Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Surely You Can't
Be Serious Podcast. We are here today to attack Alison
Chain's album Dirt track by track. As I mentioned in
our last episode, we are here on what would be
Lane Stay's fifty fifth birthday, what would be the thirty
second anniversary of Facelift, and today we are talking about Dirt,
which turned thirty this month. Guys, this album is awesome
and I can't wait to jump into it. I'm here
with my good buddy Jason Colvin. What's up?
Speaker 2: How's it going? And drug free?
Speaker 3: We did an intervention, He's okay now, and we have
James Buckley back from Louisiana to help us again with
this amazing album.
Speaker 1: Guys, remember the first time you heard this.
Speaker 4: Very much picked up the CD, I swear was the
day it was released.
Speaker 5: Wow.
Speaker 4: I could not wait to get into my old Toyota
or sell out in the parking lot and slide that
CD in, and I just sat there for a second
to even drove away. As soon as I heard that
first song come Crashing In, I knew that was gonna
love this album. Man. Thirty years later, I have not
been proved wrong.
Speaker 1: It is such a fantastic album. I did not get
it when it came out. I was a late adopter.
I might have even had Sat before I had this album.
But I was happy to come back and dive into
the awesomeness that is this album. And then, of course
I absolutely loved, loved, loved jar Flies, maybe my favorite
of all of them.
Speaker 4: We mentioned yesterday we'd already gotten a sneak preview of
Dirt from Wood off the singles soundtrack. I had some
Pavlovian salivation going on. As soon as that baby was released,
I was ready to go.
Speaker 1: So we are here on what would have been Lane
Stay's fifty fifth birthday.
Speaker 4: From a purely number standpoints, the most successful album Alice
and Chain's ever had since August ninth.
Speaker 2: It rolled the five million copy mark August ninth of
this year of two Yes, wow, how about that.
Speaker 6: Congratulations guys, And once again it was produced by Dave Jorden.
Speaker 4: They've got a winning fan doing with the guy every
track except would, which is the same one they had
for the single soundtrack.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you had mentioned that he was not an inexperienced guy.
He'd done quite a few different bands before this. He
really started to hit it big with Jane's Addiction and Facelift.
Those were his ones to kind of emerge after he'd
been doing it for literally fifteen years. I think he
started in the seventies or something. One of the guys
that he did an album did engineteering for was Herbie Hancock.
He did Future Shock, which has Rocket on it. He
was the in for that album, which I think is
an achievement. I'm pretty impressive.
Speaker 4: Now.
Speaker 1: Bill Lasley, the bass player, is the guy who's really
responsible for Rocket. He had to convince Herbie Hancock to
do the the DJ stuff Bill Lastly, check him out.
Awesome bass player. Throw that in there. Got turned on
to Bill Lasley by again a friend of Kevin Davis's
named Ron Stevenson. He was talking to me just this
past week about how awesome Bill Lasley was and how
he's responsible for Herbie Hancock's Rocket Fantastic, among others.
Speaker 2: How about that, hey, before we get too deep in
the production of this album, Yeah, let's talk about the
front cover of this album.
Speaker 1: So the cover art features a woman who's naked and
buried in the crack of the sand in the desert.
Speaker 2: That woman's name is Mariah O'Brien, although there was an
urban legend that that was actually Demri Perote. And here's
the funny thing about it. I never realized that model
was naked until it was blurred out on YouTube. When
I was trying to I'm like, why is this giant
black box right there? So then I went back and
looked at it. Oh, well there you go.
Speaker 1: Well she's covered in dirt. So the cover was photographed
by Rocky Schneck, and Rocky was sick Sheck s Neck Schnck,
Okay Schneck, Rocky Schneck. The album was photographed by Rocky Snck,
who also created the images. He went to his studio.
Those mountains in the background are miniatures that he created.
But the band was the one who said, we want
a woman buried in the desert. We don't care if
she's alive or dead. He went and found some pictures
to show to them of different women, and one of
the women that he showed, as you mentioned, was Mariah O'Brien,
But this was not Mariah O'Brien's first album cover.
Speaker 2: I know you shared that with us this week and
we were very blessed by the front cover of Bitch
School by Spinal.
Speaker 4: Tap same she was an eleven.
