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Layne Staley

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Layne Staley

Layne Thomas Staley (August 22, 1967 – c. April 5, 2002) was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s. The band became known for its distinct vocal style, which often included the "snarl-to-a-scream" vocals of Staley,[2] as well as the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.[3] Staley was also a member of the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99. He struggled throughout his career with severe drug addiction, which eventually led to his death in April 2002.

History

Early life

Layne Staley was born to Phil Staley and Nancy McCallum (née Layne) in Kirkland, Washington.[4] He was seven years old when his parents divorced, after which he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Jim Elmer. He took his stepfather's name while in high school and was known for some time as Layne Elmer.[5] 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."[6] In that same interview he also said that he was convinced that if he became a celebrity his dad would return.

Staley began playing drums at age 12; 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. He proceeded to trade in his drum set for a microphone and started the band Alice In Chains with co-founder Jerry Cantrell.

Career with Alice in Chains

The band released their debut album Facelift on August 21, 1990. Their lead single, "Man in the Box", with lyrics written by Staley, became a huge hit. Facelift has since been certified 2x platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies in the United States. "Man in the Box" is widely recognized for its distinctive "wordless opening melody, where Layne Staley's peculiar, tensed-throat vocals are matched in unison with an effects-laden guitar" followed by "portentous lines like: 'Jesus Christ/Deny your maker' and 'He who tries/Will be wasted' with Cantrell's drier, less-urgent voice."[7]

Following the success of Facelift, the band went on to record two more studio albums - Dirt and Alice in Chains - as well as two EPs - Sap and Jar of Flies. Although Cantrell wrote or co-wrote along with Sean Kinney, Mike Starr, and Mike Inez almost all of the music, Staley wrote more and more lyrics as time went on, eventually receiving credit for about half the lyrics from their entire catalog as well as writing three songs musically and lyrically - "Hate to Feel", "Angry Chair" and "Head Creeps". Staley's lyrics are largely viewed as having often dealt with his struggle against heroin addiction as well as other personal troubles. The album Dirt showcased the former in songs like "God Smack", "Junkhead", "Sickman" and "Angry Chair", the only single where Staley wrote the music as well as the lyrics.

Staley playing with Alice in Chains in Boston in 1992.

The other members of Alice in Chains, seeing Staley's deteriorating condition, opted not to tour in support of their 1994 EP Jar of Flies. Following its release, Staley entered a rehabilitation clinic and began to work on a side project with several Seattle musicians, including Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of 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 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 1995. The first single, "River of Deceit", became a modest success on alternative radio, and "I Don't Know Anything" still receives occasional airplay. A live performance filmed at the Moore Theater in Seattle was released in August 1995.

During Alice in Chains' hiatus, reports of Staley's addiction began to gain widespread circulation in 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."[8] Some of the more persistent and unsubstantiated rumors, ranging from gangrene to missing fingers,[9] 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."[10]

Alice in Chains regrouped to record their self-titled 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. With the exceptions of "Grind", "Heaven Beside You", and "Over Now", the lyrics are all written by Layne Staley, making this album his greatest lyrical contribution to the band's catalogue. 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 – 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, guitarist 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".[11]

During the band's appearance on MTV Unplugged, Staley was visibly weak and emaciated, but still able to deliver a strong performance. He made his last performance on July 3, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri, while Alice in Chains were touring with Kiss after their Unplugged appearance. In October, Staley's former girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, died from secondary complications caused by drug use (bacterial endocarditis). He was reported to have been placed on a 24-hour suicide watch according to NME, which quoted, "a friend saying Layne was taking Demri Parrott's death 'extremely badly' and had fallen into a deep depression".[12]

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".[13] In September 1998, Staley re-emerged to help record two tracks ("Get Born Again" and "Died") with Alice in Chains, which were released on the Music Bank box set in 1999. Additional reports of 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 80 pounds…and was white as snow." Cantrell refused to comment on the singer's appearance, simply replying "I'd rather not comment on that…", and band manager Susan Silver said she hadn't seen the singer since last year. [14] Staley was thought to have left behind his "self-imposed rock & roll exile" [15] 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, Jane's Addiction 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 his life during this period. Staley's mother owns the last known photo of Staley, taken in November of 2001, which features him holding his new-born nephew, Oscar. This photo has never been released to the public, and may never be, due to Staley's sickly physical appearance. Other than this rare incident, Staley was not seen often by family or friends. Sean Kinney has commented on Layne's final year's and isolation period. "I used to go up to the condominium in Seattle and Layne never would come to the door. I would even get to the point of throwing rocks and stones at the door of his apartment yelling 'Layne it's me! Let me in!' But he would never answer, so, eventually I had no choice but to leave."

