From hardradio.com: 3/3/03 Page 9 The final interview with ALICE IN CHAINS singer LAYNE STALEY has surfaced in the recently released book Layne Staley: Angry Chair - A Look Inside the Heart and Soul of an Incredible Musician" by Argentinean writer and music fan Adriana Rubio. The interview took place less than three months (April 20, 2002) before Staley died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine and revealed a broken 34-year-old who had given up the will to live. An excerpt from the book reads as follows: "I know I'm dying, I'm not doing well. Don't try to talk about this to my sister Liz. She will know it sooner or later. This f**king drug use is like the insulin a diabetic needs to survive," he said. "I'm not using drugs to get high like many people think. I know I made a big mistake when I started using this ****. It's a very difficult thing to explain. My liver is not functioning and I'm throwing up all the time and ****ting my pants. The pain is more than you can handle. It's the worst pain in the world. Dope sick hurts the entire body." "I know I'm near death," he adds. "I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way. I know I have no chance. It's too late. I never wanted [the public's] thumbs' up about this f**king drug use. Don't try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. They are not my friends."
That is so sad... also thinking about how, when he died, they didn't even find him for several days. I guess either there wasn't anyone left who cared, or he had shut everybody out. If anyone wants to know what drugs do to you, here's proof... it's too bad that it really did turn out to be too late for him. +
Yep drugs suck... Have had a few friends get messed up and turn out pretty bad. Sucks because AIC was one of my favorite bands in High School. Jerry and Layne had great chemistry.... something you dont find a lot these days.... If you need to hear Layne Staley now, just pop in any Staind CD. Hell any rap/rock/metal crap band on the radio right now for that matter..... I hear Laynes voice being ripped off on a daily basis....
That assclown from Staind wishes he had half the musical talent Layne Staley and AIC did. Alice in Chains has been one of my favorite band since the first time I saw Man In A Box on Headbangers Ball(yes, it debuted way back then).
I liked Alice in Chains in high school too. But, the last thing I'd call them would be good musicians.
Yep I totally remember seeing that and thinking WTF??? It was so new and weird, and I absolutely loved it..... You just reminded me of how old we are Pimp.....
"Clash of the Titans" tour, circa 1991: Slayer Megadeth Anthrax Metal Church and yes...Alice in Chains They also opened some dates for Poison on the "Flesh and Blood" tour. I always liked them for their Metal side, like Soundgarden. And We Die Young....faster we run
I remember seeing Alice n Chains as the opener to the Clash of the Titans Tour (Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax). They weren't really well received (I don't think they were "metal" enough for the headbangers in the crowd although Facelift sounds really metal now) but by the end of 1991, they were riding the Seattle wave and all the metal bands looked like dinosaurs. AIC simply wrote way better songs than any of the aforementioned metal bands and their image was way less silly and much more genuinely edgy. Unfortunately, their edginess (more specifically, their drug associations) seem to have led Staley onto an ultimately suicidal path. He had a great voice, and the band (though it overused the harmonies) was one that could actually write both pretty and dissonant songs.
Do you remember seeing them co-hosting HB where they were walking around in robes and showercaps for half the show? Hilarious stuff.. I saw them a couple of times, the best show was when they were opening up for Ozzy on his first "last" tour. They were a great live band and really cool guys to meet (I was working backstage). So sad to hear the pain he was in towards the end... RIP Layne
JuanValdez, Give me a break. Jerry Cantrell is an excellent singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Layne Stayley was an incredible singer. The harmonies those two made together were stunning. AIC would kick the asses of all of these new grunge-wannabe bands today. I first saw AIC at Numbers here in Houston. They opened for Iggy Pop. That was a cool show.
I might need to listen to Facelift soon...."Bleed TheFreak", "It Ain't Like That", "We Die Young", "I Can't Remember".....good stuff.
Spacecity, I probably shouldn't have put a downer in a nostalgic/memorial thread in the first place. Sorry. As I remember them, I thought they were noticeably bad at composing a song. I didn't follow them for long after that so maybe they became significantly better and I didn't notice. As for the new grunge-wannabes of today, well I couldn't even tell you their names much less what they sound like. Anyway, whether he was a good musician or a bad one, rest in peace Layne Staley. It was not a death I would wish on anyone.