Speaker 1: She is looking good and completely different, looks completely different
than she does on the dirt cover, but she was
obviously a model, had been on a couple of album covers,
was in that same year. Was in a movie called Gas,
Food and Lodging. Haven't heard of that one, but she
was also in Halloween the Curse of Michael Myers in
nineteen ninety five a little bit later. Since then, she
has gone on to become an interior designer.
Speaker 2: Well, good for her.
Speaker 1: I guess what happened when they had her come in.
They had her put a wig on, then did her makeup,
and then they put her in the crack that Rocky
Schneck had built in the sand of his desert, and
then they plastered her in, and then they commenced to
take pictures of her for eight hours. And she was like, guys,
I got a pee. I got a pee. And they're like, oh,
we'll just slide a diaper, and she's like, I Am
not going to pee on the floor. Yeah really, And
so once they were finally done with her, we're done,
she jumps out of that plaster like, she jumps out
so fast it rips her wig off. As she's running
to the toilet. They take some pictures of the wig
and they use that on their later compilation album Nice.
Speaker 2: I do know that there was some hard feelings with
demriy Perrot on that model being used for that album
cover because it looked so similar to her, but wasn't
her anyway, she really got her feelings her. If you're
going to use somebody that looks like me, why didn't
you just ask me? All right, So on April twenty seventh,
nineteen ninety two, they started work in the studio on Dirt.
On April twenty ninth, nineteen ninety two, four cops in
LA were acquitted for beating Rodney King.
Speaker 4: Black smoke pouring into the sky all over town.
Speaker 1: That's what Los Angeles looks like this morning.
Speaker 2: That means that they started this album at almost the
exact time as the LA riots.
Speaker 1: They were watching it on TV when the verdict was announced.
Jerry Cantrell was out buying beer at the moment that
it was announced, and while he's buying beer, they attacked
the liquor store he's at and start rampaging and rioting
and looting in the liquor store. Yeah, he was also
driving his Dodge pickup. Dodge pickup that he bought with
his facelift money.
Speaker 2: It's Oklahoma pickup, and he watched somebody he was stuck
in traffic, watch somebody pulled out of the car and
got beat up, and he thought, man, this is really
a bad deal. We got to get out of here.
So Lane, of course, has relapsed. At this time, during
the La riots before they left town, He's sneaking away
into downtown LA to buy drugs during the riots.
Speaker 1: Oh what yeah, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: He had a problem. One of the engineers, his name
was Byron Calstrom. He said, A city of Fire is
the perfect backdrop for this album.
Speaker 4: The band had clearly taken a different, slightly darker perspective
with all the songs on this album. I read a
quote from Jordan's who said that I believe that on Facelift,
Lane was portrayed a dark world from the outside looking in.
It's only later that they were right inside looking out.
And he went on to say something had happened to
that family. It was drugs, that was obvious. Lane started
recording a week after getting out of rehab. They suddenly
seem like they were living the darkness. They were only
exploring earlier on that's what they wanted, but you have
to be careful what you wish for.
Speaker 1: I am fantastic quote. Yeah, the second half of this
album side two of the tape. If you had the tape,
it is Lane Staley's story about drug addiction. And it
starts off like any drug addict, starts off where you
are enjoying the high and loving the moment, and then
it slowly as each song, like those five songs before Wood,
as it tracks down, it is the descent into the
depths of despair. It's tragic that he could see what
comes when you do this sort of thing and still
decided to go that way. Anyway. So you mentioned Dave Jorden,
I will say Dave got the album's guitar tone on
this one as well. We mentioned that he was he
heard bon Jovie and so he got the wall for
Man in the Box.
Speaker 2: He bought the voicebox one hundred dollars voice box.
Speaker 1: But the awesome guitar that you hear on this one
is a Bonker Fish pre amp that does the low end,
a Bonker Ecstasy for the mid frequencies, and a Rockman
headphone amp for the high frequencies. So that is how
you get this awesome sound of Jerry Cantrell's guitar. Now,
I'm really going to rabbit hole this, and I'm sorry
for doing this, but I noticed that there was a
guy who was an engineer on this one named Ulrich
wild Now, this was Ulrich Wilde's first job as an
engineer on a professionally made studio album. Just a year
after that, he would be involved in the debut album
of a rapper we all know and love named Snoop
Dogg called Doggie Style, and that same year he would
pair up with the guys from Green Jelly, which was
previously Green Jello, and do a cover version of a
Geary Litter song called I'm the Leader of the Gang
I Am. And who did they bring in to sing
for them, none of than Hulk Hogan himself.