In his last interview, which took place in early 2002, Staley spoke of 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."[16]

Staley's physical appearance had become even worse than before: he had lost several teeth, his skin was sickly pale and he was severely gaunt.[16]

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'."[17]

Staley's 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".[18]

Death

On April 19, 2002, an unidentified person placed a call with 911 to say "She hadn't heard from… [Staley] in about two weeks."[19] Staley was found dead in his home after, "his mother and stepfather went to his condo with the police."[20] 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 20, 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." The article also stated that the 6'1" Staley weighed just 86 pounds when his body was discovered.[21] The autopsy report later concluded that Staley died after injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine known as a "speedball". The King County Coroner's Office estimated Staley to have died on April 5, 2002, exactly 8 years after fellow grunge musician Kurt Cobain also died (Cobain was found three days later, on April 8).

After death

Jerry Cantrell released the solo album Degradation Trip in June 2002 and dedicated the album to Staley. Several of the songs on Cantrell's double-album version of the recording speak of Staley's reclusiveness (e.g. "Bargain Basement Howard Hughes"). People have speculated that "Pig Charmer" was about Staley's self-destruction, but in an interview for a guitar magazine, Jerry stated that it was about how he [Jerry] was living while writing the album.

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 Pat Lachman from Damageplan, Phil Anselmo from Down, Wes Scantlin from Puddle of Mudd, 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" and "Am I Inside"). Following positive response, the band decided to reunite formally in 2006. In an interview with MTV News,[22] 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".

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[23] Staind featured a song called "Layne" in memory to the singer on their 14 Shades of Grey album. In addition, Cold's song "The Day Seattle Died" was an ode to Staley, as well as Kurt Cobain, who were both figureheads of the grunge rock movement. A further tribute entitled 'Layne To Rest' was recorded by former Babes In Toyland frontwoman Kat Bjelland with her band Katastrophy Wife. Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman stated that their B-side "Shadow" was written about Layne.

Legacy

Staley's influence has likewise been felt in other genres. Two books have been written about him, both authored by Adriana Rubio—Layne Staley: Angry Chair and the more recent, Layne Staley: Get Born Again, which was 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".[24] On September 28, 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".[25] 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. Music Historian Maxim W. Furek released the comprehensive "The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge and Heroin," i-Universe. ISBN: 978-0-595-46319-0, that revisited the tragic deaths of numerous grunge artists.

Cantrell has been known to say in many interviews regarding Alice in Chains that "Layne is irreplaceable, not only as a singer, but as a person. We all loved him". The reformed Alice in Chains (with William Duvall) are also known to have an intermission to include a five-minute filmed tribute in between sets to him.

Staley ranked #27 on Hit Parader magazine's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" (published in the November 2006 issue). Staley was an inspiration for the title of the 2008 Metallica album Death Magnetic when lead guitarist Kirk Hammett brought a photograph of Staley to the studio where Metallica was recording. "That picture was there for a long time," said Hammett, "I think it pervaded James' psyche."[26]

Layne Staley Fund

In 2002, Staley'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. It holds a yearly tribute in August, on or around Staley's birthday.[27]

Discography

Alice in Chains

Main article: Alice in Chains discography

Other appearances

Year Album details Band Notes
1993 Desire Walks On Heart Guest vocals on the song "Ring Them Bells".
1995 Above Mad Season U.S. #24, Gold Also appeared on Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon with Mad Season for the song "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier".
L.O.V.Evil Second Coming Guest vocals on the song "It’s Coming After".
1998 The Faculty soundtrack Class of '99 Vocals on "Another Brick in the Wall" parts 1 and 2.

