Mad Season - Above

[VinylGuy]

There is a great Mudhoney song called "into yer schtik" that talks about it...Mark even said Layne was on his mind when he wrote this one.
Im sure Layne got into drugs Because of rock music, and then thing got out of control with him...and of course the music biz wont help...still there is a sincerity about the whole thing, i really like...he was truly honest with what was happening to him.


MUDHONEY - INTO YER SHTIK LYRICS
You're so tormented
Demented
Indebted
To all the assholes just like you
Who've come and gone before you
Predictable
Just plain dull
Why don't you
Blow your brains out, too?
You're so into yer shtik

You're so hounded
Ungrounded
Surrounded
By scum sucking leeches
Who will shovel your shit
Sweep your dessert
Both before and after it
Feed your ego
They never tell you no
All of you
Make me sick
You're so into yer shtik

And they're all into your shtik

Well, mitchell's got a new girl
She's nineteen
Hollywood model
Star of the screen
She's up here
To support the scene
It's all part
Of his rock and roll fantasy

Stan was at the bar
With bandaged hands
They tried to dry him out
And he got mad
Cut his fist
Punching hospital glass
Made his myth
Now he's trapped

Susie's just a girl
Who's doing her job
That came to new york
And wanted a car
Working with the management
To the stars
Kissing ass
Is a part of her job
It's part of her job
Yeah, it's part of her job
Oh she loves her job
What the hell?
She does it so well

I'm not perfect
I've lived a life of mistakes
I'm not perfect
There's one thing I can't take
You are into yer shtik
You're so into yer shtik
And they're so into yer shtik
Fuck you, you make me sick

[Fuzzcharger]

I don't know that he really had a choice once he got into it so deep. Sure, the first few times anyone does any kind of drug it's a choice. In Layne's case, he did attempt rehab something like 14 times, he must have realized there was a problem and tried to get help multiple times. For a lot of true artists, their suffering feeds their creativity. How many amazing artists have been lost in the last 60 years to something similar?

Sure, obviously this sort of thing is never black and white and I'm not trying to come across as the 'he chose to take drugs so he should deal with the consequences' guy. It just seems to have been reasonably well documented about the way he went about dealing with his habit. I think the Mudhoney lyrics sum it up pretty well. Also in that song Mark Arm has said that Mitchell was Eric Erlanderson, Stan was Layne Staley and Susie was Janet Billig. SO there you go.

[bodysnatcher]

interesting perspective since Mark was on heroin himself and kicked it in the early 90s

[B]

B, what software did you use to put this together?

What the unboxing? Just Movie Maker in Windows. It's nothing amazing, but it gets the job done for this stuff and videos of my kids.

[VinylGuy]

interesting perspective since Mark was on heroin himself and kicked it in the early 90s

yeah, but the approach was different..Even if Layne wasnt saying, hey doing drugs is great!, its true he had that subject too present in his lyrics.

Those lyrics, by the way, are amazing.

[gardenparty]

interesting perspective since Mark was on heroin himself and kicked it in the early 90s

yeah, but the approach was different..Even if Layne wasnt saying, hey doing drugs is great!, its true he had that subject too present in his lyrics.

Those lyrics, by the way, are amazing.

there was a lot of shtick in Seatle in the 90's. Mudhoney certainly had their own

[Chloe]

I don't know that he really had a choice once he got into it so deep. Sure, the first few times anyone does any kind of drug it's a choice. In Layne's case, he did attempt rehab something like 14 times, he must have realized there was a problem and tried to get help multiple times. For a lot of true artists, their suffering feeds their creativity. How many amazing artists have been lost in the last 60 years to something similar?

Sure, obviously this sort of thing is never black and white and I'm not trying to come across as the 'he chose to take drugs so he should deal with the consequences' guy. It just seems to have been reasonably well documented about the way he went about dealing with his habit. I think the Mudhoney lyrics sum it up pretty well. Also in that song Mark Arm has said that Mitchell was Eric Erlanderson, Stan was Layne Staley and Susie was Janet Billig. SO there you go.

I think the text bit is fucking with us here. We're probably on the same page but I have a hard time getting everything I want to say into a post for the whole internet to read. God damn introverts
Mark was probably pretty pissed at any one of his friends using during that time, especially if he wrote said song after he was sober (i really know nothing about any of these bands, just dig their music). "if I can do this, so can/should you". Every addicts approach to things is different but ultimately they are the only one who can make the change and want to get sober. It'll never happen unless they want it. He may never have fully wanted it, even after 14 stints in rehab dude still died from a speedball.

