Hace unas semanas apareció una noticia en Internet que aseguraba que el fallecido cantante de Alice In Chains, Layne Staley, estuvo a punto de tener una audición con Audioslave, pudiendo haber entrado así en la banda como cantante. Vía Twitter, el guitarrista de Rage Against The Machine y Audioslave ha negado que esto sea cierto.
Si queréis leer la noticia sobre la, ahora falsa, audición de Layne, haced click aquí.
IN ENGLISH
Some weeks ago an incredible new appeared on Internet. That new ensured that Layne Staley had been near of an audition for Audioslave, with the oportunity of be the band’s singer. Now, via Twitter, Tom Morello ( Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave) has denied that information.
Click here if you want to read about Layne Staley’s posible audition.
Nueva biografía de Alice In Chains habla sobre cómo Layne y Kurt Cobain compartieron heroina
Se pone a la venta esta semana una biografía sobre Alice In Chains titulada “Alice in Chains: The Untold Story” escrita por David de Sola. La periodista Sherryl Connelly, del New York Daily News, ha escrito un artículo al respecto destacando algunas anécdotas que recoge.
Por ejemplo, durante un concierto en Brasil de Nirvana y Alice In Chains, Kurt Cobain y Layne Staley, ambos con un grave problema de adicción, vieron como en el país carioca era sencillo obtener cocaína pero no pasaba lo mismo con la heroína. Así, los músicos llegaron a un acuerdo: Cobain pagaba el producto y Staley el coste de que se lo trajeran. A poco que se lo hubieran propuesto podrían haber iniciado el Amazon de las drogas.
Aquella noche, el bajista Mike Starr, que acababa de ser despedido del grupo, asegura que murió y resucitó tras chutarse con ambos músicos, según recordaba el propio Starr:
Layne me chutó primero un par de veces. Luego Kurt me chutó y luego Layne me volvió a chutar, tras lo cual estuve muerto durante unos 11 minutos.
Staley fue hallado muerto, sin dientes y pesando solo 40 kilos en 2002; Starr en 2011 por sobredosis de pastillas, poco tiempo después de aparecer en un par de programas de telerrealidad en los que famosos y pseudo-famosos trataban de superar sus adicciones.
Asegura el artículo que dos cosas cambiaron para siempre la vida de Staley: cuando su novia, Demri Lara Parrott, empezó a pincharse heroína y cuando Alice In Chains alcanzaron la fama. Fue en 1991, cuando su banda teloneaba a Van Halen, que el vocalista empezó a drogarse con heroína. Sus problemas con la heroína crecieron a pasos agigantados: el oscuro “Dirt” era resultado de ello. De hecho, Staley ya había pasado por rehabilitación, la primera de casi una docena de veces hasta su muerte. Fue durante la grabación del citado álbum que el cantante se iba a buscar heroína en una ciudad de Los Angeles completamente patas arribas por los disturbios a causa de la muerte de Rodney King.
Por su parte, el batería Sean Kinney seguía viviendo las giras a tope. Recuerda un amigo:
Cuando Sean se ponía a tono era imparable. Era el clásico destroza-habitaciones de hotel.
El músico recuerda que tenía un alter ego llamado Steve que se subía a una silla en un restaurante de alta clase y se meaba en la carta de postres o rociaba los candelabros decorativos de los pasillos de los hoteles con cerveza para ver como explotaban segundos después.
El bajista Mike Starr llegó a beber de una botella de lejía usada para limpiar jeringuillas creyendo que era agua por lo que terminó en el hospital.
Staley seguía con lo suyo: Alice In Chains andaba de gira en 1993 y el vocalista se iba a mitad de canción para colocarse. La manager del grupo, Susan Silver, discutió con el cantante y le exigió que saliera al escenario para decirle al público que como estaba tan hecho polvo no iba a poder seguir con el concierto.
La última actuación pública de Staley fue en Kansas City en 1996, tras la cual sufrió una sobredosis. Y eso, pese a viajar con un guardaespaldas cuya función era mantenerle alejado de las drogas.
Kinney recuerda:
Solo fueron cinco o seis conciertos y para el final del último, la cosa fue policías, ambulancias y “¡Sube al avión! ¡Esconde las drogas!” La misma mierda se repetía una y otra vez.
El artículo menciona también la demanda que la madre de Staley interpuso tras su muerte y en la que aseguraba que el vocalista quiso dejar el grupo temporalmente para superar sus adicciones pero la manager del grupo le hizo saber que si lo hacía iba a mandar al paro a 40 personas.
