Author(s): Scott Weiland

Music Biography

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. Weiland's memoir explores his early years as an altar boy, along with his first experiences with sex and drugs. He discusses his complex relationships with his parents, stepfather, siblings, and the love of his life, Mary Forsberg Weiland. Readers learn the fascinating stories behind his best-known songs, and what it was like to be there at the beginning of the grunge phenomenon - as Rolling Stone proclaimed on its cover, the year that punk broke. Not Dead & Not for Sale is a hard rock memoir to be reckoned with - a passionate, insightful and at times humorous book that reads with extraordinary narrative force.

About the author:
Scott Weiland's work with Stone Temple Pilots, one of the most successful bands of the past two decades, has sold over 18 million records. He returned to the stage with Velvet Revolver, whose multiplatinum Contraband was the bestselling rock album of 2004. Weiland has been nominated for six Grammys, winning two for Best Hard Rock Performance, along with numerous MTV, Billboard and American Music Awards. David Ritz is the only four-time winner of the Gleason Music Book Award. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Smokey Robinson.