Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo says former frontman Scott Weiland was the best in the business at one point.
But he adds that he couldn’t allow former glory to let the singer ruin the band’s legacy.
Weiland recently blamed the “goggles of management” for his second departure from the group in 2013, rather than any clash with DeLeo, bassist brother Robert or drummer Eric Kretz.
Dean DeLeo tells the Orange County Register: “In his day there was no one better. I will take that to my grave – but my dear Scott left us long ago.”
He continues: “Robert, Eric, Scott and I had put 25 years of our lives into it. Just because I had one guy that didn’t really give a care any more – I’m not going to let one guy ruin my dream, my band and my legacy.
“I worked hard for Stone Temple Pilots and I love it with a passion. Robert, Eric and I don’t take for granted what the music has meant to people.”
They’ve been working with Chester Bennington since Weiland’s departure. The Linkin Park man recently said he was pushing himself beyond his comfort zone on STP’s upcoming album.
DeLeo says: “We knew Chester was fit for the position in every sense of the word – physically, mentally and spiritually. We knew he would bring an elegance and justice to not only to our legacy, but to our future.”
The band are currently on tour across the US. Weiland will tour next month with his latest band the Wildabouts, despite the sudden death of guitarist Jeremy Brown on the day their debut album was released.