Staley y su novia si llegaron a ir juntos a rehabilitación sin que lograran su objetivo y, de hecho, terminaron separándose debido a que el músico era un mujeriego. Ella murió en 1996 después de que su por entonces compañero la llevara dando tumbos inconsciente durante horas hasta finalmente llegar a un hospital.
En 1998, Staley ya parecía estar en sus últimas. Apareció en el estudio de grabación sin dientes, esquelético y con aspecto de tener 80 años. Lo recuerda el productor Dave Jerden después de que Jerry Cantrell le pidiera que se quitara la ropa:
Layne, que tenía una personalidad fortísima, había quedado reducido a nada.
Posteriormente, el vocalista era visto ocasionalmente con llagas abiertas en sus brazos mientras dedicaba su vida a quedarse recluido en su apartamento, jugando a videojuegos y drogándose, con la única compañía de su gato.
Mike Starr fue probablemente el último en ver con vida a Staley: el 4 de abril de 2002, el bajista, puesto de benziodazepina, se ofreció para llamar al 911. Staley, sin embargo, le gritaba cada vez que trataba de tomar más pastillas y Starr se marchó enfadado del piso de su ex-compañero de banda.
El día siguiente, el frontman de Alice In Chains se chutó una mezcla de heroína y cocaína en vena que le provocó la muerte. No fue hasta unos días después que su contable, al comprobar que hacía tiempo sin que el músico sacara dinero, decidió llamar a la policía.
Al entrar en la vivienda, la policía se encontró a Staley en el sofá iluminado por los destellos de la TV, con una jeringuilla en la mano y sentado encima de otras usadas. También había un alijo de cocaína y dos pipas de crack encima de la mesa. Para terminar de dar ambiente al lugar, había un reguero de manchas marrones de heroína que venían del lavabo al salón.
Un final que no por esperado fue menos traumático.
Alice in Chains was the first of grunge’s big four to break out, but Nirvana clearly won the to-the-death competition.
Kurt Cobain short-circuited death by heroin with a shotgun blast to the head in 1994. It took Layne Staley, Alice in Chains’ lead singer, a while longer to kill himself with a speedball.
One of the many drenched-in-drug moments revealed in David de Sola’s new book, “Alice in Chains: The Untold Story,” has Cobain and Staley striking a deal while the bands were on tour in Rio de Janeiro.
To their shock and dismay, the two addicts discovered there was almost an excess of cocaine to be had in Brazil but no smack. Cobain agreed to pay for the product if Staley shouldered the cost of having it flown in.
That night, Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, who had just been tossed from the band, claimed he actually died and came back as he bounced from shooting up with one famed musician to the other.
“Layne shot me up first a couple of times. Then Kurt shot me, and then Layne shot me after that and I died, for like 11 minutes.”
And those were the good times.
Staley was found dead, toothless and weighing only 86 pounds, in his Seattle apartment in 2002. Starr, after a stint on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew” and “Sober House,” overdosed on prescription drugs in 2011.
Both Jerry Cantrell, the other engine driving Alice in Chains, and drummer Sean Kinney openly talk about their sobriety these days, but are none too specific about the substances, other than booze, at the source of their addictions.
Actually, the best of times was when everyone was just strung out on booze, coke and sex — the basic musts on any rocker’s CV.
One of the purely amusing anecdotes de Sola shares concerns the night the Music Bank, the rehearsal warehouse where the band rented space, was raided in 1988.
Layne turned a corner with two strippers into a hallway crowded with cops.
“They were obviously coked out because they (the strippers) started b—-ing up one side and down the other to the point where Layne actually told them to shut up because they were making it worse than it needed to be,” according to one observer.
Back in those days, the band lived in abject poverty, “obsessed with getting p—y and who they were f—–g.”
Then, two things changed. Staley’s girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, started shooting smack — and Alice in Chains got famous.
Alice in Chains was opening for Van Halen on tour in 1991 when Staley, prompted by Parrott, started using.
On one hand, the two bands got up to some hilarious business pranking each other. One night, Alice in Chains dressed up as strippers in skimpy panties and combat boots, and followed Van Halen on stage, aping their signature walk.
On the other, Staley’s affair with heroin got serious fast. By the next year, the band’s dark and deeply pained breakthrough album, “Dirt,” was rife with references to the drug. At that point, Staley had already been to rehab after an intervention.
