"It would make him madder than f***," said Nick Pollock, one of Staley's former bandmates, who claimed he used to call his buddy variations of "Rutherford" just to mess with him. The pain is more than you can handle. Layne turned a corner with two strippers into a hallway crowded with cops. Actually, the best of times was when everyone was just strung out on booze, coke and sex the basic musts on any rocker's CV. googletag.pubads().refresh(); Pick it up, this is a classic. According to a transcript of a 2002 Rolling Stone article, Layne Staley spent the final years of his life in reclusive isolation, with nothing but his drugs to keep him company. His skin was grey, dark circles under his eyes. Kaths death was good for only No. On April 4, 2002, Starr, high on benzodiazepine, offered to call 911. In 1993, when the band was touring in support of "Dirt," Staley would walk offstage midsong to get high. He wasn't really into the trumpet, but the drums he loved. His biological father, Philip Staley, vanished shortly after his birth in 1967, according to "Layne Staley: Angry Chair" by Adriana Rubio (and explained in Metal Sucks). googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-2') "I promised that I would always be there for my children," she said to TheSeattle Times. Alice In Chains drummer Sean Kinney told Greg Prato in the book Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History Of Seattle Rock Music that Staley had long resigned himself to an early grave: Layne told me straight up, Im never coming back. "@type": "WebPage",
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var mapping1 = googletag.sizeMapping() Wright contacted Staley shortly before his death and Staley agreed to record the song, privately in a studio in Seattle. In April 1997, Sublime entered the Billboard Top 20. She says she hopes that her son's music will shed light on the disease of addiction that ultimately took his life. Clearly, Staley maintained some of what he learned in his religious upbringing, but he wanted nothing to do with the structures it forced him into. "position": 3,
She was the biological daughter of Kathleen Ann ne Austin and . Still, obvious as it was, Staley got defensive when pressed about his habit, worried it would come to define him. Staley created a personal shrine in the recording studio featuring a dead puppy in a jar that he used for inspiration as he crooned lyrics like "Stick your arm for some real fun.". In 2011, at the age of 44, he too died of an overdose, as per Rolling Stone. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_1', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-3') In a very real way, both men remain the most important members of their respective bands. .build(); I invested a lot of money on treatments. }
Kinney claims he had an alter ego he called Steve who would stand on a chair in an upscale restaurant and pee on the dessert cart or methodically pour beer into the sconces lining a hotel hallway for the pleasure of seeing them explode seconds later. Im just a singer. Less sympathetic listeners might dismiss Junkhead as the empty lamentation of a rock-star addict, but Staley wasnt looking for pity. A syringe loaded with a fresh supply of heroin sat in his hand; a used needle lay at his feet. Parrott was born in Bremerton, Washington to Kathleen Austin and Dennis Dougherty on February 22, 1969. But Staley wouldnt see or talk to his bandmate. Starr was likely the last one to see him alive. Following his death in 2002, Screaming Trees frontman told Rolling Stone, He never recovered from Demris death. "He was sort of a classic destroyer of hotel rooms.". simplerGPT: true, Layne: Nothing. He had already lost a finger or two from his veins collapsing and not getting enough circulation to his hands I remember seeing him from a distance, and I thought, Thats the oldest punk rocker Ive ever seen., Flash back about 15 years, and Staley is a dramatically different, happier, and more spandex-friendly person. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) Forever. Neither Demris mother nor Laynes stepfather have been able to confirm that. Money, status, nothing to me, Staley sings, though thats not completely trueits the money and status that allow him to live this way. Krist Novoselic brought him food, hoping he could save him after losing Kurt Cobain. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. "When I tried drugs, they were f****** great, and they worked for me for years," he said. Layne Was Going To Record With Taproot In 2002. However, that defensiveness had nothing to do with personal embarrassment. googletag.cmd.push(function(){ "The same s--t was going on again.". Just as Alice in Chains became famous, Staley's girlfriend, Demri Lara Parrott, introduced him to heroin. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/layne-staleys-haunting-wedding-never-will-break-heart/",
