We are now two months to the day from the release of Alice in Chains: The Untold Story. One bit of news about the book I am pleased to announce: it was included in the “Summer’s Music Must-Reads” list in the new issue of Billboard magazine which came out last week. The article is behind a paywall, but here’s a scan:
As the August 4 publication date for Alice In Chains: The Untold Story approaches, several people have discovered this site or my book for the first time within the past several days and weeks. I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity to (re)introduce myself and my previous work about Alice in Chains to date, and address recent developments and some of the feedback I’ve received so far.
First, I have no knowledge of or involvement with a possible Alice in Chains book by Duff McKagan. Beyond that, I won’t comment on it until I’ve had an opportunity to read it, if it should come to pass. I would also refer you to this recent tweet from Duff himself:
Second, several people have contacted me and told me they’ve already pre-ordered the book. I am profoundly thankful to each and every one of you for spending your hard-earned money on the unreleased first book of an unknown author, and for your trust. It means a great deal to me.
Several others have contacted me to ask questions about the book or to express their skepticism, such as if the band members were involved with the book (they weren’t), or asking why they should buy it, or telling me I shouldn’t expect people to buy it just because it’s about Alice in Chains. All of these questions and critiques are valid, and I will address them as best as I can for the time being.
I am well aware of the fact Alice in Chains and their fans have been burned by other writers in the past, so I can understand these questions and doubts you have about me. I can’t say anything about what’s in my book until it’s out, but I can refer you to my background and my body of work. In particular, I would refer you to this story I filed for The Atlantic several years ago, which I think is the best example of how I write and put together a story. Although it is about a very different subject, try to imagine a book length version of that story about Alice in Chains. If I felt I couldn’t write something about the band of that quality or better, I wouldn’t have done it, or I would have abandoned the project.
If you still have questions or doubts, I would say wait until the book is out and skim through it at your local bookstore, and make up your own mind if you think it’s worth buying/reading or not. I’m happy and confident in how it came out after three years of hard work and I am eagerly looking forward to everyone finally getting an opportunity to read it.
Layne Staley performing with Alice ‘N Chains at University of Washington’s Kane Hall, May 1986.
It’s been a while since I posted anything about my Alice in Chains biography. Here’s something to start off 2015:
The Book Is DONE: I’m reviewing a hard copy of the manuscript (pictured above) for final edits and changes. Once that’s finished, that will be the final version that goes to the presses for mass production and publication.
Mark Your Calendars: The other bit of news is the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with a scheduled release date of August 4, 2015.
More updates to come in the weeks and months ahead… I look forward to getting the book out there and for people to have the opportunity to read it. Best wishes to all of you for 2015…
Today marks the 20th and 12th anniversaries of the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley. Take some time to reflect on them, their music, and their individual legacies.
Kurt Cobain:
Layne Staley:
Beyond these links and videos, if you want to know more about both of them and the broader Seattle scene in general, I would highly recommend reading Greg Prato’s Grunge Is Dead and Mark Yarm’s Everybody Loves Our Town.
Paul Rachman, the director of Alice in Chains‘ breakout “Man in the Box” video, has posted this photo on Twitter of him with the titular character from the video. According to another tweet by Rachman, the character was played by a friend named Rezin.
You can view Rezin in all his creepy glory at the end of the video:
There have been some developments regarding the Alice in Chains project I’ve been working on for nearly two years. I recently signed a deal with a publisher. Here’s the official announcement, it ran in Publisher’s Marketplace yesterday (it’s behind a paywall, text is pasted below):
July 9, 2013
Non-fiction:
Pop Culture
Journalist David de Sola’s TOUCH ON THE DARK, the first and only biography on the band Alice In Chains, promising countless never-before reported stories on the band with exclusive access to producers, journalists, musicians, and many others who have never gone on the record about their time working with the band, to Rob Kirkpatrick at Thomas Dunne Books, by Anthony Mattero at Foundry Literary + Media (NA).
In the meantime, work on the project continues. We are hoping for a late 2014/early 2015 release.
You can read some of my previous reporting on Alice in Chains here, here and here. All of this will be covered in greater depth in the book.
Update: For visitors who have questions about me, I would recommend they read about my background and look at some of my previous work from over the years.
Even though it’s completely unrelated to Alice in Chains, if you want a general idea of how I’m writing the book, I would recommend reading The Man Who Volunteered for Auschwitz.
Alice in Chains have started touring in support of their upcoming album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. Check out this photo of Sean Kinney’s new bass drum, which features a tribute to original band members Layne Staley and Mike Starr. The picture was taken at the AIC show in Miami on April 25:
Today marks the tenth anniversary of Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley’s death. Check out this analysis/retrospective I filed for The Atlantic about Layne’s life and career, which includes a few interesting anecdotes and details from the research I’ve been doing for my book.
Grunge Report flagged this auction that popped up on eBay, offering Layne Staley’s sunglasses, a copy of his TV Guide, and a listing for the sale of his condo after his death.
The address on the TV Guide is the address for Layne’s condo in the U District where he lived the final years of his life. I found the same issue on Amazon, which has the date as March 30 – April 5, 2002. Based on the address on the issue and the date, this was probably may have been the last TV Guide he ever read.
Based on the partial details I could read about the condo, some of the details do match with what I’ve read about the property from public records.
The seller has posted what he/she says are Layne’s sunglasses, and as proof posted scans of three photos of what he/she says are “HIS PERFORMING WITH SECOND COMING ARE THE LAST PHOTOS OF HIM PERFORMING.” I’m still checking on the sunglasses and the live photos. Will update this post if I find anything.
Update: First, I forgot to mention in the original post yesterday that the eBay auction has already ended. The entire set sold for $1,800.
Second, Grunge Report has published a photo of Layne at what appears to be a Halloween Party some time in the late 1990s. Check it out here.
Update II: Layne’s mom, Nancy Layne McCallum, wrote the following in the comments section of this post:
This is ghoulish. Layne’s things still belong to him, and should be returned to his estate, where his belongings are lovingly cared for by his family in “his room”.
The items can be returned to PO 63, Mukilteo, WA 98275, no questions asked.
Icepicks and Nukes 