Then he relapsed again. Close to a dozen more stints in rehab were in his future. But when the band was recording in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots in 1992, Staley would hit the scary streets, desperate to score.
For the first time, there were problems with his vocals. He hadn’t yet mastered singing high. Staley created a personal shrine in the recording studio featuring a dead puppy in a jar that he used for inspiration as he crooned lyrics like “Stick your arm for some real fun.”
Kinney, though, continued to have fun the old-fashioned way on the Shi–y Cities tour in 1992.
“When Sean got lit he was pretty unstoppable,” a friend says. “He was sort of a classic destroyer of hotel rooms.”
Kinney claims he had an alter ego he called Steve who would stand on a chair in an upscale restaurant and pee on the dessert cart or methodically pour beer into the sconces lining a hotel hallway for the pleasure of seeing them explode seconds later.
Meanwhile, Starr, who’d been introduced to heroin by Staley, drank a bottle of bleach used for cleaning syringes, thinking it was water. He ended up in the hospital.
In 1993, when the band was touring in support of “Dirt,” Staley would walk offstage midsong to get high. Band manager Susan Silver told Staley that he had to be the one to break it to ticket buyers that the concert was going to end midperformance because he was too screwed up to carry on.
“There is no f—–g way I’m going to do that,” he shouted.
“I pay you,” she screamed back. “Go f—–g do it now.”
That was the last time Staley would do a major tour.
Courtney Love tried to chase him down following Cobain’s death. She wasn’t happy with the suicide ruling and wondered what more there might be to the story. Since both Staley and Cobain were smackheads and ran with the same musicians, the assumption was he might know something. What’s not known is if they finally connected.
Staley’s final public performance was in Kansas City, Mo., in 1996. He was traveling with a bodyguard hired specifically to keep his drug use in check, but after the show he overdosed.
“It was only five or six shows, and by the end of the last one, it was cops, ambulances, and, ‘Get on the plane! Hide the drugs!’ ” Kinney recalls. “The same s–t was going on again.”
In a lawsuit filed after Staley’s death, his mother, Nancy Layne McCallum, alleged that at one point in the mid-’90s, her son tried to withdraw from the band to take care of his issues, but Silver forcefully pointed out that if he did, he would be putting 40 people out of work.
Staley and Parrott, by then his fiancée, went to rehab together at least once. They broke up, in part because she couldn’t accept his relentless womanizing. By the end, she was living with an older man who bizarrely drove her around unconscious for several hours before getting help. She died in the hospital late in 1996.
By 1998, Staley already seemed on last legs. He showed up in the recording studio toothless, emaciated and looking like an 80-year-old man.
Producer Dave Jerden watched as Staley disintegrated after a dressing-down from Cantrell: “Layne, who had such a strong personality, had completely turned into this nothing.”
There would be occasional sightings of Staley after that with open sores on his arms. Mainly, he holed up in his apartment, gaming, playing with his cat and doing drugs.
Starr was likely the last one to see him alive. On April 4, 2002, Starr, high on benzodiazepine, offered to call 911. Staley erupted, then yelled at him whenever he tried to take more pills. Finally, Starr left angry.
The autopsy later revealed that the next day Staley plunged a speedball into his vein. Days passed before his accountant sent up an alert that Staley hadn’t been withdrawing any money.
The police broke down the door.
Staley was on the sofa, illuminated by a flickering television. He was holding a loaded syringe and was sitting on a batch of used ones. There was a stash of cocaine and two crack pipes on the table. Brown heroin stains led from the bathroom to the living room.
Layne Staley pudo llegar a ser el cantante de Audioslave
De acuerdo a una entrevista que Alternative Nation ha hecho a un amigo de Layne Staley, el malogrado frontman de Alice In Chains, fue un firme candidato a ser el vocalista de Audioslave.
Morgan Gallagher recuerda encontrarse a Staley en 2001.
Hacía años que no le veía y no estaba preparado para ello. A esas alturas había dejado (Alice In Chains), había perdido la mayoría de dientes y pesaba poco más de 45 kilos. Hablamos un ratito y cuando nos despedimos lloré.
Hablando de un encuentro que mantuvo en una fiesta de la Super Bowl, el 28 de enero de 2001, asegura que el cantante le explicó la posibilidad de formar parte del grupo que estaban preparando los miembros de Rage Against The Machine (Tom Morello, Brad Wilk y Tim Commerford).
