Review: Not Dead and Not for Sale by Scott Weiland

Title: Not Dead and Not for Sale
Author: Scott Weiland and David Ritz
Publisher: Carongate Books
Publish Date: June 2, 2011
Source: Library

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You like gripping memoirs.
• You're a fan of Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilot

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "In the early 1990s, Stone Temple Pilots - not U2, not Nirvana, not Pearl Jam - was the hottest band in the world. STP toppled such megabands as Aerosmith and Motley Crue on MTV and in the mainstream charts. Lead singer Scott Weiland became an iconic frontman in the tradition of Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Robert Plant. Then, when STP imploded, it was Weiland who emerged as the emblem of rock star excess, with his well-publicized drug busts and trips to rehab. Weiland has since made a series of stunning comebacks, fronting the supergroup Velvet Revolver, releasing solo work and, most recently, reuniting with Stone Temple Pilots. He still struggles with the bottle, but he has prevailed as a loving, dedicated father, as well as a business-savvy artist whose well of creativity is far from empty."

My Two Cents:

It's no secret to rock and alternative fans of the 90s that Scott Weiland is a very talented artist. Unfortunately for him, he also struggled through much of his career with addiction and became well known for not only his music but also for (and perhaps more for) ending up in the news for getting busted for drugs. I've always been a fan of STP but it's been frustrating watching Weiland constantly get busted. 


Last year, I read his former wife's (Mary Forsberg) memoir, which talked about her and Scott's relationship in detail. I was anxious to see Scott's take on their life together. I really loved how Not Dead and Not for Sale was laid out. Scott included some of his art in the book, which I really thought made for an interesting story of his descent into drugs. He doesn't seem to hide anything. He goes through the origins of his music and the origins of STP. He also chronicles how he gets hooked on the drugs and it's very apparent that the people he chose to surround himself with did nothing to help the situation.

At the end of the book, he states that he's two months sober. I hope he stays that way.

Bottom line: This book is sometimes difficult to get through just because it's hard to see someone that you admire continuously go through crazy stuff.

My Review:
4 out of 5 stars