Speaker 4: Yo, Walla be in my game.
Speaker 7: My game.
Speaker 4: Game, Wallap be in my game.
Speaker 7: Yo wall be in my game. By game, my game,
Walla be in my game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, brother, So I just had to mention all Rich Wilde.
This was his first engineering job on a studio album,
and a year later he's already pairing up with the.
Speaker 4: Hulkster and from Yeah. From a sonic perspective, this album
sounds amazing. The production, the guitar tone is so sick
and it's so great. The drums sound huge. And Lane,
I mean, I don't know how what percentage of the
gross national product of Columbia he was doing at this time,
but he was still His voice was amazing.
Speaker 1: And I really was.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you mentioned Carlstrom said that some of the things
Lane sang Laane liked to go in a little alco
a little booth where nobody could see him sing, and
some of the things he did with his voice you
couldn't even do with effects, you couldn't duplicated. He didn't
understand how Lane pulled off some of these vocal tricks.
Speaker 2: Well, are you ready to dive in?
Speaker 1: Let's do it, man, I have enough talking. Let's get
to some music.
Speaker 2: Here we go. First song on the album, right out
of the Gate, is a song called Them Bones.
Speaker 8: Okay, hell over here, I'm laughing because I'm watching James
on the Zoom video drumming along with this, and I
can see him thinking, because this is this song is
in freaking seven eight times, what the heck? Kind of
out of the Gate rock heavy metal song do you
do seven eight.
Speaker 1: Time for the verse of the song and then switch
into four to four time for the chorus. It's insane
and it's awesome.
Speaker 4: Oh, it's an amazing riff. I don't think Jerry Kin
Trail was trying to go like rush, get all proggy
with the time signatures, but that seven eight time signature
gives the song such an uneven, jerky feel. It's a
blast to play. I tell we used to play it
and you mess yourself up if you count it. You
just have to feel internalize that riff because I'm sitting
there going one, two, three, four, five, six seven eight.
Speaker 1: Oh no, oh, it's so good. And the eye seems
to come in at that point that it jumps ahead,
like when you when you're expecting it to hit eight
and there is no way. It just goes from seven
to one. You're like, ah ah, you're jumping through it.
Speaker 2: I love it that awe was improved by laying at
the last moment when they were getting ready to lay
down the track. Oh wow. And he was just sitting
there and he's like, you know, there was that squeal
of the guitar and he jumped in with the ah.
Speaker 1: It's like you're getting shocked with the cattle prod.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: This was the second single release September eighth, nineteen ninety two.
This reached number twenty four in the Modern Rocks charts.
And it is breaking awesome right out of the gate.
Speaker 4: It's dark. I mean, the lyrics obviously deal with mortality.
Jerich Intrel saying we're all it's getting it up a
pile of his bones. But it rocks so hard you
don't even think about that. Such a great way to
kick off the album.
Speaker 2: Hey, you know who else loves this song? Beavis and
Butthead love this song?
Speaker 9: Yes, whoa Trials of Life?
Speaker 2: Why do you think they call them animals?
Speaker 4: I remember that?
Speaker 1: And I will quote this is the coolest video I've
ever seen in my life.
Speaker 2: We need to talk about the video. So they're in
that cave and they keep showing these weird images of
like score killing insects and stuff like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's about death. It's about it's about death. I mean,
this is about the Hey, you're gonna you're gonna be
dead someday, and so am I.
Speaker 2: We're all gonna end up as a pile of them bones.
Speaker 1: Cantrell said this was pretty cut and dry. It's a
little bit sarcastic, but it's pretty much about dealing with
your mortality and life. Everybody's gonna die someday instead of
being afraid of it. That's the way it is. So
enjoy the time you've got.
Speaker 4: Just right off the bat, it's obvious and musically these
guys had grown. I mean to start off with a
riff like that. This was musically a steper moved from
the guys who recorded Face Lift, you know.
Speaker 2: For a guy like me. The opening part of the
song is real heavy. Then it sort of lets you
off the mat with the chorus and it's real sweet,
just flows really well. I really really enjoy the song.
It's great.
Speaker 1: The video was directed again by Rocky Schneck, the guy
who did the album cover Next Schneck. Rocky Schneck did
the album cover. He directed this video. He had previously
done We Die Young. All of those videos are available
on Music Bank to videos.
Speaker 4: This song is just such a jarring way to start
off the album, but it hooks you.