Dos semanas después (un amigo en común) organizó una fiesta por la Super Bowl. Al llegar, Layne abrió la puerta y volvía a ser el viejo Layne. Estaba a tope así que fuimos a la guerra. ¡Corríamos por ahí como dos niños! No hace falta que diga que nos perdimos el partido y hicimos que casi nadie lograra verlo.
Ese día estuvimos hablando y dijo que había recibido una llamada de los antiguos miembros de Rage Against The Machine, que andaban montando un nuevo proyecto y querían hacerle una audición. Me dijo que iba a volver a tratamiento y luego a Los Angeles para hacer la audición un par de meses después. No llegó así que Chris Cornell se hizo con el puesto.
Cuenta asimismo que cree que el vocalista había pasado página de Alice In Chains y buscaba enfrentarse a nuevos retos. Así tenía prevista una colaboración en el excelente segundo disco de Taproot, “Welcome”, producido por Toby Wright, pero no se pudo llegar a hacer al morir antes.
Gallagher era amigo de Staley desde 1986.
IN ENGLISH
While late Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley was largely reclusive during his later years, the legendary singer considered fronting the band that later became known as Audioslave in January 2001. Zack de la Rocha had quit Rage Against The Machine just a few months prior, and his bandmates were looking for a new singer. Alternative Nation reporter, and early Staley collaborator, Tim Branom has connected us with Layne’s friend Morgen Gallagher, who told Alternative Nation this exclusive story.
Gallagher had been friends with Staley since 1986, even living with him and Sleze bassist Mike Mitchell for a period in the 80’s. By early 2001, it had been a couple of years since he had seen his old friend, so he was very surprised when he ran into him at a party.
“I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years and wasn’t prepared for it. By this point he had quit [Alice In Chains], he had lost most of his teeth, and weighed barley 100 pounds. We talked for a little and when we parted ways, I cried.”
This wasn’t the last time Gallagher saw Staley. On January 28, 2001, he saw Layne again at a Super Bowl party. “So two weeks later [our mutual friend] was having a Super Bowl party. When I got there, Layne answered the door and he was back to the old Layne. He had just gotten pretty much the entire Nerf arsenal, so we went to war. We were running around like two little kids! Needless to say, we missed the game and kept pretty much everyone else from watching it as well.”
“That day we were talking and he said he had gotten a call from the old Rage Against The Machine members and they were putting together a new project, and they wanted him to audition. He said he was going back to treatment and then going to LA to do the audition in a couple of months. He never made it, so Chris Cornell went and got the job.”
Staley also appeared to have moved on from Alice In Chains, according to Gallagher when Alternative Nation asked if Staley opened up at all about his status with the band, “Not really, he was pretty evasive about it, but it seemed like he was pretty much done with the band at that point. He hadn’t played with them for a while, and he was talking about auditioning for new projects.”
Staley was scheduled to record vocals for the band Taproot in 2002, but died before he could attend a recording session with producer Toby Wright, according to Mark Yarm’s Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge. Gallagher also told author David de Sola a shorter version of this Audioslave story, which is briefly mentioned in the upcoming Alice In Chains: The Untold Story book.
La lineup y los detalles del concierto tributo anual a Layne Staley han sido anunciados. El concierto, que hace tributo al fallecido frontman de Alice In Chains, tendrá lugar el 22 de agosto en el Crocodile de Seattle y tendrá bandas tributo en él. Las personas que vayan podrán ver a la banda tributo a Alice In Chains, Jar of Flies, al grupo tributo de Soundgarden / Temple of the Dog Outshined y a una banda tributo a Nirvana llamada Poottana Play For Money.
Una parte de los beneficios del concierto serán donados al Layne Staley Memorial Fund, que ayuda a THS, una organización que tiene el objetivo de rehabilitar a gente y a familias que han sido afectadas por el alcohol o la drogodependencia, incluyendo enfermedades mentales. Podéis hacer click aquí para saber más.
Aunque la noche sea en honor a Staley, incluso los organizadores dicen que el concierto celebrará también la vida y legado de Mike Starr, Kurt Cobain y Andrew Wood. Las entradas valen 15 dólares por adelantado y 15 en taquilla, y pueden ser compradas online aquí:
The lineup and details for the annual Layne Staley Tribute show has been announced. The concert, which honors the late Alice In Chains frontman, will take place on Aug. 22 at The Crocodile in Seattle and will feature three tribute bands. Those in attendance can expect the Alice in Chains cover band Jar of Flies, the Soundgarden / Temple of the Dog tribute group Outshined and a Nirvana cover band called Poottana Play For Money.