References

  1. ^ "Alice in Chains". Musicmight. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
  2. ^ Gill, Chris (September 1999). "Dirt". Guitar World.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Thomas; Prato, Greg. "Alice in Chains Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Social Security Death Index; Layne T. Staley; 532-94-9838
  5. ^ Music & nightlife | Alice in Chains singer's legacy lives on through music | Seattle Times Newspaper
  6. ^ Layne Staley's Last Interview Revealed - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
  7. ^ Huey, Steve. "Man in the Box". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  8. ^ "Rock Singer Lay Dead for Two Weeks". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. April 22, 2002. Retrieved 2007-08-21. Layne Staley's death may have been as dark as the lyrics he sang for grunge rock supergroup Alice in Chains. Staley, 34, lay dead in his North Seattle apartment for two weeks, his body surrounded by heroin-injection paraphernalia, before a relative discovered him, authorities said yesterday. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "Despite Reports, Alice In Chains' Staley Has All His Fingers". mtv.com. August 1997.
  10. ^ "An Angry Angel - Layne Staley Remembered by Bandmates, Friends". vh1.com. April 22, 2002.
  11. ^ Christopher, Michael. "Degredation Trip: An Interview with Jerry Cantrell". popmatters.com. 26 December 2002.
  12. ^ "Alice in Chains Frontman Under Suicide Watch". adbdesign.com. 28 November 1996.
  13. ^ There are only 2 photos of Staley at the 1997 grammys known to the public. They show Staley, who appears severely thin and pale, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth and sunglasses."Men in a Box: With nothing new on tap, Alice in Chains drums up the past". rollingstone.com. 29 January 1997.
  14. ^ Fischer, Blair R. (September 3, 1998). "Malice in Chains?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-21. Grunge may be lying dormant, awaiting its nostalgia-driven revival sometime after the millennium clock ticks over, but genre table-setters Alice in Chains aren't about to let the lapse in interest stop their riffing. The group was in the studio recently, laying down tracks for possible inclusion in a box set. The session broke the group's three-year studio hiatus, but band members aren't exactly shooting crazy string over the version of events producer Dave Jerden alleges occurred during the group's one-day collaboration two weeks ago. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ "Just Another Bombtrack: Layne Staley, Tom Morello and Stephen Perkins group to cover 'Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2' for film soundtrack". Rolling Stone. 25 November 1998. Retrieved 2007-08-21. Layne Staley's self-imposed rock & roll exile is apparently over. Earlier this fall, the singer regrouped with his Alice in Chains band mates to record two new songs for an upcoming box set (tentatively due out next spring), and now he has joined an ad hoc all-star group of musicians to record a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" for the soundtrack to the teen sci-fi horror film The Faculty, out on Columbia Records on Dec. 22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ a b Wiederhorn, Jon. "Late Alice In Chains Singer Layne Staley's Last Interview Revealed In New Book". MTVNews.com. February 25, 2003.
  17. ^ "We Left Him Alone: Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley spent his final days by himself". blender.com. August 2002.
  18. ^ "Mark Lanegan on Layne Staley's Death: 'I always hoped it wouldn't happen'". top40-charts.com. April 23, 2002.
  19. ^ "The Smoking Gun: Archive"
  20. ^ Cross, Charles R. (1 June 2002). "The Last Days of Layne Staley". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-08-21. In the summer of 1987, guitarist Jerry Cantrell walked in a raucous Seattle party and saw a man at the center of it all , with bright pink hair pilled atop his head by means of fire poker. "he had a big smile on his face, and he was sitting with two gorgeous woman," Cantrell recalls of the moment he met Layne Staley. Cantrell didn't have a place to live, so Staley took him back to what passed for his residence - a dumpy, piss-smelling rehearsal studio where both would live for the next year. And when Cantrell heard Staley sing, he was convinced their friendship would be a lasting one: "I knew that voice was the guy I wanted to be playing with. It sounded like it came out of a 350- pound biker rather than skinny little Layne. I considered his voice to be my voice." Sometime in the first week of April, that oversize voice - which fueled a half-dozen radio hits and helped sell millions of albums - died along with Staley. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ "Smack is Back". seattleweekly.com. January 8, 2003.
  22. ^ Remaining Alice In Chains Members Reuniting - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
  23. ^ allmusic.com Review Link to the allmusic.com page of the BLS album and its review.
  24. ^ "ALICE IN CHAINS: 'Layne Staley' Biography Used By Social Workers And Drug Counselors". blabbermouth.net. 3 September 2006.
  25. ^ "LAYNE STALEY Book To Be Made Into A Movie?". blabbermouth.net. 28 September 2006.
  26. ^ Metallica: Metal Machines (Louder Faster Stronger). Rolling Stone. October 2008. pp. 58–67. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Layne Staley Fund donations page, including donation address

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