[lowlight79]

That 'pain is self chosen' lyric is really terrible. It's strikes me as incredibly lame to appoint yourself as some tragic martyr and celebrate it cause you chose to live out some rock'n'roll fantasy existence that turned around and bit you an the ass. I like AiC and Mad Season but that druggy, rock'n'roll mythologising is so boring.

So you think he wanted to be a drug addict?

I have no idea if he wanted to be an addict. It does seem pretty obvious that he felt the need to be a bit 'woe is me' about it all throughout his lyrics though. You can take lots of drugs without having to tell the whole world about it incessantly.

From what I understand, either it was his girlfriend or his ex girlfriend that died from a OD in the mid 90's that pretty much made him give up on life and quitting drugs.

[Chloe]

That 'pain is self chosen' lyric is really terrible. It's strikes me as incredibly lame to appoint yourself as some tragic martyr and celebrate it cause you chose to live out some rock'n'roll fantasy existence that turned around and bit you an the ass. I like AiC and Mad Season but that druggy, rock'n'roll mythologising is so boring.

So you think he wanted to be a drug addict?

I have no idea if he wanted to be an addict. It does seem pretty obvious that he felt the need to be a bit 'woe is me' about it all throughout his lyrics though. You can take lots of drugs without having to tell the whole world about it incessantly.

From what I understand, either it was his girlfriend or his ex girlfriend that died from a OD in the mid 90's that pretty much made him give up on life and quitting drugs.

Fair enough. Most addicts have some kind of inner demon they are fighting, and have a hard time accepting that they are "worth" being sober and "worth" having that time and energy put into them. Would make sense if that's really the case... addiction is a pretty fascinating topic. Sorry to derail the thread. Layne's addiction shouldn't be the main topic in this thread, but it did fuel his music/lyrics so it's legit to talk about, right? Feel free to change the topic at any point

[B]

Two questions:

1. It was probably mentioned somewhere, but why is the Moore show split up on the DVD?

And a slightly heavier topic:

2. Does anyone else think it's too much of a white wash to refer to Layne's "declining health" as an obstacle for Mad Season, when the real fact of the matter was that he was a junkie who couldn't be trusted to show up anywhere when expected b/c he was too busy getting high? That might be a little insensitive, to say that, and certainly, his problems are tragic however you view them, but I think they're referring to it as health issues candy coats the truth too much. The luck of the draw didn't hand him cancer ... his pain was, in large part, self chosen [sic].

[Chloe]

Two questions:

1. It was probably mentioned somewhere, but why is the Moore show split up on the DVD?

And a slightly heavier topic:

2. Does anyone else think it's too much of a white wash to refer to Layne's "declining health" as an obstacle for Mad Season, when the real fact of the matter was that he was a junkie who couldn't be trusted to show up anywhere when expected b/c he was too busy getting high? That might be a little insensitive, to say that, and certainly, his problems are tragic however you view them, but I think they're referring to it as health issues candy coats the truth too much. The luck of the draw didn't hand him cancer ... his pain was, in large part, self chosen [sic].

He likely had secondary health problems. Of course that was ultimately due to the drug use. There's a possibility they didn't know how bad he was at that time, or they were in denial about his condition because he was able to "get by" for so long.

[Chloe]

Anyone read this?

Feb 25 2003 1:03 PM EST http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/147013 ... aled.jhtml

Late Alice In Chains Singer Layne Staley's Last Interview Revealed In New Book

Almost a year after the April 2002 death of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, the final interview with the troubled musician has surfaced in the recently released book "Layne Staley: Angry Chair — A Look Inside the Heart and Soul of an Incredible Musician" by Argentinean writer and music fan Adriana Rubio.

The conversation took place less than three months before Staley died from an overdose of heroin and cocaine ("Layne Staley Died From Mix Of Heroin, Cocaine, Report Says"), and revealed a broken 34-year-old who had given up the will to live.

"I know I'm dying," he rasped through missing teeth. "I'm not doing well. Don't try to talk about this to my sister Liz. She will know it sooner or later."

Staley, suffering from fever and nausea, told Rubio that his need for heroin was all-consuming, even though the effects of the drug were no longer enjoyable. He added that smack had completely ravaged his system and left him empty and filled with regrets.

"This f---ing drug use is like the insulin a diabetic needs to survive," he said. "I'm not using drugs to get high like many people think. I know I made a big mistake when I started using this sh--. It's a very difficult thing to explain. My liver is not functioning and I'm throwing up all the time and sh---ing my pants. The pain is more than you can handle. It's the worst pain in the world. Dope sick hurts the entire body."

The most chilling passage of the interview reads like a suicide note.