A portion of the proceeds made during the event will be donated to the Layne Staley Memorial Fund, which benefits THS, an organization that aims to rehabilitate people and families that have been affected by alcohol and drug dependence or metal illness. Head here to learn more.
While the night is in honor of Staley, event organizers say the concert will also celebrate the lives and legacies of Mike Starr, Kurt Cobain and Andrew Wood. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and can be ordered online here.
Nos la coló. Eso si, por si sirve de consuelo no fuimos los únicos. ¿Recordáis la noticia de como un asistente de producción del vídeo de “Angry Chair” vendía la silla que aparece en el clip en Craiglist? Pues fue una broma del colaborador de Death And Taxes Magazine, Joe Veix.
Veix cuenta que encontró la foto de una silla “de mierda” en la búsqueda de imágenes de Google y a partir de ahí creó el anuncio. Lo colgó en Twitter y pasó a algunos amigos, y a las dos horas, varias webs empezaron a hacerse eco del anuncio. Entre ellas, portALTERNATIVO, tal como remarca Veix.
Aprovecha para acusar a los medios de no contrastar las noticias (touché) y para colgar algunos mails de fans que había recibido argumentando porqué tenían que ser ellos los que se quedaran con la silla.
En definitiva, una broma con la que denuncia el funcionamiento del periodismo en estos tiempos que corren y suelta la moralina de como la gente trata de agarrarse a cualquier objeto que pueda hacerles volver a un pasado quizá más feliz.
A few weeks ago I wrote a fake Craigslist post trying to sell the Angry Chair from the eponymous music video by Alice In Chains.
I filed the listing under the “antiques” category in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. I included a photo from the music video, and another of a beat up, piece of shit chair I found via Google image search that looks nothing like the chair in the video.
I wrote the post from the perspective of a former set PA and grunge fan who has since mellowed out. It read (all sic):
“For sale, the original ANGRY CHAIR from the famous ALICE IN CHAINS music video for their hit song ‘angry chair.’ that’s right, this is the same angry chair sat in by none other than layne staley! own a piece of rock n roll history!
some background: i was a PA on the video way back when, and after the shoot wrapped, took the chair home. since then, it’s just been sitting in my garage collecting dust. i hate to sell it, but i need to downsize. plus i’m clean now and have two kids, and i’m just not as angry as i used to be.
the chair is perfect for sitting in and just raging out. a few dents, but in otherwise great condition.
$1,500 OBO — if interested, email with your favorite AIC album and why you think you’re angry enough for the chair. money isnt important to me, just want to give the angry chair a good home.
god bless and rock on “
I tweeted a link to the joke listing, sent it to a few friends, and then went and got a burrito. It was a good afternoon.
But it turns out, in an almost inexplicable coincidence, I posted the listing on what happened to be deceased AIC lead singer Layne Staley’s birthday, making it a solid peg for a blog post.
As well as a few Spanish language music sites, including Portalternativo. All of them featured a large image of the shitty chair.
It started getting tweeted about by music journalists, classic rock radio stations, a Dutch Alice In Chains fan Twitter account, and random fans of the band.
I don’t feel bad about tricking the writers. All they had to do to confirm the legitimacy of the post was (a) respond to the listing asking for more details and/or (b) reverse image search that shitty chair image, and find its original source. Option (b) would have taken 15 seconds, at most, which I suppose is too slow for the fast-paced world of internet journalism.
En el libro Grunge is Dead de Greg Pato, la madre de Layne, Nancy, revela que Layne era «un friki de los videojuegos». Tenía una televisión con una gran pantalla, con muchísimos juegos y consolas diferentes. Layne incluso vestía una camiseta de Metal Gear Solid en su última foto pública conocida de Halloween de 1998.
2. Krist Novoselic, Mark Lanegan, Mike Inez & Sean Kinney trataron de ayudar a Layne
Según Grunge is Dead de Greg Pato y Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge de Mark Yarm, varios de los amigos rockeros de Layne se negaron a dejarle de lado e intentaron verle en sus años de encierro. Sean Kinney intentaría visitar a Layne a su casa, y frecuéntemente le llamaba en vano. Krist Novoselic le compró comida, esperando que se salvara después de perder a Kurt Cobain. Mark Lanegan y Mike Inez fueron a la casa de Layne y llamaron a la puerta para tratar de verle.