When Nowell finally pushed his luck with heroin too far in a San Francisco hotel room on May 25, 1996, his band wasnt yet famous enough to warrant much media attention for the tragedy. By this point he had quit [Alice In Chains], he had lost most of his teeth, and weighed barley 100 pounds. {
Layne said, Did you see that? If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. "Everyone always asks if that is Demri [Parrott, then-girlfriend of frontman Layne Staley], on the Dirt cover," he says."I think Demri's name might have been mentioned as a possible model once or twice, but it was never a serious consideration." The article notes that Jerry Cantrell had told Kerrang! (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage). googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_anchor', [[728,90],[320,50]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-6') "item": {
Staley spent the bulk of his childhood being raised by his mom, Nancy McCallum, and her second husband, Jim Elmer, who she met at a mutual friend's Christmas party, according to David de Sola. And demri parrott kinda introduced him to heroin, i believe the first time layne used it was in the backstage of a show when demri gave to him. Fuck it, fight it, its all the same, Nowell sang on What I Got, and it was a message that resonated with millions of people that had no idea that they were bobbing their heads to a happy-go-lucky dead guy. She did not use heroin until with him. Taproot were recording a new album with Alice In Chains producer Toby Wright in 2002, and wanted Layne Staley to sing on a song, according to Mark Yarms book Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge. Alice In Chains: The Untold Story author David de Sola shared some information with Alternative Nation about the wedding that never came to be between Staley and Parrott, and how the planned site of the wedding eventually was where a much sadder event took place. 1 most spectacular death in rock history ended the life of singer Johnny Ace, whose biggest hit, Pledging My Love, surged to the top of the Billboard rhythm and blues chart about two months after his untimely demise on Christmas day 1954. Gold Standard: Oscars edition - Best Director. "They asked if he believed in God? googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_1', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-3') On January 28, 2001, he saw Layne again at a Super Bowl party. The story of his decline began on July 3, 1996, after Staley left the stage following a warm-up set for KISS. "name": "Home"
About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Who doesnt want to go to a concert to hear their favorite songs, regardless of whos singing or whos playing it? But that was contingent on him having the energy and focus to be able to work, and I guess that didnt materialize., 5. I had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. Demri Parrott died on October 29, 1996. "item": {
Staley then delved into his family life and how his father passed away after falling into a drug-filled route, with the two growing estranged. "@type": "WebPage",
According to David de Solas book Alice In Chains: The Untold Story, Layne Staley believed that the ghost of his late girlfriend Demri Parrott visited him just days before his April 2002 death. { (Rolling Stone later noted that the heroin-related death of touring Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin that July garnered more coverage than Nowells death.) Cobain agreed to pay for the product if Staley shouldered the cost of having it flown in. Nancy responded, Laynes got an odd sense of humor. She also created a path for herself as a model, artist, muse, and actress who died of a drug overdose on October 29, 1996, at the age of 27. There will always be haters, he said in an interview with budZtv in 2010. You dont get the same singular experience listening to Godsmack (which took its name from a Dirt track), Staind, or Creed, who adopted the superficialities of Alice In Chains sonic and thematic signposts and reconfigured them into interchangeably angsty and thuddingly poppy plop-metal. Over a torturously slow metal-blues riff, Staley denounces the hypocrite norm, running their boring drills, and commits himself to consuming whatever drugs are available to him. