SCOTT WEILAND Out Of Rehab - Mar. 3, 2008 

According to TMZ.com, VELVET REVOLVER/STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland has just finished a stint in rehab.

Weiland's attorney told TMZ.com that Weiland has completed 28 days in a treatment facility and is "doing well."

Weiland was arrested on November 21, 2007 when he crashed his car while driving on an L.A. highway.

He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs with a prior conviction, and with an allegation that he refused a chemical test as required by law.

His next court date is Wednesday, March 5.

According to MTV.com, Weiland has been arrested multiple times over the past decade for a variety of drug offenses in California and New York, and has spent time in jail on several occasions. He was arrested in 2003 in Hollywood after a traffic accident and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, though those charges were eventually dismissed after he successfully completed a drug rehab program and submitted to drug tests.

Although he was supposed to perform with VELVET REVOLVER on January 20 at a party in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival, Weiland was a no-show for the gig. The vocalist's flight to Utah was diverted because of bad weather. The band carried on with the show, inviting audience members and singer Donovan Leitch to pitch in.

Weiland will reunite with his STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bandmates for the first time at the Rock on the Range festival, to be held May 17-18 at Columbus, Ohio's Columbus Crew Stadium. 
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SLASH: 'We Are Always There' For SCOTT WEILAND 'If He Needs Support' - Feb. 28, 2008 

TimeOutDubai.com recently conducted an interview with VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On surviving the '80s and '90s excess:

"Oh yeah, there are moments when I stop and think of that, I definitely feel like I'm blessed because I'm still here, and I really had every reason to not be. . . Either someone's been looking out for me or it's just sheer luck, but because of that I decided that I should probably stop taking it for granted. That I should put my nose to the grindstone and do what my whole purpose for being here is."

On the fact that GUNS N' ROSES never seemed to fit in with the '80s L.A. scene:

"As soon as the '80s started, there was not a lot going on to be influenced by. Everything that inspired me was the stuff I listened to while growing up, and there was a dramatic shift in the '80s '” GUNS N' ROSES was a proponent of change. We were a result of what the '80s was all about and the antitheses of it."

On the height of GUNS N' ROSES' success:

"We got to a point where it was really huge and it was fun in lots of ways, and in a lot of ways it was very overwhelming. But I enjoyed it, especially given where we all came from, which was basically nothing, to becoming this huge band on a global level."

"It had its moments where it became a little excessive. Luckily there was always some semblance of clarity which basically won out in the end. When I was working I never felt as destructive as when I wasn't working, and that was my problem '” I figured that one out over the years."

On his decision to quit GUNS N' ROSES in 1996:

"It was a huge relief when I made that decision. From the early '90s onwards it was a very stressful situation, so I relieved myself of that burden, but then it was a hell of a lot of work to keep that all going, because from then I was out on my own. It's a tough business, I learned a lot about it, and I learned that without the umbrella of the whole GUNS N' ROSES name, I needed to be a bit more alert on a regular basis to stay afloat '” it was slow learning . . . The one thing I learned? To take charge of everything to do with my career'¦ and really not to trust anybody."

On the perceived wisdom that NIRVANA and the Seattle grunge scene overtook hard rock (and bands like GUNS N' ROSES) in the early 90s:

"That's pretty much a line of bulls*** right there, that never happened. Basically the band broke up right around the time that all that was happening, and a lot of the grunge bands '” who are majorly influenced by GUNS N' ROSES '” all of a sudden thought they'd taken over. But we just broke up and it had nothing to do with what was going on [with grunge], because in 1994 we were still the biggest stadium band, so it didn't really have any effect on us."

On how touring now compares to the days of intoxication, other than the obvious:

"It's not that much of a change. Some things have changed, but y'know the basics of it stay the same. Sure, there were some great times in the '80s too, but I just enjoy what I do '” it's a very rock and roll family, so it kind of reminds me of my childhood."

On singer Scott Weiland's recent rehab stint:

"He's in rehab so I think he's doing OK. We helped him in the very early days, and we are always there if he needs support, but at this moment he's being taken care of."

Read the entire interview at TimeOutDubai.com. 

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … emID=91852

GUNS N' ROSES Drummer To Perform In New York City - Feb. 21, 2008 

According to GnrDaily.com, GUNS N' ROSES drummer Frank Ferrer will perform with his band PISSER at Snitch in New York City on February 28.

Earlier this month Frank Ferrer and GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus performed together with former HANOI ROCKS and current NEW YORK DOLLS bass player Sami Yaffa during the New York Fashion week.

A reliable source recently informed The Pulse of Radio that GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited new album, "Chinese Democracy", is finished and the group's frontman W. Axl Rose is negotiating for more money with his record label before he will release the masters.

The ever-shifting GUNS N' ROSES lineup began working on "Chinese Democracy" sometime in the mid-'90s, and has reportedly spent $13 million recording the effort. Promised release dates in 2006 and 2007 did not materialize.

GUNS N' ROSES has only toured twice in the last 14 years: an aborted 2002 run that only lasted for a few shows, and a far more successful 2006 trek that took the latest lineup around the world.