3. Layne iba a grabar con Taproot en 2002
Taproot estaban grabando un nuevo álbum con el productor de Alice In Chains Toby Wright en 2002, y quería a Layne Staley para cantar en una canción, según el libro Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge de Mark Yarm. Wright contactó con Staley poco antes de su muerte y Staley aceptó grabar la canción, de forma privada en un estudio en Seattle. Layne le dijo a Wright, «Wow, tengo la oportunidad de actuar de nuevo.» Wright se preparaba para volar hasta Seattle para preparar el estudio para el regreso de Layne al mundo de la grabación cuando recibió la llamada de que había muerto.
4. Layne y Mark Lanegan hablaron sobre colaborar.
«Hablamos de trabajo [juntos] de vez en cuando», dijo Mark Lanegan en abril de 2002 «Pero eso dependía de él y de su energía y el enfoque para poder trabajar, y supongo que no se materializó.»
5. Layne consideró mandarle una demo a Jerry Cantrell
Aunque nunca se ha verificado, ha habido rumores de que Layne trabajó en una demo casera llamada «Everyday» que planeaba enviar a Jerry Cantrell, posiblemente como muy tarde en 2002.
6. Layne fue a una fiesta en una casa y pasó el rato con Ann Wilson
En el libro Kicking and Dreaming, Ann Wilson reveló que Layne asistió a una fiesta en su casa alrededor de 1999. Dijo que después de que la mayor parte de la de la gente se fuera, Layne todavía estaba allí, y ella quería ir a nadar y Layne la siguió hasta la piscina . Layne no entró, pero se sentó en una silla tomando una cerveza. Él le dijo que cuando era un niño destacaba en la natación, dijo «me encantaba bucear.» Dijo también que el agua parecía como un mundo totalmente distinto. Mientras Layne se sentó allí y Ann estaba nadando, un enorme meteorito pasó sobre ellos y se iluminó el rostro de Layne. Ella dijo que él parecía un niño otra vez, y que en ese momento no había oscuridad en su vida. Layne dijo: «¿Viste eso? ¿A qué distancia crees que está de nosotros, Ann? ¿Crees que ha estado cerca de golpearnos, Ann? ¡Qué suerte hemos tenido de haber visto eso? Ann respondió que fue bonito, y Layne replicó,» ¿Tienes alguna idea de lo raro que es que un meteorito tan grande, y tan brillante, pase tan cerca de nosotros? Somos gente muy, muy afortunada Ann. Tú y yo «.
7. Bob Forrest & John Frusciante visitaron la casa de Layne
Alrededor del 1999/2000, Bob Forrest y el guitarrista de los Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, trataron de ayudar al vocalista de Alice In Chains, Layne Staley, para que dejara las drogas. Forrest recuerda la historia en su libro Running with Monsters: A Memoir. Forrest había ganado una reputación en la época como alguien que podía comunicarse con los adictos, que había ayudado a Frusciante a limpiarse del todo en 1997. Frusciante se mostró reacio a visitar a Staley, porque no creía que realmente se pudiera convencer a alguien para dejar las drogas , pero Forrest se mantuvo firme en tratar de ayudarlo.
Forrest volvió a llamar a la madre de Staley, Nancy, y le dijo que iba a tratar de ayudarle, aunque él le dijo que no sabía si iba a funcionar. Nancy respondió, «Layne tiene un extraño sentido del humor. Le dije que John tuvo gangrena una vez. Me dijo: ‘En el brazo? Eso es terrible, mamá. John es un guitarrista. Él tiene sus manos y brazos. ¿Yo? Sólo soy un cantante. Yo puedo vivir sin ellos. «Yo sé que él estaba bromeando, pero no me gusta escuchar cosas así. ¿Podrás hablar sensatamente con él?
Forrest aceptó, y él y Frusciante visitaron a Staley en su piso de Seattle. Forrest dice que la mente de Staley evidentemente aún funcionaba, pero que estaba a «un millón de millas de distancia.»
Bob: “Ey Layne. Qué tal va eso.” Layne: “Nada. Sé por lo que estás aquí.” Bob: “Tu madre está preocupada, tío. No pareces estar demasiado bien.” Layne: “Estoy bien, creo. En serio.”
Staley estaba jugando a videojuegos cuando le habló, pretendiendo que estaba escuchando a Forrest.
