Puddle of Mudd’s Wes Scantlin in Rehab
What’s that you say? Wes Scantlin from Puddle of Pudd has a substance abuse problem? And the sun came up this morning? SHOCKING!
I know, I know, it’s wrong to be flip about a serious health issue. In my own defense, Scantlin’s 2000s seem to have been exclusively devoted to providing headline fodder for MetalSucks. To review, since 2011 alone, he has…
- Gotten in trouble for failing to pay his taxes
- Had a face-off with the local bomb squad
- Completely lost his shit in the middle of a show on at least four separate occasions (1, 2, 3, 4)
- Berated his drummer in the middle of a show
- Accused an audience member of stealing his house in the middle of a show
- Been arrested in the middle of a show
- Been arrested for riding a luggage carousel at the airport
- Been arrested for trying to bring a BB gun on a plane
- Been arrested following a police stand-off
- Had a warrant issued for his arrest as a result of failing to appear at a court date
An when we last heard from Scantlin, this past October, he was set to do twenty days in jail for that BB gun incident, and he had to pay $40,000 in fines, plus make it through three years of probation, for vandalizing his former home. Yeah, the one that jerkish audience member stole (Scantlin actually lost it in foreclosure).
It would appear that this latest round of troubles came to represent rock bottom for Scantlin, because in a new Facebook statement, the group reveals that “Wesley” has been seeking help:
“Happy Holidays to all our fans!!!
“We hope you have a great Holiday and Happy New Year 2018.
“First show of the year is at the Whisky A Go-Go on January 26th. We are looking forward to rockin for you all and we will be touring all year.
“Wesley has been in rehab and is doing very well and looks forward to seeing you all.
“We love you guys and thank you for sticking by our sides.”
All kidding aside, I’m relieved to hear this. I’m not a fan of Scantlin’s music, but I don’t want the dude to die, and like I said, it’s been clear that something is wrong for a long, long time. And as a nice bonus, now his fans will be able to come see him without fear that he won’t show up or will do something bonkers in the middle of the gig. And unlike, say, James Hetfield or Trent Reznor, sobriety can’t even potentially hurt the quality of his work, because his work never had any quality! So really this is an all-around win IMO.
Best of luck, Wesley. Seriously. Here’s hoping you never give us cause to write about you again.
[via Rock Feed]