Although Rose is considered one of rock's greatest frontmen, his sometimes irrational behavior onstage, reclusive lifestyle and notoriety for feuding with other rock stars has also earned him a reputation as one of rock's true eccentrics. 

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … emID=91323

SLASH: GUNS N' ROSES Reunion Tour 'Would Be F**kin' Fun' - Feb. 9, 2008 

Deb Rao of KNAC.COM guitarist Slash. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

KNAC.COM: Any plans to go into the studio to record a third album, after the European tour?

Slash: "Yeah, there is a lot of writing going on now and obviously a lot of touring. As soon as the tour ends in April. We will probably start putting together all these different ideas and start picking and choosing as to what is going to work, and what sounds right. We will take it from there. I doubt that it will take all that long. I would love to be able to say that we can probably put out an album at the end of the year. It will be a rock and roll album and a natural progression where we we're at; when we did the last one. I couldn't really tell you at this point what that means. It will be what it is."

KNAC.COM: Let's talk a little bit about your autobiography, "Slash". You co-authored it with Anthony Bozza. What inspired you to write the book?

Slash: "I am sure that you are probably aware of all the hoopla that goes on about GUNS N' ROSES. It has gotten to the point as being really overwhelming. The amount of misinformation that is taken in stock on the Internet and the media at large just got to be really overwhelming. On top of that, there was a couple of unauthorized books, one about me and one about Axl [Rose], and one about the band. It was just taking artistic license on shit that they didn't necessarily know anything about and going out and capitalizing on it. I just got to a point where I needed some sort of a vehicle to be able to set a few thoughts straight. The media wasn't the way to do it. So I resigned to writing a book. Which is way out of character for me. I have been asked about writing a book a bunch of times and I flatly turned it down. So I said, 'You know what? Fuck it. I am going to actually to do the book.' Anthony was someone who was introduced through my management. He was a little bit apprehensive. We had this great conversation one night and that was months and months before I actually decided to write the book. It was just sort of a preliminary meeting with an author to get a feel for it. The guy was so genuinely fascinated by some of the experiences that I had and just things just seemed to pan out in my life and what not, and he was really encouraging about it. He just sort of gave me an idea on an angle for writing a book so it wouldn't sound very final. That is what books always represent to me. Autobiographies are like this is my last hoorah. That is obviously not the case. He inspired probably about six or seven months and me later. He and I hooked up again, and just started commencing on doing the interviews for it. So it was in a way, it was fun to do and it wasn't an overly intimidating experience or anything like that. The intention of the book was to provide some insight on a few facts to the public that really no one never knew that had to do with GUNS N' ROSES. It is just some antidotes from where I come from playing guitar, how GUNS started, bands I was in, and some of things that happened along the way."

KNAC.COM: Well, I am glad you wrote the book, you cleared up a lot of questions.

Slash: "I haven't been asked any questions about my former band mate in a long time, so that is good. (Laughter) That was driving me nuts."

KNAC.COM: I can imagine that was driving you crazy; talking about GN'R. Why do you think "Appetite For Destruction" has remained such an iconic album more than twenty years later?

Slash: "I think it was just a brash and honest statement from a really genuine kick ass rock and roll band that basically sang about real life experiences that a lot of kids could relate to. It was delivered with a very honest rock and roll approach. It still has the same meaning now, as it did back in 1987."

KNAC.COM: Yes, I noticed that, the guitar has a very nice tone. I was really impressed with it. Now I have to ask, there has been some controversy regarding a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS reunion. Do you have any insight on that news, and how it will affect VELVET REVOLVER?

Slash: "Yeah, this is something that has been common knowledge to us. There was some offers to do some shows. Scott [Weiland, VELVET REVOLVER and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman] said, 'We will get together and do some shows.' I think one of them is booked. There is like a handful of them this summer. So it is not really that big of a deal. I think that it probably sounds like something that it is not."

KNAC.COM: As you can imagine, a lot of people are thinking that a GUNS N' ROSES reunion is imminent, since Scott is playing a few shows with STP. Would you like to clear the air on this?

Slash: "The relationship between Scott and his former bandmates is much less controversial and a lot more amicable than those guys in GUNS N' ROSES. A GUNS N' ROSES tour like that would be fuckin' fun. But I think whatever it would take for us to be able to do that, if everybody were in that frame of mind, we never would have broken up in the first place."

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM. 

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … emID=90371

AXL ROSE Negotiating For More Money Before Releasing 'Chinese Democracy'? - Feb. 6, 2008 

According to The Pulse of Radio, recent reports have indicated that GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited new album, "Chinese Democracy", is finished and the group's frontman W. Axl Rose is negotiating for more money with his record label before he will release the masters.

The ever-shifting GUNS N' ROSES lineup began working on "Chinese Democracy" sometime in the mid-'90s, and has reportedly spent $13 million recording the effort. Promised release dates in 2006 and 2007 did not materialize.

GUNS N' ROSES has only toured twice in the last 14 years: an aborted 2002 run that only lasted for a few shows, and a far more successful 2006 trek that took the latest lineup around the world.

Although Rose is considered one of rock's greatest frontmen, his sometimes irrational behavior onstage, reclusive lifestyle and notoriety for feuding with other rock stars has also earned him a reputation as one of rock's true eccentrics. 

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … emID=90181