PUDDLE OF MUDD's WES SCANTLIN Is Working On A Book With His Brother

During an appearance on the March 23 episode of SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", PUDDLE OF MUDD frontman Wes Scantlin, who has a long history of legal issues, discussed his struggles with addiction and his path to sobriety. The 53-year-old musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My brother and his friends were five years older than me, so when I was about nine, everybody was partying and stuff, growing up and stuff like that. So I started really, really early. And so that happened and everything. And I've been going to AA since I was, like, 10 years old, taking my mom and dad to Alcoholics Anonymous and stuff like that. I mean, I was driving them to Alcoholics Anonymous when I was 10 years old. And so I'd go there and I hang out at the AA halls and everything, and I'd just sit there and wait for my dad and I'd go into some meetings and stuff like that. So I've been going to AA for — shoot, man — I'm 53 now, so, yeah, that's, like, 43 years… My parents actually were sober for, like, 30 years. And then they hit, like, 70 and then they just started drinking again."

Asked if he has thought about writing a book about his life, Wes said:  "Me and my brother are gonna be working on it… He's doing it now, man. He gets up at four o'clock in the morning, and he just goes and starts writing. And then he'll call me, and I'm telling him about other stories that he forgot about and all kinds of other insane situations. It's like a combo platter of me and his life, growing up and everything. And he was around the whole time when PUDDLE OF MUDD was [starting out]. And just my musical career and his life and our lives together growing up and stuff. Maybe we should just call it 'Brotherhood'."

Wes went on to say that PUDDLE OF MUDD's success and fame in the early 2000s exacerbated his challenge in overcoming addiction.

"In the beginning, in the signing process, I was actually really, really good," he said. "And then you live in Hollywood, and you're just thrown into Hollywood, California, and all of a sudden… This one lady, she worked with [ormer record executive] Jimmy Iovine and did a bunch of videos, a bunch of great stuff, but she said, 'Look out for the lurkers. Watch out for the thieves and the lurkers and the bottom feeders.' And they're all over the place out there. They're all definitely all over the place, out here in Vegas too — believe me. And, yeah, I didn't watch my own back enough, and I kind of fucked it all up."

According to TMZ, Scantlin was arrested in March 2025 after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with his girlfriend. Additionally, the now-53-year-old musician was found in possession of a small amount of a controlled substance.

Earlier that same month, Scantlin made headlines when he claimed he was "roofied" by an ex-bandmate before a disastrous PUDDLE OF MUDD gig at Daytona Bike Week.

Scantlin's most recent legal problems came just eight months after he was arrested in Burbank, California for an outstanding warrant and a new charge of resisting arrest.

Wes claimed to have gotten sober in 2017, explaining in an interview that he ended up going back to rehab and receiving treatment "because there [was] really nowhere else to go." He also credited his family and fans for giving him the strength to try to get better.

In February 2023, RadarOnline.com reported that Scantlin was arrested after he allegedly showed up at an old home he lost to foreclosure.

Prior to that, Scantlin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in September 2017 after he attempted to board a plane with a BB gun. He pleaded no contest and was banned from LAX unless it involved traveling for work.

Less than two years earlier, in December 2015, Scantlin was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and had several previous busts that same year for driving under the influence.

Additionally, he was arrested at a Denver airport in 2015 for taking a joyride on a baggage carousel and taken into custody as far back as 2012 for an altercation with a flight attendant.

He also ended a number of PUDDLE OF MUDD shows in 2016 early with various meltdowns, including one in which he accused a fan of stealing his house.

More than four years ago, Scantlin made headlines when he walked offstage midconcert at the EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin after complaining about the venue's lights.

PUDDLE OF MUDD's latest album, "Kiss The Machine", came out in May 2025 via Pavement Entertainment.

PUDDLE OF MUDD was formed in 1991 in Kansas City by Scantlin, the only original member still with the band.

PUDDLE OF MUDD's most recent touring lineup saw Scantlin joined by returning bassist Michael Anthony Grajewski and new members Miles Schon — son of legendary JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon — on lead guitar and Jon Smith on drums.

Having sold more than seven million albums worldwide — including four million in the United States — PUDDLE OF MUDD became one of the most successful rock acts of the early 2000s. Their breakout album "Come Clean" (2001) produced the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 smash "Blurry", along with enduring radio staples like "She Hates Me", "Control" and "Drift & Die", helping shape a generation of post-grunge rock.