VELVET REVOLVER: Tensions On The Road Run High

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Dave Kushner recently told Entertainment Weekly (EW.com) that the group's decision to do away with their drug-fueled lifestyle of the past doesn't necessarily equal stability. "You don't need drugs and alcohol to have drama," said Kushner. "Sometimes the absence of it makes it worse. You've got five big egos, you've got testosterone, and there's not a lot of solutions out here on the road." Tensions have been running high on the group's current U.S. tour. Singer Scott Weiland is mad at drummer Matt Sorum and his appetite for groupies. At every venue, the crew sets up a "Vibe Room"with tapestries on the wall and mellow lighting and comfy chairsfor the band to relax in after a show. Sorum, sick of hanging out with a bunch of married guys, created an alternate space, a party room dubbed the Velvet Lounge. "He just wants to proliferate his own image," fumed Weiland to the rest of the band, "but it's degrading porno orgy shit! What are our wives going to think when they go backstage and there's boobs everywhere?" Sorum, for his part, is still irritated about Weiland's posting a long rant in support of John Kerry on the band's website. "Scott got something up his ass that day, so he put something on our website," he says. "We don't have to fucking put our political views on other people."

"Those two cause the most drama," sighed one crew member. "It's like having two lead singers." They're the ones who will pitch a fit about an early flight or the lint on a hotel room rug. Meanwhile, Kushner, who was on unemployment before VELVET REVOLVER signed their record deal, can barely bring himself to splurge on room service. "Part of you has to realize that it could end tomorrow," he said over a lunch of two Dunkin' Donuts. "If I spend like a jerk, I'm going to end up a broke jerk." Still, Kushner is trying to enjoy the ride while it lasts. "When Scott was having his chemical misadventures, a friend told me, 'You know, dude, you're in a rock band. If you want a safe and steady job, go pound nails for a living.'"