Puddle of Mudd’s Wes Scantlin: “I Really Seriously Don’t Really Do That Much Wrong Things”

Over the past decade or so, Wes Scantlin has become a walking punchline, thanks to his numerous arrests and onstage meltdowns. However, the Puddle of Mudd frontman insists his actions are not as bad as media headlines make them out to be.

Just in the past few years alone, Scantlin has been arrested for trespassing, pepper-balled by a SWAT team, and arrested for felony domestic violence, among other legal issues. Earlier this year, he blamed an ex-bandmate for slipping him roofies in explaining a disastrous show at Daytona Bike Week.

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Now, in a new interview with SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), the Puddle of Mudd singer-guitarist says his troubles have been blown out of proportion.

“[My] main goal [is] just [to] stay out of trouble,” Scantlin told Trunk when asked about his run-ins with the law. “And I really seriously don’t really do that much wrong things. I really just don’t. But I’m like a big fish in the little pond. I call myself a Christmas dinner trophy for the Poppo. I wonder how many times they’ve explained that they arrested me at their Christmas dinner, at Christmas day. I’m telling you, man. I’m just a big, huge trophy.”

He continued, “I’ve made some mistakes, but at certain points I could breathe in the wrong direction and get cuffed and slammed in a dungeon. Shoot, man. It’s weird. My whole thing, my whole motto is turn around and run for your life as fast as you possibly can, man. I’m talking about maybe like a girlfriend or something [not the police]. If they hit the ‘psycho wall,’ as I call it — turn around and run… Somebody’s gotta go down, and they usually pick me, ’cause I’m the trophy. But my motto is turn around and run as fast as you can and just run.”

As for his revolving door of bandmates over the years, Scantlin hopes the current Puddle of Mudd lineup — Michael Anthony Grajewski on bass, Miles Schon (son of Journey’s Neal Schon) on guitar, and Jon Smith on drums — will stick around for a while.

“Right now everything’s solid, and I pray to God that no one leaves me again,” said Scantlin. “Please, dear God above, do not let any of these people leave. It’s hard to make — the transitions are a pain in the butt.”

Puddle of Mudd have a smattering of tour dates scheduled throughout the summer, with tickets to select shows available here. They’re out in support of the new album, Kiss the Machine, which arrived in May of this year.