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_content_3', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-5') As Starr stormed out, Staley begged him to stay, saying, "Not like this. Demri Lara Parrott, 27, of Bremerton died Oct. 29, 1996, at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. .addSize([0, 0], [[300, 250], [336, 280]]) What happened to Demri? .build(); And as anyone who knows anything about IV drugs can tell you, the veins in the hand are used only after all the other veins have been tapped out.". . Mike Starr said he was going to be best man at Layne and Demri's wedding. Moreover, its been claimed that Layne Staley didnt want to live after losing a beloved even if their relationship ended. Sublime proved to be an ideal band for a generation that approached rock music with an irreverent, hip-hop-inspired sensibility. Staley sound-alikes became so common in the years after his public retreat and death that it was perhaps inevitable that one of them ended up replacing him in his own band. His friend and Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan opened up about his death saying that Staley never recovered from Demris death so it was the main reason behind his death. She wasn't happy with the suicide ruling and wondered what more there might be to the story. .addSize([0, 0], [[320, 50]]) Ive never heard someones voice hit the tape like that. "@type": "ListItem",
He would never perform with Alice In Chains again. William DuVall later replaced Staley and Duff McKagan joined on rhythm guitar. googletag.cmd.push(function() { This portable projector plays your movies in crisp, high-contrast, 1080p detailno matter where you are. Staley and Parrott met in 1988 while she was working at a store called Saturdays. Courtney Love tried to chase him down following Cobain's death. She was hurt that they chose someone that looked like her rather than having her do it. If you are interested in promoting your band/music email altnationadvertising @gmail.com, 10 Surprising Stories About Layne Staleys Reclusive Years, Why Stone Temple Pilots May Not Make Rock Hall of Fame (But Should), Dave Grohl Reveals Parallels Between Kurt Cobain & Amy Winehouse, Adele Melts Down At Las Vegas Show In Photo, Jessica Simpson Is Exploding Out Of Top In Photo, Pearl Jam Member Reveals Truth About Tom Sizemore, Travis Scott Alleged Victim Leaks Hospital Video. Black Gives Way to Blue consists of 11 tracks: All Secret Know, Check My Brain, Last of My Kind, Your Decision, A Looking in View, When the Sun Rose Again, Acid Bubble, Lesson Learned, Take Her Out, Private Hell, Black Gives Way to Blue.The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here consists of 12 tracks: Hollow, Pretty Done, Stone, Voices, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, Lab Monkey, Low Ceiling, Breath on a Window, Scalpel, Phantom Limb, Hung on a Hook, Choke.Rainier Fog consists of 10 tracks: The One You Know, Rainier Fog, Red Giant, Fly, Drone, Deaf Ears Blind Eyes, Maybe, So Far Under, Never Fade, All I Am.Boggy Depot (Jerry Cantrell solo record) consists of 12 songs: Dickeye, Cut You In, My Song, Settling Down, Break My Back, Jesus Hands, Devil by His Side, Keep the Light On, Satisfy, Hurt a Long Time, Between, Cold Piece.Degradation Trip Volumes 1 \u0026 2 (Jerry Cantrell solo double record) consists of 25 songs: (Volume 1) Psychotic Break, Bargain Basement Howard Hughes, Owned, Angel Eyes, Solitude, Mother's Spinning in Her Grave (Glass Dick Jones), Hellbound, Spiderbite, Pro False Idol, Feel the Void, Locked On, Gone. He didnt have a great voice, but he sang like he did, using the power of his personality to give his vocals the sunny brassiness that made Sublime songs so irresistible on the radio once 1996s Sublime brought the bands music to the masses. I'm not using drugs to get high like many people think. He wanted a teddy bear that Demri had had with her in hospital. But this version of AIC is an appreciably different band; many things can be said of Layne Staley, but Morgan Freeman-esque is not one of them. Layne Might Have Considered Fronting Audioslave. By the time Staley actually was a star, he traded in the poufy-haired bravado of glam for the vein-popping gutter grime of Alice In Chains. Two years later, Alice In Chains briefly reunited to record the songs Get Born Again and Died for a boxed set. I felt so sad for him, and I missed him. It's known that Parrott was upset about the situation because Parrott herself was an aspiring model and actress. You're not wrong if you're picking up on a bit of resentment at the end there. A year later, though, drummer Sean Kinney painted a different story, saying, "I talk to Layne, but we don't hang out. It was love at first sight. Well, what have you got? Johns a guitar player. The two had argued over Staley's condition until Staley threatened to end the friendship if Starr reached out to the authorities. On top of this, Staley had lost his ability to ingest food and survived off supplements for the last few years of his life. It took Layne Staley, Alice