Speaker 1: It just the first lyrics of the song. Some say
We're born into the grave. This is no fluffy album.
We're here to kick some but love it.
Speaker 2: YEP song number two on the album is called Damn
That River.
Speaker 1: So we got another butt kicker right out of the
gate two for two. This song is kicking my boote
all the way down the road. I love it.
Speaker 7: God, damn.
Speaker 4: Damn Baby, I don't damn my damn away.
Speaker 1: This is another one that Jerry Cantrell wrote. This this album,
Jerry shared some right credits with Lane Staley for the
first time. He had written almost everything on Facelift and
this one. Staley does much of the second part of
the album, but this one is all Cantrell, and it
was inspired by a fight that he had with Sean
Kenney in which Kenny broke a coffee table over his head.
I don't even know how that's possible, but dad gum,
why not write a song about it?
Speaker 2: Smashed a coffee table over his head. His head was bleeding,
and that's where they came up with the term Damn
that River.
Speaker 4: Wow. And this is them more in their traditional hard
rock heavy metal mode. But it's such an awesome song
and it just comes charging out that steady, chugging rhythm
with the drums and bass. I love it.
Speaker 2: I heard an urban legend that this song was supposedly
also about the Green River Killer, which was operating in
the in and around the Seattle area at that time.
Speaker 4: And another weird thing. This is another it's not quite
as weird as seven eight. The most of this song
is written in six or four time, which again is
kind of an unconventional approach that sounds really cool.
Speaker 2: I wish I knew what you guys were talking about
when you say things like that.
Speaker 4: So just instead the music phrase instead of one two
three four one two three four five six. Then it
starts over. That's a it's a it's a music geek thing.
Speaker 1: Okay. As he said, when the drummer calls it off,
he's not going to go one do three four, He's
gonna go one do three four five six, And that's
how you jump in.
Speaker 2: Okay, awesome, So moving on. That isn't blowing me away now,
you know, learning something new every day. Song number three
on the album is a song called Rain When I Die.
Speaker 4: Can brak me.
Speaker 7: Take me? It's gone?
Speaker 1: There's another six or four time, isn't it good?
Speaker 5: Holly verse?
Speaker 4: Yeah, the verses are definitely in six' four, again trying
something a little.
Speaker 1: Unconventional all, Right so the lyrics to this one were
written by Both Jerry cantrell And Lane staley about their respective.
Girlfriends all of the band is listed as writers on
this Song Did She Call My name throw back to
Our Duran Duran rio album Where jason didn't know what
a female orgasm.
Speaker 2: Sound lies quits spreading lies.
Speaker 1: Here that's All i've got on Well i've GOT.
Speaker 4: I like this one as. WELL i like the way
it starts. Off it's kind of chaotic and, disjointed little
guitar squeaks and drum. Beats when it locks in that
groove kicks. OFF i love this one.
Speaker 2: TOO i love the vocals on this. One he's really
really leaning on that gravelly rock voice that he's got
just sounds so great on this.
Speaker 1: Song the growl on Did She Call My name is.
INTOXICATING i can tell. YOU i start listening to this,
Song i'm, Like, okay this is pretty, good pretty. Good
but when he hits Did She Call My, Name i'm, like, oh,
brother this is freaking.
Speaker 2: Killer and we haven't talked.
Speaker 4: About one of the big musical strong points Of alice
And chains are the. Vocals Whenever jerry And planes start,
harmonizing it adds so much to these.
Speaker 5: Songs such a unique.
Speaker 2: Voice it really is, different And jerry's is a much,
drier cleaner, voice but the blend that they have the
blend of their voices is unmistakable and hauntingly. BEAUTIFUL i
feel like this one could have been very successful as a.
Single oh for, Sure oh for.
Speaker 1: Sure, yeah we we have not had a bad song.
Speaker 4: Yet they released what five singles off this. ALBUM i
think it very easily could have been. Seven all, right,
yep for, sure all.
Speaker 2: Right song number four on the album is a song
called down in A.
Speaker 7: Hole this, so.
Speaker 1: This song exemplifies WHAT i think is one of the
greatest attributes That Jerry cantrell, has and that is his
ability to mix acoustic guitar with, heavy hard rocking electric.
Guitar he does such a fantas maybe the best at
that mix, up and this song exemplifies. It it is
so sweet and melodic as it starts, off and then
when that chorus comes, in the guitars drop just rocks
your balls off and then right back into the sweet
melodic acoustic. Guitar love love love.
