Posted on 04/20/2002 1:57:32 AM PDT by WDG55513
Body found in home may be that of Alice in Chains singer
Group soared with grunge movement
Saturday, April 20, 2002
By CANDACE HECKMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A body was found Friday at the University District home of Layne Staley, the lead singer of the seminal Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains.
Law enforcement sources said the body was Staley's, but would not give specifics and referred all questions to police spokesmen -- who did not return repeated calls for comment.
According to the Seattle Fire Department's dispatch log, an aid response was called to Staley's last known address in the 4500 block of Eighth Avenue Northeast in the University District, a section of the city where many boarding homes are located.
The Medical Examiner's office said late last night that they responded to a call at Staley's address and found someone who appeared to have been dead for several days.
They have not officially identified the person.
Staley, 34, wrote lyrics that dealt with the darkness of his struggle with heroin abuse.
Alice in Chains debut album, "Facelift," was released in 1990 and the group quickly rose to prominence along with other bands from the tight-knit local music community like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden; one of Pearl Jam's first shows was as an opening act for Alice in Chains.
In 1992, the group released their critically acclaimed album "Dirt," which featured the hit singles "Would?" and "Rooster." The band distinguished itself from its Seattle peers with a hard, morbid sound, and Staley's music often touched on drugs.
According to a fan Web site, Staley was born in 1967 in Kirkland.
The first instrument he played was the drums at the age of 12. He later played in different bands around Seattle.
At a party in 1987, Staley met Jerry Cantrell, who introduced him to Mike Starr (bass) and Sean Kinney (drums).
They decided to start a band and Alice In Chains was born.
In a 1996 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Staley spoke of how his drug use influenced his lyrics.
"I wrote about drugs, and I didn't think I was being unsafe or careless by writing about them," Staley told the magazine. "Here's how my thinking pattern went: When I tried drugs, they were (expletive) great, and they worked for me for years, and now they're turning against me -- and now I'm walking through hell, and this sucks."
In the same article, he said: "I'm gonna be here for a long time. I'm scared of death, especially death by my own hand. I'm scared of where I would go. Not that I ever consider that, because I don't."
Staley told the magazine he did not want to be seen as a rock god or martyr.
"I saw all the suffering that Kurt Cobain went through. I didn't know him real well, but I just saw this real vibrant person turn into a real shy, timid, withdrawn, introverted person who could hardly get a hello out ... At the end of the day or at the end of the party, when everyone goes home, you're stuck with yourself."
Into the flood again
Same old trip it was back then
So I made a big mistake
Try to see it once my way
Drifting body it's sole desertion
Flying not yet quite the notion
Am I wrong?
Have I run too far to get home
Have I gone?
And left you here alone
If I would, could you?
I worked a 14 hr shift to come home to have e-mails to me about this. What a dark day for music. An amazing waste of talent and a unique voice like no other. I saw AIC open for Van Halen over 10 yrs ago. Would? Is one of my favorite songs of all time. He will be missed. But I have to say one thing...DAMN YOU LAYNE. How could you?
So by his own account, fully half of his career -- much enjoyed by his fans -- sucked. Let's at least hope that in their safe, clean, pseudo-taboo vicarious descent into junkie hell they got good value for their money.
Or maybe Mr. Allen will build us another hideous pile and call it a museum.
I agree, they are the best that seattle had in the early 90's. The songwriting, lyrics, performaces, and sound were and still are incredible.
At least jerry cantrell is still around-I believe he is the songwriting force behind the band. Now if Chris cornell would drop out of Rage against the machine and become the new AIC front man, I would be in musical heaven --- There would actually be some new music out there that I would buy.
If he was living on 8th off 45th, he didn't have any money. Spit in any of three directions and you'll hit either the freeway or a very busy arterial. It's not a ghetto, but you'd starve trying to sell house paint in that neighborhood.
Maybe, but I doubt that's what the original guy meant...
Me too. For those that have only heard a few of their songs on the radio, most people don't know the range this band had. They could play songs acoustically as well (and in some cases better) than electrically, their voices harmonized perfectly, and both Staley and Cantrell could sing very well and very on pitch. It's too bad about Staley, mostly because he knew and everyone knew that this was going to happen one day. It's like watching a real slow moving train wreck into a car with the car just resting on the tracks...
By 96, there wasn't much of a career left. The self titled album, the last full length studio album of theirs came out in 96. Only the Unplugged album and a couple songs came after that. They quit touring that year as well....and only released box sets/best of/unreleased material after that.
And people who DUI-Marijuana cause accidents and death.
RIP Layne
That being said, I don't understand where the danger to society is if someone decides to smoke a little pot in the privacy of their own home. It's no different than people who want to get drunk in their own home - as long as they stay there until they "sober up", it's really no one else's business is it? Until they step out their door and go out into society and do stupid crap, and/or endangering others it's their own business...
But, as I stated before, it's crap like Asset forfeiture and the "self-funding" aspect of the drug war that I have a problem with - it opens the door to abuse of power, and tramples our constitution into the dirt - end that aspect of the war on drugs and I'll reconsider my opinion, but right now, as it stands, I will not support the war on drugs as it currently is implemented...
Overwhelmingly, the most common drug found in people who cause traffic accidents, is alcohol.
SEATTLE - Layne Staley, lead singer and guitarist for the Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains was found dead in his Seattle apartment Friday.
Police were called to Staley’s apartment Friday afternoon in the heart of the University District. Inside they found a body, apparently dead for several days. Medical examiners confirmed on Saturday that 34-year-old Staley had died of a heroin overdose.
And then, to celebrate this victory against the Devil Weed, we can all go get drunk at the corner bar and drive home in righteous smugness - not caring if we run into a staion wagon full of nuns on the way or not because, at worst, we'll get a stern talking to and a suspended license for a few months...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.