NIKKI SIXX On SCOTT WEILAND: ‘He Had To Be So Tortured; He Had To Be In So Much Pain’
MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx has commented on the passing of former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland, calling it a “really sad” event and drawing parallels to his own life as a recovering drug addict.
Speaking on the December 4 edition of his syndicated radio show “Sixx Sense”, Sixx said (hear audio below): “On this last little run with MÖTLEY CRÜE, the bus that I had, it has a bedroom in the back and it has bunks on the side. Part of our staff was out there… And we get done with that leg of the tour and the bus goes on to another artist. So I remember the driver telling me he was gonna drive Scott [Weiland right after he was done with our tour]. And I was thinking, ‘Ah, that’s cool, man.’ I think I said, ‘Say hi.’ We do this thing a lot of times. Like, [American singer] Joe Walsh had the bus before me, and it was, like, ‘Tell Nikki hi.’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah.’ And next time I saw Joe, it was, like, ‘Hey, we have the same bus,’ and it’s like that little moment of…”
He continued: “So this thing just kind of rolled around in my brain, and this is a little bit dark, but… Scott took my bus and was sleeping in the same bed that I was sleeping in. And, you know, he was found dead on the bus. And I was just, like, ‘God…’ It’s like so crazy to think how close we all are.
Sixx added: “I’m a recovering drug addict. We believe… [Scott] said he was a recovering drug addict. You know, there it is. There’s that, ‘It’s too close.’ And the hardest part is, after Scott‘s body was removed from the bus — and that’s a whole other thing I can’t even wrap my head around — the [rest of his THE WILDABOUTS] band was driven back to their home on the bus. ‘Cause what are the gonna do? Walk home?”
Sixx also addressed the long-standing rumors that Weiland battling drug addiction and chronic tardiness while he was in VELVET REVOLVER alongside former GUNS N’ ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum.
“Think about the guys in [VELVET REVOLVER], who had to deal with a very similar personality with Axl [Rose]. And their chance to restart again with VELVET REVOLVER after GUNS N’ ROSES. And they get out there, and this thing blows up. [Their debut album] goes No. 1 in 2004. They win a Grammy in 2005. I mean, it’s, like… God, who gets two bites of the apple? They’re, like, looking at each other going, ‘We can’t believe it.’ And then they look at each other a moment later and go, ‘It like the same guy [as Axl]. Scott‘s exactly like Axl and we’re in hell. It’s like Hell Version 2.0.’ And for the fans going, ‘Wait a minute. I went and saw Slash and Duff and Matt in GUNS N’ ROSES and we waited and waited and waited and then Axl came out and probably did a great show.’ And then they’re, like, ‘We went and saw Slash and Duff and Matt, and we waited and waited and waited and then Scott walks out and it was a great show.’ At some point, you go, ‘You know what? I’m just kind of done.’ And I think, to be honest with you, that’s what a lot of people got with Scott, was… ‘You know, I like you and I like your music and stuff, but I’ve got a life.’ And I don’t mean to talk harshly about a man that just passed away, but, if you see, he was playing these places that reflected exactly what I think people just… came to a conclusion. Which is, ‘Hey, we love ya, and we love what you’re about, and you’ve got a thing, but we’ve got our thing too.'”
Sixx added: “When rock stars think they’re more important than their fans, that’s when they get in trouble. That’s called ego. You get ego and drugs and… If he’s bipolar — we’ve heard he was bipolar and unmedicated — and all this stuff… He had to be so tortured; he had to be in so much pain.
“VELVET REVOLVER, they broke up, or Scott left, in April 2008. And then we go right to December 3rd, 2015. Scott Weiland dies in his sleep in a tour bus outside of a club. And it’s really sad. And I think we should say a prayer for [his] kids, to be honest with you.”
Weiland was found dead on his tour bus on December 3 at the age of 48. The suspected cause of death is cardiac arrest, although an official report has yet to be released.
A small amount of cocaine was found on the bus and Tommy Black, bassist for Scott‘s band THE WILDABOUTS, was arrested for possession.
Both of Scott‘s former bands, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and VELVET REVOLVER, issued statements on his passing, while musicians and fans around the world have also posted tributes.
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