Speaker 4: It the dynamics in this song are. Amazing it's hard
to believe That Jerry cantrell originally didn't even want to
present it to the. Band he thought it was too
soft and. Sappy, yeah we talked about.
Speaker 2: That WHEN i Think James hetfield Of metallica didn't want
to bring nothing else matters to the band because he
was worried about that being too. Soft because they were
brave enough to do, it you end up with these
two killer power rock. Balands we may.
Speaker 4: Have to talk about those guys.
Speaker 1: LATER i think we.
Speaker 2: Will i'm sure we.
Speaker 4: Will.
Speaker 2: Actually this was the fifth and last single released from this,
album Released august third of nineteen ninety.
Speaker 1: Three so this song was written By Jerry cantrell about
his longtime, Girlfriend Courtney, clark and he, said the song
is in my top three. Personally it is to my
long time. Love it is the reality of my, life
the path That i've, chosen and in a weird, way
it kind of foretold where we are right. Now it's
hard for us both to understand that this life is
not conducive to much success with long term, relationships but
you can tell he had, deep deep feelings for this
girl and it comes through in that.
Speaker 4: Song, well it's interesting if you look at the lyrics,
now looking back at what happened To. Lane you can
almost interpret them in another way because it almost sounds
Like laane is singing about his own, condition unable to
get out from under the. Drugs but it's a beautiful
song either.
Speaker 2: Way the video is shot kind of in The california,
desert and to, me it looks like that scene And
terminator two When Sarah connor they go to her special
friend in the, desert who's got that stockpile of guns
underneath the? Sand there flash back to A terminator two.
Episode you great Song Love this song beautiful reach number
ten on The Billboard Mainstream rock.
Speaker 4: CHART i remember reading one of the stories about the
production of this. Album seeing a lot of the, Songs
lane did what they call stacking his. Vocals he would
record one vocal part and then change it the note
just enough to make it harmonize with it and just
like sometimes multiple. Tracks they said he was so good
at doing. That he could always make each vocal take
a little different from the other, one but they would
all stack so well and harmonize.
Speaker 2: Together this is the first time we See Mike inez
in one of the. Video, yeah they had to Fire
Mike starr Because mike was jocking for monetary, reasons trying
to write more of the, songs and he was scalping
Those Van halen tickets we talked.
Speaker 1: About and he was blitzed out of his.
Speaker 2: Mind he was having major drug, problems and so they
Fired Mike.
Speaker 1: Starr, YEAH i mean their their take on it was
he wanted to spend more time at home and not
was not focused on the. Band but he just said
that was. Bull it kicked me out BECAUSE i was on.
Speaker 4: Drugs you, know this song has been covered several. Times
Ryan adams is kind of An americana guy covered in
a few years back and it's very. Good but it
was also covered By Bronson.
Speaker 2: ARROYO i love that that.
Speaker 1: Is it was.
Speaker 4: Little Old Red sox pitcher from their star years back
in the early two thousands in an album and this
is when the songs.
Speaker 2: He Covered Bronson arroyo with the high leg kick when.
Speaker 1: Pitching you guys are getting excited about the baseball cover
AND i have never heard of The Ryan adams. COVER
i absolutely love, Right, adam you will love this.
Speaker 4: ONE i promise it's.
Speaker 1: Fantastic oh, Man, Yeah Ryan adams one of my. FAVORITES
i gotta check that.
Speaker 2: Out how About Brian adams covering.
Speaker 1: It, dude why you gotta go? There why do you
have to do?
Speaker 2: That Forget Ryan, Adams let me, Go Brian, adams shut?
Up all, right great, song we all love. It all,
Right hit stop on your tape, player kick it, out
flip it over for side to starting off with a
song Called Sick Many.
Speaker 4: WHAT i love. It it starts off with this heavy travel
Feel Sean kenny uses a. Lot of. Course the, PRODUCER
i Think carlstrom was his, name said that they intentionally
wanted the song to speed up as it went, along
But Sean kenney didn't play to a click track or a.
Metronol he just went in and started, bashing so they
had to edit out. It said That jorden And carlston
spent a long time editing, out like about a measure
and a half of that cutt and, paste cutting, paste
because they didn't have all the fancy grid mapping and
pro tools we have, now so it's a lot more
complicated back.
Speaker 1: Then that's interesting if you described it as. Tribal WHEN
i hear, It i'm thinking. Industrial i'm thinking like nine inch.
