Layne Staley

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Layne Staley
Layne Staley circa 1992
Background information
Birth name	Layne Thomas Staley
Born	August 22, 1967
Origin	Kirkland, Washington
Died	ca. April 5, 2002 (aged 34)
Genre(s)	Grunge, Alternative Metal
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Rhythm guitar
Associated acts	Alice in Chains, Mad Season

Layne Staley (August 22, 1967 - ca. April 5, 2002) was the lead singer of the rock group Alice in Chains and the short-lived supergroup Mad Season.

[edit] History

Layne Thomas Staley was born on August 22, 1967 to Phil Staley and Nancy McCallum in Kirkland, Washington. He was eight years old when his parents divorced, after which he was raised by his mother and sisters. In early 2002 shortly before his death he would describe the experience of witnessing his parents' divorce: "My world became a nightmare, there were just shadows around me. I got [a] call saying that my dad had died, [but] my family always knew he was around doing all kind of drugs. Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' I felt so sad for him and I missed him. He dropped out of my life for 15 years". [2] In that same interview he also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return.

Staley's entrance into the music world came at the age of twelve when he began playing drums; he played in several glam bands in his early teens, but by this point, Staley had aspirations of becoming a singer. His bandmates found this amusing, and they would poke fun at him, which infuriated him.[3] He proceeded to trade in his drum set for a microphone and started Alice in Chains with co-founder Jerry Cantrell. Shortly after, he began using recreational drugs on a regular basis. Staley's vocals were composed of several unique styles that expressed several emotions. He would often double or triple track his vocals, which gave a unique and now recognizable effect.

[edit] Drug addiction

Layne Staley at the now famous MTV Unplugged performance, it would be one of Staley's final shows, as well as final appearances in public.

Like several other musicians in the Seattle grunge scene, Staley used heroin. By the 1990s, Staley was battling an addiction. The darker side of addiction had its influence on Staley's lyrics. The Alice in Chains album Dirt showed this preoccupation in songs like "Angry Chair", "God Smack", and "Junkhead", while guitarist Jerry Cantrell's lyrics focused mainly on morbid thoughts, as evidenced in "Them Bones" and "Would?". "Would?" in particular addresses the death of Andrew Wood, singer of Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990.

Alice in Chains, seeing Staley's saddening condition, opted not to tour in support of their 1994 EP Jar of Flies. Following its release, Staley entered a rehabilitation clinic to treat his heroin addiction and began to work on a side project with several Seattle musicians, including Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of the Screaming Trees. The band worked on material for several months and eventually scheduled a show at the Crocodile Cafe under the name The Gacy Bunch. Within a few weeks, the band changed its name to Mad Season. In January of 1995, Mad Season performed two songs on Pearl Jam's Self Pollution Radio broadcast, "Lifeless Dead" and "I Don't Know Anything". The band completed an album, titled Above, which was released in March of 1995. The first single, "River of Deceit", became a modest success at alternative radio, and "I Don't Know Anything" is still occasionally played to this day. A live performance filmed at the Moore Theater in Seattle was released in August of 1995.

During Alice in Chains' hiatus, reports of Staley's addiction began to gain widespread circulation in the fan and media communities, in part from changes to his physical condition brought on by prolonged heroin abuse. Referencing Staley's guest-singing appearance with Tool on the song "Opiate", the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported, "At KISW-FM's 'Rockstock' concert at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds in Bremerton in May 1994 -- just a month after the death of Kurt Cobain -- Staley made a surprise appearance. He looked sickly and wore a wool ski mask to hide his face.^[1] Some of the more persistent and unsubstantiated rumors, ranging from gangrene to missing fingers,^[2] surfaced during this period. Mark Arm of Mudhoney is quoted as saying: "I remember seeing him in '95 ... he turned up and was totally green, and my stomach turned at that point — watching somebody on a track that they couldn't get off.^[3]

Alice in Chains regrouped to record an eponymous album sometimes referred to as "Tripod," (largely due to the image of the three-legged dog, Sunshine, featured on the cover) released late in 1995. To accompany the album, the band released a home video, The Nona Tapes, in which they poked fun at the rumors of Staley's addiction – several sources had announced his death during the hiatus, Charles R. Cross would later say that they had Staley's obituary on stand-by at The Rocket – but the band lapsed again, failing to complete tours planned in support of the album. When asked about the frustration of not touring to support the record, Jerry Cantrell provided some insight into how Staley's addictions led to repercussive tensions within the band: "Very frustrating, but, we stuck it out. We rode the good times together and we stuck together through the hard times. We never stabbed each other in the back and spilled our guts and do that kind of bullshit that you see happen a lot".^[4]

Fans saw firsthand the effects of Staley's drug abuse during the band's Unplugged appearance. Staley was visibly weak and emaciated and had problems singing at times. His last performance was on July 3, 1996 in Kansas City, Missouri, while they were touring with Kiss after their Unplugged appearance. Later in the year (October 1996), Staley's former girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, died from secondary complications caused by drug use (bacterial endocarditis). Many who were close to the singer believe this to be the point at which Staley abandoned any attempts to assuage his addiction. He was reported to have been placed on a 24-hour suicide watch according to NME magazine who quoted, "a friend saying Layne was taking Demri Parrott's death 'extremely badly' and had fallen into a deep depression".^[5]

