Book Review: Scott Weiland "Not Dead & Not for Sale : A Memoir"

 I’ve always been a fan of Scott Weiland. Whether it was Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver or his solo stuff, I’ve enjoyed the music he has created. Needless to say, fandom doesn’t make me blind to the reality that the rock star has lived in for quite some time…drugs, public disputes, general excess…

 Weiland has always intrigued me. I love his music and when you couple that with his lifestyle, he makes for quite an interesting story.

 Fortunately for me and everyone else intrigued by this man, on May 17th, 2011 you can read all about that interesting story in Not Dead & Not For Sale, Weiland’s memoir.

 For Weiland' fan, they was ecstatic to jump into the story of this guy’s life. Definitely they wanted to hear the dirty details about his heroin abuse, what it was like to be part of STP, go solo, join forces with Slash and then go back to STP, and so much more.

 The details of his drug use are far from the dirty, nitty gritty stuff we got with Nikki Sixx’s The Heroin Diaries.In fact, at times, it’s easy to forget that Weiland is talking about drugs. He describes his relationship with drugs in such a poetic way that it comes off as being, well, a true relationship.

 I’ve heard a couple complaints that he didn’t go into enough detail about his drug use, but if you really hone in on what he writes, he gives you all the detail you need. You feel the effect that heroin had on him, his friends, his relationships…his life. You feel the effect that blow had on him…”My belief is that the coke I was ingesting activated a paranormal force.” Pills, booze, pot…it’s all covered.

Scott Weiland promotes his new book 'Not Dead & Not For Sale' at Barnes & Noble Union Square on May 17, 2011 in New York City.

 I found it interesting that his first experience with pills was right before his interview on Headbanger’s Ball, where instead of doing a traditional interview, Dean DeLeo and him performed “Plush” acoustically. This performance has went on to be a huge success, being offered on a CD single from England for the song “Creep” and eventually being featured on STP’s greatest hits compilation. And it’s not rare to hear this song spun on a radio station…to think that his first experience with pills produced this song and this performance, well, it’s eye-opening to the reader.

 I really damn sure his fans would enjoy reading this memoir, from cover to cover. The photos Weiland included, the stories he told. Did you know he was raped by a high school boy when he was young? Did you know he was nearly murdered by three strangers in Paris? Did you know that a young STP emphatically turned down an opportunity to open for Aerosmith?

Scott Weiland on stage with Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots)

 From the public disputes with his fellow STP bandmates to the self-, but admittedly assisted, destruction of his former wife Mary Forsberg Weiland, Not Dead & Not For Sale is well worth your time. At certain points, it might be hard to follow Weiland’s stream of consciousness, but once you catch up, the papers make perfect sense.

 Scott Weiland has been nominated for six Grammys (winning two). Between STP and Velvet Revolver, he’s sold more than 40 million records.

 This is Scott Weiland’s story, and what a hell of story it is.

 Book Details:

• Number Of Pages: 288
• Publisher: Scribner
• Title: Not Dead & Not for Sale: A Memoir
• Languages: English: Unknown Audio Format: ,English: Original Language Audio Format: ,English: Published Audio Format:
• I S B N: 0743297164
• Creator: Contributor: David Ritz
• Manufacturer: Scribner
• Binding: Hardcover
• Publication Date: 2011-05-17
• Package Dimensions: 630 hundredths-inches x 118 hundredths-inches x 906 hundredths-inches Weight: 115 hundredths-pounds
• List Price: $24.00 $12.66
• Author: Scott Weiland

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Tags: Book, Review, Scott Weiland