Nails there's so much going on with, it so fast
that to, me it's got the industrial rock sound to.
Speaker 4: It And i'm a huge industrial, fan SO i won't
even bother arguing with you on that. One i'm absolutely.
Speaker 1: Right, Well and the song came together Because lane went
To jerry and, said, listen, MAN i want you to
write me the sickest, tune the, sickest darkest and heaviest
thing you can. Write, Yeah and that's how the song
came to. Be and it's obviously super, heavy LIKE i,
said feels industrial that the beat is extremely fast and
you get this very heavy guitar and bass coming in
to follow. It his lyrics are strong and in your,
face and then it's got this break in it where
it breaks down. Here it is right. Here now as
you listen to, THIS i want you, To, JASON i
want you to think back to Our Motley crue Episode
Doctor Feel, good where we talked about how they had
a song that sounded exactly like A beatles. Song The
beatles song was Called She's So. Heavy we listened To
She's So heavy right? Now, okay now listen to the
breakdown In Sick man Or rape.
Speaker 2: Interesting, OKAY i think you're out of something, THERE i
do hear? It d you nailed.
Speaker 4: It.
Speaker 2: NOW i wouldn't have thought that on my.
Speaker 1: Own but what was the Moy this.
Speaker 2: Is called A slice Of Your pie off Of Doctor Feel.
Good the one Thing i've got on this? One you
ready for? This this was written By lane while he
was in. Rehab, HEY i do have. ONE i do
actually have one other thing on this. One this was
the song they were working on when The la riots
started and they had to shut down production and get
out of, town.
Speaker 4: And they spent four or five days up in The
Joshua tree desert and then wait for it to all die.
Speaker 2: Down, yep that's exactly.
Speaker 4: Right remember WHAT d said. Earlier, Though this does kick
Off Side, too which is almost a narrative about how
the drug use started out as something that's playing around
with enjoying and then gradually degenerates into a living.
Speaker 2: Hell before we get to that living, hell we got
to talk about the next song on the. Album so
the second song On Side too is my favorite song
on the entire. Album it's Called. Rooster But i'll stop.
It we'll listen to every song all the way through.
Speaker 1: THAT i, mean, yeah this this song is what caused
me to buy this.
Speaker 4: Album this album has an. Anthem this is.
Speaker 1: It, Yeah So Boggy, Depot boggy Friggin. Depot Boggy depot
is a town In oklahoma and what is now A Toka.
County it was a part of The Indian territory and
was a significant trading. City it's not just a ghost,
town like there's nothing left but a. Sign And Boggy
depot is Where Jerry Cantrell senior was born and. Raised
and when you watch the video To rooster and you
see them hunting out in the, woods it's over there
in A Toka, County. Oklahoma. Yep that was.
Speaker 4: Also the name Of Jerry cantrael's first solo, Album There You.
Speaker 1: Go, Yep Boggy.
Speaker 2: Depot this song is. Spectacular this was Huge summer of ninety.
Three one of the other songs that summer that was
it's huge As plush By Stone Tembo, pilots which we're
going to talk about in the next couple of. WEEKS
i love this. Song it's so beautiful and it's about
his dad In. Vietnam.
Speaker 1: YEAH i had mentioned in our last episode that his
first memory was at three years old when his dad
came home from two tours In. Vietnam and then four
years after, that his parents had gotten divorced and moved,
away and he did not have a close relationship with his,
dad and this was largely because of his experience In.
Vietnam it just became hard to get along in life after.
That out of his, frustration he, Decided i'm going to
try to think about this from his, perspective and he
started thinking about what it would have been like to
go through The Vietnam, war to see your buddies die
in your, hands and at that point the song just
kind of came out of. It never talked to my
dad about, this you, know is typical with Most vietnam.
Vets they don't talk about the. War and so he
wrote this song from the perspective of his dad without
any input from his, dad and ultimately his dad's. Songs
Jerry senior saw him perform only one, show but when
this song started, playing he could see his dad back
by the soundboard watching and the end of the, song
his dad was holding his big stetson cowboy hat up
in the air and the tears were streaming down his.
Face love, It it's.
Speaker 4: FANTASTIC i remember reading while they were shooting the video
for the producer why actually wanted to go to the
talk to his. Dad so his dad just started opening
up and talking to the producer and telling things about
his experience and non that he never mentioned To jerry
or anybody. Else so that was just really eye opening To.