[edit] Final years: 1997-2002

Staley remained out of the spotlight until February 26, 1997 when he and the other members of Alice in Chains attended the Grammys after "Again" (from the 'Tripod' album) was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Performance".^[6] In September of 1998, Staley re-emerged to help record two new tracks ("Get Born Again" and "Died") with Alice in Chains, which were released on the Music Bank box set in 1999. Additional reports on Staley's deteriorating condition persisted in the midst of the sessions. Dirt producer Dave Jerden - who was originally chosen by the band for the production - said, "[...] Staley weighed eighty pounds ... and was white as a ghost". Cantrell refused to comment on the singer's appearance, and Silver said she hadn't seen the singer since last year".^[7] Staley was thought to have left behind his "self-imposed rock & roll exile"^[8] when in November he laid down additional vocal tracks as part of a supergroup called Class of '99, featuring members of Rage Against the Machine and Porno for Pyros. The group recorded parts one and two of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" for the soundtrack to the movie The Faculty, with a music video filmed for part two. While the other members of the band were filmed specifically for the video, Staley's appearance consisted of footage pulled from Mad Season's 1995 Moore Theater video. On July 19, 1999, syndicated radio program Rockline was hosting Cantrell, Inez, and (via telephone) Kinney for a discussion on the release of Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, when, unexpectedly, Staley called in to participate in the discussion. From 1999 to 2002, Staley became more reclusive: little is known about the details of Staley's life during this period.

At the beginning of 2002, the final interview with the troubled musician had surfaced in Layne Staley: Angry Chair — A Look Inside the Heart and Soul of an Incredible Musician by Argentinean writer and music fan Adriana Rubio, in which he spoke about the damage caused by his heroin addiction: "I'm not using drugs to get high like many people think. I know I made a big mistake when I started using this shit. It's a very difficult thing to explain. My liver is not functioning and I'm throwing up all the time and shitting my pants. The pain is more than you can handle. It's the worst pain in the world. Dope sick hurts the entire body".^[9]

Many questions continue to arise on how Staley spent those final days, and even more manifest as to the length of time it took to realize his death. As far as published reports are concerned, such as Blender.com's "We Left Him Alone", close friends such as Matt Fox have said, "If no one heard from him for weeks, it wasn’t unusual". Further in the article, reporter Pat Kearny provides a glimpse into Staley's daily life and public routine:

"It appears that Staley’s last few weeks were typically empty. According to an employee of the Rainbow, a neighborhood bar close to Staley’s condo, the singer was a frequent patron, stopping by at least once a week. 'He minded his own business,' said the employee, who wished to remain anonymous.Staley would never buy anything to drink, the employee said, but would simply sit at a small table in the back corner of the bar and 'nod off. We just left him alone'."^[10]

Singer and close friend, Mark Lanegan had much of the same to say with respect to Staley's isolation: "He didn't speak to anybody as of late, [...] It's been a few months since I talked to him. But for us to not talk for a few months is par for the course".^[11]

On April 19, 2002, an unidentified person placed a call with 911 to say "She hadn't heard from [. . .] v/Staley [victim Staley] in about two weeks"^[12] Staley was found dead in his home after "his mother and stepfather went to his condo with the police".^[13] As reported by Rick Anderson of the Seattle Weekly, his body was surrounded by various drug possessions and paraphernalia: "When police kicked in the door to Layne Staley's University District apartment on April 19, there, on a couch, lit by a flickering TV, next to several spray-paint cans on the floor, not far from a small stash of cocaine, near two crack pipes on the coffee table, reposed the remains of the rock musician".^[14] He was thirty-four years old. The autopsy report later concluded that Staley died after injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine known as a "speedball". By coincidence, the coroner's office estimated that he died on April 5, the same date that fellow Seattle Grunge rocker Kurt Cobain was estimated to have died eight years earlier.

[edit] After death

Friend and bandmate Jerry Cantrell, who had tried to stay in touch with Staley and maintain their friendship, released the solo album Degradation Trip in June 2002 and dedicated the album to Staley's memory. Several of the songs on Cantrell's double-album version of the recording speak of Staley's reclusiveness (e.g. "Bargain Basement Howard Hughes") and self-destruction (e.g. "Pig Charmer"). It is also important to note Jerry Cantrell did not cancel any dates in his solo tour upon hearing of Layne's passing. Many speculate a friction between the two at the end of Layne's life.

