Remembering Layne Staley

Today marks 12 years since Layne Staley of Alice In Chains passed away, and since I had been thinking of him lately I really wanted to do a post about him for a few different reasons...

I love that great bands can be rediscovered and form new fans long after their prime. I have always had a love and sense of nostalgia for the 90's era, even though (or perhaps because of) me being just a kid during that time. But for some reason I never liked AIC, probably because all I had ever heard of them was excessive radio play of the same songs and a couple of not-so-Christian infamous lyrics. I thought they were just another heavy metal hair band until about 2 years back when I took a trip to Lake Tahoe to visit a friend of mine. There we were forced inside by all the snowfall and a couple of friends that were there decided to put in the Alice In Chains Unplugged DVD. It literally changed my world a little. Not only was it snowing and a perfect setting for their heavy songwriting, but I've also always been a sucker for anything acoustic and this one DVD finally proved to me the validity of this band, and from then on I was hooked. 

I thought Layne was so cool with his grunge go-T and pink hair, then went on to research him quite a bit and unfortunately his losing battle with heroin as well. It's actually a beautiful and heartbreaking tale about losing his father at a young age, believing fame would return him and eventually being reunited, yet too far down Layne's drug addiction, etc. He was a bit of a tortured & lost soul, but an extremely kind, gentle, honest, and funny person. 

Lastly I just love 90's grunge fashion and for that reason alone I would show you Layne's brilliant style. I managed to find a few photos of him in rare form, smiling. 

(I also found out today that his official memorial date is on 4/20, my birthday, and that Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam wrote a song in his memory called 4/20/02, so that's pretty cool too.) End rant. :)

xo-J

Here with his fiancé at the time, Demri Parrott who passed at age 27.