Alice In Chains: News, History & Updates

Alice in Chains Biography by Greg Prato

Excerpts from Greg’s books for Alternative Nation

YANNI “JOHNNY” BACOLAS [Alice ‘N Chains (pre-Alice in Chains)/Second Coming/the Crying Spell bassist, roommate of Layne Staley’s in the mid-late ’90s]: The best memories I have in my life are really the times I spent with Layne, back in those early teenage years – those formidable years, where everything’s innocent. You’re playing music for the right reasons – because it’s fun. It’s not to chase a record deal, it’s not about points, it’s not about publishing. It’s just the most sincerest form of making music. This is what we love to do – we want to skip school, go to the jam room, write music, and play gigs. So, those memories are the best memories of my life – to this day.

JACK ENDINO [Producer/engineer (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Green River, Mudhoney, Tad, Fastbacks, L7, Love Battery), Skin Yard singer/guitarist]: [Alice in Chains] started as Diamond Lie, and earlier, I remember seeing posters with Alice in Chains with a “z.” They sort of started as a glam metal band in a lot of ways. I think Jerry or somebody must have seen what was going on around them and thought, “Wait a minute…we’re a Seattle band. Why are we trying to sound like LA for?”

LONN FRIEND [Rip Magazine editor, host of ‘Friend at Large’ segment on ‘Headbangers Ball,’ host of ‘Pirate Radio Saturday Night’ show]: When Alice in Chains was going to release their debut [‘Facelift’], I was flown up to Seattle to hear them play and to see the streets of Seattle. That trip was so profound for me, because I arrived there in the wake of [Mother Love Bone singer] Andy Wood’s death. I was introduced on the street to Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, [Soundgarden/Alice in Chains’ manager] Susan Silver, and Chris Cornell. It’s odd this kind of Zelig/’Forrest Gump’ journalistic life that I had for so many years, to be in a place like that and not even realize until years later. And Rip just morphed into covering another genre of music.

DAVID ELLEFSON [ex-Megadeth bassist]: And to me, Alice in Chains’ ‘Facelift,’ Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten,’ Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind,’ I thought all those records fit in that same category.

EDDIE TRUNK [Radio host, That Metal Show co-host]: I think that they’re a bridge between the two. I think that Alice in Chains has a little bit more of a metal connotation, but Soundgarden certainly has some really, really heavy things, like the end of “Rusty Cage” or something like that. Those are the two bands that came out of the grunge scene, that I – to this day – really like. Soundgarden especially, because I love Chris Cornell’s voice. And Alice in Chains opened on the Clash of the Titans tour, and I believe they even opened some shows for Warrant early on [and Poison, too!]. I think they had elements of both – they were going to be put in that grunge category because of the Seattle thing and the time of what was going on, but I think that both of those bands had some real elements of metal, if you really listen to them. And of that entire scene, those are definitely the two bands I like the best. So being a metal guy, that probably tells you something.

DAVE LOMBARDO [former Slayer drummer]: I don’t remember how the crowd reacted [to Alice in Chains], but I remember watching them from the side of the stage and really enjoying them. Because it was a breath of fresh air. It was a lot “groovier” than the thrash metal style, which was a lot quicker and kinda “cut your throat” kind of music. Alice in Chains just brought it down. It was heavy, but heavy in a different way. What I remember is they were pretty well accepted. I don’t think the fans really dissed them in any way. I think it was positive for them, and they laid some groundwork for other grunge bands that were coming down at that time.

JONATHAN PLUM [Engineer (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains)]: I was surprised to find out that Jerry was sort of the main creative guy behind the whole thing. He was, certainly in the earlier times – writing all the lyrics and melodies. He was basically writing everything. It wasn’t until later I think that Layne started writing his own lyrics and melodies. Jerry was the kind of guy who would get in the studio and work all day and all night – just go, go, go – and be really focused. He was probably one of the more hard-working guys that I had seen in the studio – in those days. He worked until 6:00/7:00/8:00 in the morning.

ROBERT ROTH [Truly singer/guitarist]: I met Layne a few times, and he seemed like a really sweet guy. It was really sad. My impression of it is that he was so far gone that a lot of the people that really tried to help him had given up on helping him. I feel somebody dropped the ball. It seems like he was really abandoned. If he went two weeks and nobody’s checking in on him, something’s wrong there – I don’t care how bad off somebody is. So, I feel really sad about it.

I was not a fan of Alice in Chains [at first], and I became a fan. When that Facelift record came out, I was like, “They’ve defined grunge in their own way.” It was very commercial…but it was really good. And I’m not a big metal fan. I feel really bad for him. It’s hard to help people when they’re in that bad of shape – I understand.

QUOTE SOURCES (CLICK LINKS FOR ORDER INFO):

Yanni Bacolas: I Love Grunge: Grunge Is Dead Outtakes
Robert Roth: I Love Grunge: Grunge Is Dead Outtakes
All other quotes: Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990’s