Several other musicians paid tribute to Staley in music. Aaron Lewis, lead singer of Staind, penned a tribute to Staley titled "Layne" for Staind's 2003 album 14 Shades of Grey. Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, also recorded a song eulogizing Staley, titled "4/20/02" (the day Vedder heard the news and subsequently wrote the song). The song featured only Vedder singing and playing the guitar in a ukulele-inspired tuning, and was released as a hidden track on Pearl Jam's 2003 B-sides album Lost Dogs. Zakk Wylde also wrote a song about Layne Staley called "Layne" on the Black Label Society album, Hangover Music Vol. VI^[15] In addition, Cold's song "The Day Seattle Died" was an ode to Staley, as well as Kurt Cobain, who were both pioneers of the grunge rock movement.

[edit] Legacy

Staley's influence has likewise been felt in other genres. Two books have been written about Staley, both authored by Adriana Rubio - "Layne Staley: Angry Chair [Xanadu Enterprises, 27 January 2003] and the more recent, "Layne Staley: Get Born Again" [ARTS Publications July 2006], which is being described as "[...] a 'brand new book' that has been revised and updated with the inclusion of two new chapters: 'Hate To Feel' and 'Get Born Again' as a revival of the acclaimed Angry Chair book".^[16] On 28 September 2006, Blabbermouth.net reported on a movie project related to Rubio's most recent book on Staley: "According to a press release from ARTS Publications, Argentinean journalist/author Adriana Rubio has been contacted by writer/director Eric Moyer from Philadelphia about turning her biography of late ALICE IN CHAINS frontman Layne Staley, titled 'Layne Staley: Get Born Again', into a movie".^[17] In relation to the field of literature and criticism, scholars such as Edward Carvalho (author of solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, Fine Tooth Press 2006) have long regarded Staley and Cantrell's lyrics as essential components of Generation X's interplay in the postmodernist discourse.

Following Staley's death, Alice in Chains officially disbanded. For the next several years, the band refused to perform together out of respect for Staley. In 2005, the remaining members reunited for a benefit concert for victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami, with several vocalists filling in for Staley, including Maynard James Keenan from Tool (a friend of Staley's), and Ann Wilson from Heart, who had previously worked with Alice in Chains when she sang on the Sap EP (performing backing vocals on the song "Brother"). Following positive response, the band decided to reunite formally in 2006. In an interview with MTV News, Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney noted that the band would use the reunion concerts to pay tribute to the songs and to Staley. William DuVall, a member of Cantrell's solo touring band (who often sang Staley's parts on the Alice in Chains songs that Cantrell performed), was announced as Staley's replacement for the reunion shows.

In the same interview, Kinney noted the reunion didn't necessarily foretell a future for Alice in Chains. "If we found some other dude, I'd love to move on, write some cool tunes and change the name and go on like that. I don't see continuing as Alice and replacing somebody. ... We're not trying to replace Layne. We want to play these songs one more time, and if it seems like the right thing to do, it'll happen. I don't know how long it will go or where it will take us. It's kind of a tribute to Layne and our fans, the people who love these songs".

Layne Staley is considered one of the most admired singers of the last decade inspiring such acts as Godsmack, and Staind among others.

On an online poll he ranked at #2 at greatest singers of the 90's, losing to fellow Seattle star, Kurt Cobain.

Jerry Cantrell has gone on to say in many interviews regarding Alice in Chains that "Layne is irreplacable, not only as a singer, but as a person. We all loved him".

[edit] Tension with Jerry Cantrell

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Many fans question if there was a tension between Layne and fellow Alice in Chains founder Jerry Cantrell toward the last few years of his life. In many interviews Cantrell has expressed anger about not touring for Jar of Flies or Alice in Chains.^[18]

There is also speculation that the formation of Mad Season angered Cantrell further. An anonymous friend of both men stated "Jerry just felt abandoned, almost as if Layne didn't give a fuck about where AIC was going". He also quoted Cantrell saying "If he has time to record another album, and tour with some other guys, then why the fuck can't he tour with his main band?"^[19]

Jerry Cantrell's tour shortly after Staley's death led many to believe he simply didn't care much about the passing of Layne. In the issue of Rolling Stone Magazine featuring Staley on the cover after his death, Cantrell was quoted as saying "He didn't want help", showing that a rift between Staley and his friends grew due to his reluctance to do anything about his rampant drug use.

It is likely that these rumors are unfounded, however. Cantrell obviously respected Staley enough to dedicate an album to him, and has also been quoted saying many things in admiration of the singer, including that his death was 'something major to get through' in July 2005 [4]. Cantrell's manager Bill Siddons said that "Jerry really loved Layne. They had a bond I haven't seen before".^[20] Also, the band's decision not to carry on immediately after Staley's death is also indicative of the fact that all involved were grief-stricken. The reformed Alice in Chains (w/ William Duvall) are also known to have an intermission to include a 30 minute tribute in between sets to the late singer.

[edit] Layne Staley Fund

In 2002, Layne's mother Nancy McCallum and Jamie Richards, a drug and alcohol counselor, formed the Layne Staley Fund, a non-profit organization that raises money for drug treatment and works with the Seattle music community. A yearly tribute is held in August, on or around Layne's birthday, to celebrate his music and to spread a message of hope to prevent further tragedy. The federal non-profit number of this charity is 206-168-2910.^[21]

[edit] Discography

[edit] References