
