in Chains' lead singer, a while longer to kill himself with a speedball. If you have a better quality version of this photo please send it! The bands 1990 debut, Facelift, went platinum thanks in large part to the popular single Man In The Box, which succinctly laid out the themes of future Alice In Chains records in the very first lineStaley was a man trapped, buried in his own shit, and while he was self-aware enough to acknowledge it, he was powerless to lift himself out. complete: 1, After that, I dont think he wanted to go on.. "I don't have any magic answers," she told the paper. I hadnt seen him in a couple of years and wasnt prepared for it. Layne and Mike Starr were watching television on April 4, 2002, the day before Staley died of a heroin overdose. I know Im near death, Staley continued. apstag.fetchBids({ Rare pictures show her to be dark-featured and pretty, with long black hair and dark eyes. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/",
They began dating a short time after they saw each other. And I thought, oh, for heaven sake, listen to his music. "itemListElement": [
Yeah we were . Cantrell recalled to Charles R. Cross of Rolling Stone how he met his lead singer: Its a Seattle party, and Staley is standing in the middle of it all, his hair dyed a bright glam-rock pink and teased with a hair clip atop his tiny frame. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Days passed before his accountant sent up an alert that Staley hadn't been withdrawing any money. Staley and Parrott were no longer together when she died; because she lacked Staley's rock-star bank account, Parrott was reduced to living out a conventional junkie death, finally prostituting. According to "sources close to the band," Staley lost his 27-year-old ex-girlfriend, Demri Parrott, to a heroin overdose later that same year. apstag.init({ I had the chance to throw out all this anger by the music in order to help others. }
By David de Sola | November 1, 2016 | 0. She said he looked like a kid again, and at that moment there was no darkness in his life. As Layne sat there and Ann was swimming, a huge meteor went over them and it lit up Laynes face. Money goes to the Therapeutic Health Services (THS), which runs the Layne Staley Memorial Fund. That was the last time Staley would do a major tour. .addSize([990, 200], [[728, 90], [970, 90], [970, 250]]) Forrest recalls the story in his book Running with Monsters: A Memoir. Description: Demri Lara Parrott Murphy (February 22nd 1969 - October 29th 1996) was an American model, artist, and muse, and an amateur actress, girlfriend and later fiance of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley. "Demri was a fashion icon in the Seattle Grunge scene. He struggled with addiction for much of his life, and as Steven Hyden of the A.V. I know Im dying, he starkly told Rubio. !function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js"); In a lawsuit filed after Staley's death, his mother, Nancy Layne McCallum, alleged that at one point in the mid-'90s, her son tried to withdraw from the band to take care of his issues, but Silver forcefully pointed out that if he did, he would be putting 40 people out of work. "Since that call I always was wondering, 'Where is my dad?' On April 5, 2002, Layne Staley took a speedball a combination of cocaine and heroin and passed away (via Diffuser). Demri Parrott was in relationships with Rosheen Raugi (1993 - 1996), Kent Lake (1988), Paul Uhlir (1987 - 1989) and John Baker (person) (1984). Layne was even wearing a Metal Gear Solid video game shirt in his final public photo from Halloween 1998. nodes: [ Staley couldnt bring himself to join Cantrell on stage after being asked, and a photo taken of him backstage is the last image of the singer before his death. When [Dirt] came out, the thing did not leave my CD player, Godsmack singer Sully Erna told Cross in Rolling Stone. Since both Staley and Cobain were smackheads and ran with the same musicians, the assumption was he might know something. Starr, after a stint on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew" and "Sober House," overdosed on prescription drugs in 2011. At the time of his death in 2002, neither Kinney nor AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell had spoken to Staley for more than two years. }, But everyone starts somewhere. The singers life was full of trauma, and drugs, at first, offered him an escape from his pain. He said, In his arm? For what it's worth, Demri's mother believes Staley, although he was clearly affected by his drug use. They found the deceased singer sitting upright, surrounded by drugs and drug paraphernalia, cans of spray paint, spent needles, and unspent cash, all illuminated by a flickering TV.