Very, Very early Alice in Chains

[Hr308]

For some crazy reason i have been on an Alice in Chains kick lately. Here is a cool ass early video they made that is short but sweet.

https://youtu.be/Bryqu1Owoug

[CoconutBackwards]

At least Scott Weiland died surrounded by others.


From what I've read Layne Staley spent the last six years of his life holed up in his condo doing drugs, playing video games and nodding out on the couch.


That guy's struggle with drugs are the most depressing thing I can imagine.  He basically had a couple good years doing it at the beginning and then it was a living nightmare for the rest of his life.

[Sklashboombash]

Layne was so full of life in those early vids - even at the Unplugged show, he's a shell of his former self. I can't even imagine those last few years after Demri passed away.

[Westenn]

At least Scott Weiland died surrounded by others.


From what I've read Layne Staley spent the last six years of his life holed up in his condo doing drugs, playing video games and nodding out on the couch.


That guy's struggle with drugs are the most depressing thing I can imagine.  He basically had a couple good years doing it at the beginning and then it was a living nightmare for the rest of his life.

I read also how he would go to a hole-in-the-wall bar & just sit in the corner alone drinking.  How he lost hope and faith and it was something like they found his body 2-4 days later.  It was one of the most depressing reads.  That dude seriously needed a good friend and a hug. 

[CoconutBackwards]

At least Scott Weiland died surrounded by others.


From what I've read Layne Staley spent the last six years of his life holed up in his condo doing drugs, playing video games and nodding out on the couch.


That guy's struggle with drugs are the most depressing thing I can imagine.  He basically had a couple good years doing it at the beginning and then it was a living nightmare for the rest of his life.

I read also how he would go to a hole-in-the-wall bar & just sit in the corner alone drinking.  How he lost hope and faith and it was something like they found his body 2-4 days later.  It was one of the most depressing reads.  That dude seriously needed a good friend and a hug. 

That may be what he "needed", but I don't think he was very receptive to it:

Sean Kinney: "I kept trying to make contact...Three times a week, like clockwork, I'd call him, but he'd never answer. Every time I was in the area, I was up in front of his place yelling for him...Even if you could get in his building, he wasn't going to open the door. You'd phone and he wouldn't answer. You couldn't just kick the door in and grab him, though there were so many times I thought about doing that. But if someone won't help themselves, what, really, can anyone else do?[/size]"

[loungefly90]

I remember getting turned onto AIC and STP around the same time. I always felt that AIC had more talent in their songwriting and was far more impressed with Layne's voice than Scott's, but I always held STP as my favorite band because their more mellow songs really won me over because they were so beautiful. Still, AIC's Unplugged performance remains as one of the best musical performances I have ever seen in my life. Everything with that show completely worked and they sounded terrific.

It's strange though. Layne's death seemed very predictable to me. Scott on the other hand always seemed to go through periods of extreme sobriety and extreme drug usage. I consider times like 1993 - 1994 to have been great for him, but he was pretty out there during his solo days. Then in 1999 - 2002, he was great again, and there were times in VR when I thought he was really out there. Cleaned up again, went back down again. Somehow, I always thought he would just keep bouncing back and forth forever. However, when he did that terrible live take of "Vasoline" and seemed completely gone during interviews, I knew his time was wearing thin. When I heard the news that he actually did pass away, part of me was shocked and the other part of me had seen it coming for years.

[Westenn]

Yea, I think he even did that to his Mom.  I couldn't find the article online again, but it seemed to be the most detailed.  To me, out of all those guys in that time, he was the one to passively do suicide.

[CoconutBackwards]

I remember getting turned onto AIC and STP around the same time. I always felt that AIC had more talent in their songwriting and was far more impressed with Layne's voice than Scott's, but I always held STP as my favorite band because their more mellow songs really won me over because they were so beautiful. Still, AIC's Unplugged performance remains as one of the best musical performances I have ever seen in my life. Everything with that show completely worked and they sounded terrific.

It's strange though. Layne's death seemed very predictable to me. Scott on the other hand always seemed to go through periods of extreme sobriety and extreme drug usage. I consider times like 1993 - 1994 to have been great for him, but he was pretty out there during his solo days. Then in 1999 - 2002, he was great again, and there were times in VR when I thought he was really out there. Cleaned up again, went back down again. Somehow, I always thought he would just keep bouncing back and forth forever. However, when he did that terrible live take of "Vasoline" and seemed completely gone during interviews, I knew his time was wearing thin. When I heard the news that he actually did pass away, part of me was shocked and the other part of me had seen it coming for years.

I think Layne and Scott's drug usage was pretty comparable.  Both screwed over their band and ended tours (AIC never toured the self titled album released in '96 because of Layne).  Scott lasted longer than Layne, but I think Layne couldn't take being a junkie anymore and gave up.  Scott seemed to handle being a junkie better than he did.  Regardless, I can't imagine anyone who would have been surprised that either died drug related deaths.


From interviews I've read, the song "Grind" was their big "Fuck you" to the media and everyone who had already assumed they were dead, or had lost limbs due to heroin.  Which is so ridiculous to me, because Layne just hadn't died yet.  There was no big revelation on his part to live again.  He wasn't even able to tour the album.  He just hadn't died YET.  Whoop de doo.
 

[Hr308]

It all is really sad because so many people lose focus on their life in general. When a musician says that he loves his music more than anything his. Actions have got to speak louder than his words. A musician needs to look at his music as a business to continue being succesful. Do you think a company would allow their employees to do heroin in the workplace and under the influence. It's one thing to damage yourself, but when it affects those around you it is a shame. I was upset when I saw the Wildabouts because Scott was really fucked up and i knew where he was headed.