Scott Weiland Says Stone Temple Pilots Are His 'Family'

First, Stone Temple Pilots announced — in a press release so brief it almost seemed like they were paying by the word — that they had "terminated" founding frontman Scott Weiland, ending a partnership that spanned more than two decades and spawned no shortage of signature hits.

Then, there came the inevitable reply from Weiland himself ... or, more specifically, replies; , he wondered rather rhetorically "How I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits," and in the second, he took a good-natured jab at his (former?) bandmates, saying the split was an attempt "to try to boost ticket sales" for his new solo tour.

But now, in a new interview with SPIN, Weiland is taking a more conciliatory tone, admitting that "there are some issues that have to be worked out with STP," but adding that those issues are really nothing new for a band with a back history as acrimonious as the Pilots.

"They're the same issues that have been going on since the end of the last tour," Weiland said. "Nobody in the band can be fired. No one's ever fired anybody, and no one's ever quit the band ... it's really not anything different than what was going on before."

To date, STP have made no additional comment on the Weiland situation (a rep for the band did not respond to MTV News' emails about the new interview), but while their erstwhile frontman had declared last week that all the drama will be sorted out by lawyers, he's seemingly backing down from those claims now.

"[STP] really have been together for a long time, and I'm proud of that," Weiland said. "I really do like those guys, and it hurts my feelings when we aren't getting along, because I view them as family."

What do you think of the ongoing STP/Weiland split? Let us know in the comments below.