Scott Weiland fired -- or not -- from Stone Temple Pilots

Scott Weiland, right, has disputed his Stone Temple Pilots bandmates' claim that he's been fired from the grunge-era group.

By Mikael Wood

Feb. 27, 2013 12:36 PM PT

Is Scott Weiland still the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots? Depends on whom you ask.

Early Wednesday, the other three members of that grunge-era holdover -- guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz -- released a tersely worded statement declaring that they had “officially terminated Scott Weiland.”

The firing came after what Rolling Stone recently described as “a rocky period” for the band, which following a lengthy break reunited in 2008 and toured heavily in support of a self-titled 2010 album.

“There were some hurt egos,” Weiland told the magazine, though he added that “no one has ever fired anybody in STP. We’re like a family.”

Presented with evidence to the contrary, Weiland -- who’s set to launch a solo tour March 1, reportedly playing material from Stone Temple Pilots’ first two albums -- issued his own statement Wednesday in response to the band’s earlier release.

“I learned of my supposed ‘termination’ from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press,” the singer wrote. “Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out.

“In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday.”

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