8. Layne estaba muy metido en las obras de arte
Layne estaba muy metido en el arte en sus últimos años, comprando con frecuencia materiales de arte que estaban dispersos alrededor de su casa.
IN ENGLISH
1. Layne Was A Video Game Fanatic
In Greg Prato’s Grunge is Dead, Layne’s mother Nancy revealed that Layne was a ‘video game freak.’ He had a big screen TV, 5 games 5 different gamers. dawn to dusk. Layne was even wearing a Metal Gear Solid video game shirt in his final public photo from Halloween 1998.
2. Krist Novoselic, Mark Lanegan, Mike Inez & Sean Kinney Tried To Help Layne
According to Greg Prato’s Grunge is Dead and Mark Yarm’s Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge, many of Layne’s rocker friends refused to give up on him and still tried to see him during his reclusive years. Sean Kinney would try to visit Layne at his home, and he frequently called him to no avail. Krist Novoselic brought him food, hoping he could save him after losing Kurt Cobain. Mark Lanegan and Mike Inez also went to Layne’s home and bang on his door trying to see him.
3. Layne Was Going To Record With Taproot In 2002
Taproot were recording a new album with Alice In Chains producer Toby Wright in 2002, and wanted Layne Staley to sing on a song, according to Mark Yarm’s book Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge. Wright contacted Staley shortly before his death and Staley agreed to record the song, privately in a studio in Seattle. Layne told Wright, “Wow, I get to perform again.” Wright was preparing to fly up to Seattle to prepare the studio for Layne’s return to recording when he got the called that he had died.
4. Layne and Mark Lanegan Discussed Collaborating
“We talked about [working together] from time to time,” Mark Lanegan told CDNow in April 2002. “But that was contingent on him having the energy and focus to be able to work, and I guess that didn’t materialize.”
5. Layne Considered Sending A Demo To Jerry Cantrell
Though never verified, there have been rumors that Layne worked on a home demo called “Everyday” that he planned on sending to Jerry Cantrell, possibly as late as 2002.
6. Layne Went To A House Party And Hung Out With Ann Wilson
In the Heart book Kicking and Dreaming, Ann Wilson revealed that Layne attended a party at her home around 1999. She said after most of the crowd left at night Layne was still there, and she wanted to go swimming so Layne followed her to the pool. Layne didn’t get in, but sat in a chair sipping a beer. He told her as a kid that he excelled at swimming, he said “I loved to dive into water.” He said the water felt like a whole other world. As Layne sat there and Ann was swimming, a huge meteor went over them and it lit up Layne’s face. She said he looked like a kid again, and at that moment there was no darkness in his life. Layne said, “Did you see that? How close do you think that was to us, Ann? Do you think that almost hit us, Ann? How lucky are we to have seen that?” Ann responded that it was beautiful, and Layne retorted, “Do you have any idea how rare it is for a meteor that big, and that bright, to come that close to us? We are really really lucky people Ann. You and me.”
7. Bob Forrest & John Frusciante Visited Layne’s Home
Around 1999/2000, Bob Forrest and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante tried to help Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley get clean. Forrest recalls the story in his book Running with Monsters: A Memoir. Forrest had gained a reputation at the time as being someone who could communicate with addicts, he had helped Frusciante get clean in 1997. Frusciante was hesitant to visit Staley because he didn’t think you could really preach to somebody about getting clean, but Forrest was adamant about trying to help him.
Forrest called back Staley’s mother Nancy and told her that they’d try to help him, though he told her he didn’t know if it’d work. Nancy responded, “Layne’s got an odd sense of humor. I told him that John had gangrene once. He said, ‘In his arm? That’s terrible, Mom. John’s a guitar player. He needs his hands and arms. Me? I’m just a singer. I can get by without them.’ I know he was joking, but I don’t like to hear stuff like that. Can you try to talk sense to him?”
Forrest agreed to, and he and Frusciante visited Staley at his Seattle condo. Forrest says that Staley’s mind clearly still worked but that he was “a million miles away.”
Bob: “Hey Layne. What’s going on.” Layne: “Nothing. I know why you’re here.” Bob: “Your Mom’s worried, man. You don’t look too good.” Layne: “I’m okay, though. Really.”
Staley was playing video games while they talked, and “pretended” to listen according to Forrest.
8. Layne Was Heavily Into His Art Work
Layne was very into his artwork during his later years, frequently buying art supplies that were scattered around his home.