Speaker 1: Jerry, yeah as we, said they filmed this in a.
Token this Was jerry's brother's property that they filmed these parts.
On he was inside a house when he was given that,
interview and in the, video in the extended version of the,
video you have a little bit of that interview that,
happens and That's jerry's dad talking and there is a
part towards the end of the rather short statement where
he said it was a weird. Thing it was a sad.
THING i just wouldn't want to have anybody else go through.
That and then he, stops but the camera stays on
him and you can kind of see him. Searching it's
like the memories are starting to pour in and you
can see him pulling back those. Tears this, big old
tough cowboy From oklahoma trying to make it through this
moment where he's remembering everything that he had to go,
through and it is it's heartbreaking when you know the.
Speaker 2: Background, Yep i've got a couple of stories on, This,
OKAY i find these two at least. Lighthearted all. Right
so they're In, la they're recording the. Album they're out
late partying every, Night like we, said they're At tropicana
half the. Time but one day they're in the studio
and all the instruments are ready to. Go lane's, there everyone's,
there ready to, go but there's no. Shot can't Find.
Sean Where's? Sean and If lane's, there you better be
ready Because, LANE i mean a little bit hit or
miss a little bit, ofit or miss exactly. Right so
the producer was, mad and he just finally just, said let's.
It we're calling it. Today everybody go. Home, well at
that exact, Moment sean comes flying in the door and
his hair is like nappy and matted from the night,
before and he smells like, beer and you know he's
obviously been out.
Speaker 1: Partying he's got some glitter on his, face.
Speaker 2: He smells like smoke and. Perfume and he's, like, no, no,
No i'm.
Speaker 1: Ready i'm.
Speaker 2: THERE i, mean let's do, this you, Know and they're, like,
nope we've already called. It just freaking go. Home we'll
try again. Tomorrow and he's, Like i'll tell you, what
just let me play one. Song and so he's, like,
fine we'll do one, song and so they go Through
rooster and that is the drone track that you have
from that night of party and From, sean.
Speaker 4: And it's a perfect drum, track even with the little
military role type part in the. Middle it feels like
you worked a lot of long time putting that together
instead of just showing up semi drunk and hitting.
Speaker 2: Play there you.
Speaker 5: Go it's.
Speaker 1: Fantastic and this was one of the songs that they
had demoed whenever they were recording wood for the single.
Soundtrack but it's not they didn't use that. Demo they
obviously they re recorded the whole. Thing jerry said he
felt like they had captured something on the demo that
they did not quite get in the. Song BUT i
can't even see how that's. Possible as awesome as this is.
Speaker 2: On, you here's my other story with. This you're ready for.
Speaker 1: This, yeah the.
Speaker 2: Producer's working on the mix For rooster And lane's there
one night and he's got a guy with, it and
the producer clearly knows it's drug.
Speaker 1: Dealer why would you think? That?
Speaker 2: Hell you. Know so he's, like, Well lane's, Here, Hey,
lane come in, here AND i want to play a
mix Of rooster for you and see what you. Think
So lane's like all, right and so him and his
friend come in there and he's playing the mix and
he stops it and he, says, well what do you?
Think and Before lane can even, speak his drug dealer buddy,
GOES i think you should And lane turns around to
him and says shut. Up and Before lane can even do,
Anything Dave jorden is in that guy's, face, going who
the e f for? You what the e f are
you doing? Here get out of my studio and don't
ever come. Back and then he turns To lane and,
says don't bring these scumbags in. Here we're. Working i'm a,
professional you're a. Professional get these guys out of. Here
and it's just one of those moments that you know
the recording of this album Pat.
Speaker 4: YEAH i read an interview With jordan's later where they
asked him about, that and he Said lane got mad
at him sometimes because he would Tell lane and he
was high and quit showing. Up. HIH i was paid
to record the album not to Be lane's best.
Speaker 1: Friend, yeah that's all.
Speaker 2: Right this is the last video to Feature Mike. Starr
by the, way this is the fourth single Released march,
fifteenth nineteen ninety, three and for, me this is just
Huge summer of ninety. Three he was in Butt Heead
love the song as. Well, gentlemen my name Is Sergeant Dick.
Speaker 4: Leaky some call me The.
Speaker 7: Roosters, wow, yeah they come to snuff The rooster.
Speaker 4: Four.