"I know I'm near death," he said. "I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way. I know I have no chance. It's too late. I never wanted [the public's] thumbs' up about this f---ing drug use. Don't try to contact any AIC (Alice in Chains) members. They are not my friends."

In the rest of the interview, Staley talked about his relationship with his family. He stressed that he's always been close to his mother Nancy McCallum, sister Liz and stepsister Jamie, but that when he was eight years old his father walked out on the family and Staley's life faded to black.

"My world became a nightmare," he said. "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."

Staley insisted he always knew he had the talent and creativity to be rock star, and thought that if he became a celebrity his dad would return. So he started writing songs in his teens and jamming with other musicians. At the same time, he did a bit of research to find out where his father was living and what kind of a man he was.

"When I was 16, I tried to find him without saying a word to my family," revealed Staley. "I did it for a long f---in' time, and what I found over the years was not good, so I changed my mind about wanting to see my dad again."

At that point, Staley focused all his energy on music, reveling in it as a cathartic outlet.

"I was about 20, and music became my only obsession to stay alive," he said. "I had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. It was therapeutic and worked [for] me for a while until my dad saw my picture printed on a magazine."

Just as Alice in Chains started to take off, the man Staley expended so much energy and anguish thinking about suddenly wanted to become a part of the rocker's life. The then 21-year-old singer was wary, but he still hoped seeing his dad again would help fill the hole in his heart.

"He said he'd been clean of drugs for six years," Staley related. "So, why in the hell didn't he come back before? I was very cautious at first. Then the relationship changed. My father started using drugs again. We did drugs together and I found myself in a miserable situation. He started visiting me all day to get high and do drugs with me. He came up to me just to get some sh--, and that's all. I was trying to kick this habit out of my life and here comes this man asking for money to buy some smack."

Being used by his father was one of the forces that contributed to Staley's downward slide.

"He finally kicked heroin use, and I'm still fighting," he said bitterly. "I invested a lot of money on treatments. I know I did my best or what I thought would be right. I changed my number. I don't wanna see people anymore and it's nobody's business but mine."

The remainder of "Layne Staley: Angry Chair" is composed of interviews with the singer's mom and sister that outline Staley's childhood, interests, personality, love life and career. The 146-page book also contains the author's take on the European Renaissance and the history of heroin.

Rubio wrote much of the text in first person and empathized with Staley's family by comparing her struggle with bulimia to the ravages of addiction. She features quotes and song lyrics by musician John Brandon, who penned the book "Unchained ... The Story of Mike Starr," but did not interview any of Staley's bandmates, friends, business associates or artists that toured with Alice in Chains.

"Layne Staley: Angry Chair" features 50 pages of photos of Staley's sketches, diary entries, childhood pictures, art work and his eulogy by his friend and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin.

[verb_to_trust]

I've seen that before. To me, the source sounds a little questionable....

What they really should do is interview Staley's cat.

[Chloe]

I've seen that before. To me, the source sounds a little questionable....

What they really should do is interview Staley's cat.

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Was curious if anyone had read the book, too.

[bodysnatcher]

I've seen that before. To me, the source sounds a little questionable....

What they really should do is interview Staley's cat.

from what I've read, that whole book and anything to do with Rubio is completely disregarded by most of the hardcore AIC fanbase and Layne's family and friends. I read about it years ago, but apparently most of the book is completely out of context, heresay, or fictionalized to a point that Layne's friends don't even want to talk about it and give it attention

[Chloe]

I've seen that before. To me, the source sounds a little questionable....

What they really should do is interview Staley's cat.

from what I've read, that whole book and anything to do with Rubio is completely disregarded by most of the hardcore AIC fanbase and Layne's family and friends. I read about it years ago, but apparently most of the book is completely out of context, heresay, or fictionalized to a point that Layne's friends don't even want to talk about it and give it attention

[Bee Girl]

If the book is only 146 pages, and 50 of them are pictures, and it "also contains the author's take on the European Renaissance and the history of heroin.", how much real information could there even be in there?

[verb_to_trust]

If the book is only 146 pages, and 50 of them are pictures, and it "also contains the author's take on the European Renaissance and the history of heroin.", how much real information could there even be in there?

To be fair to the writer, how much can you really write about a dope fiend who outside a decent run of music with his band wasn't all that interesting?

[Birds in Hell]

1. It was probably mentioned somewhere, but why is the Moore show split up on the DVD?

How is it split up?

I don't have it, I'm just curious.

[bada]

Mike's solos were just effects and wanking.

you're confusing that with patterns

Scales under loads of reverb, delay and a wah wah pedal. Kinda boring. Just a first impression I'll probably love it next week.

Yeah I'm an idiot this is really good.