Speaker 2: Songs. Cool, yeah, man heves in Butt Heead we're the
best back in the. Day, man all, right have we
done with that?
Speaker 1: ONE i hate to be a beautiful? Song love, it love?
Speaker 2: It top, notch best song on the.
Speaker 1: Album all.
Speaker 2: Right next song on the album is a song Called. Junkhead,
okay this is when you start to lose me a little.
Bit we're sliding into the drug. Culture this is WHERE
i start to bail just a little.
Speaker 4: Bit we talked earlier about how several of these songs
chart the evolution of someone turning into a serious, junkie
and this clearly is an early stage in. That BUT
i remember reading Where, carlstrom one of the, engineers said
that he was only recently, sober and he was kind
of worried about being around the sheer intensity of all
these dark lyrics about drug.
Speaker 1: Abuse the chorus that is repeated over and over is
what's my drug of? Choice but what have you? GOT
i don't go broke AND i do it a. Lot
this is the beginning of THE i can do WHATEVER
i want And i'm bulletproof stage of doing. Drugs and
if you think this is glorifying, it then you're. Right
it's just A you got to remember to listen to
the rest of the songs on the. Album staley, Said he's,
like the last THING i wanted was for people to
THINK i was trying to glorify. Drugs BUT i would
have guys come up to me after a show and
they would like give me the thumbs up and Say i'm,
High and that's the last THING i.
Speaker 4: Wanted jerry said an, INTERVIEW i think it was in
twenty thirteen that was more of a cautionary. Intent we
said it was more of a warning than anything, else
rather than, hey come and check this. Out it's. Great
we were talking about what was going on with us
at the, time SO i don't know what the, time
but later on he's gone back and said, that, look
we didn't mean this to encourage this sort of. Behavior
we meant it as a. Warning.
Speaker 2: Yeah so this is the first song on that five song,
run that story arc That Jerry cantrell talks about, junkhead, dirt,
godsmack hate To, feel an angry. Chair so this is
the euphoria before the crash and before.
Speaker 1: Death so this takes us on to song number three
on side to title track for THE cd or Tape
If You Will. Dirt, okay this is definitely bringing back
the wah that we had For man in A. Box. Wow, yeah,
right little Bon jovi. Tribute way back. Again here we.
GO i, SAID i was listening to this today is
the first. TIME i, Mean i've heard the song how many,
times but for the first time TODAY i was listening to.
IT i was, like this sounds like A metallica. Song
it's not exactly The metallica, song but it's pretty. Close
and SO i turned on and we'll play it for
you here WHEREVER i may. Roam and if you listen
to the second to twenty seconds of this, song sounds
like maybe they borrowed.
Speaker 2: It, okay these.
Speaker 4: Guys definitely had an interesting relationship With.
Speaker 1: Metallica, yeah at one point they were supposed to open
For metallica and the, tour but then they also got
offered to do soundtrack work On Last Action. Hero they
Picked Last Action. HERO i don't know if that was
a good choice or, not but, hey they were In
la instead of getting stuff thrown on them in a
concert or.
Speaker 10: Whatever they bout out the day before the. Tour it's
a little. Douchey it's a little douchey to do. That
and so in, Response metallica came out and they started
mock Playing man in A. Box they were making motions
toward their arms like they were shooting Up heroin because
they were frustrated that these guys and the crowd started
throwing beer bottles At metallica because they were pissed them
being judgmental check. ASSS i think they all ultimately all made.
Speaker 1: UP i think a couple of these, Guys Jerry cantrell
AND i Think Sean kenney have both worked On metallica
stuff since. Then but then even AFTER i mentioned and
to you guys today THAT i thought that this is
kind of a take on The rift From Wherever My May,
roam which came out year before came out totally, is
and Then james pointed out That metallica probably did the
same thing a little bit later.
Speaker 4: On you Know metallica every now and then they've been
accused of boring a, rift but which musician. Hasn't we
had the whole situation with The inner Sand man and
the rift from the Old excel.
Speaker 2: SONG i don't know why you weren't on this text,
thread but you texted us today, Saying, hey, GUYS i
think this sounds a lot Like WHEREVER I May?
Speaker 4: Roam?
Speaker 2: HUH i Texted james what two nights? Ago, Yeah i'm, Like,
james this song sounds a lot Like WHEREVER I May?
Speaker 1: Roam get the heck. Out, no it's totally. True oh.
Wow so WHEN i texted you were, like why are
you saying WHAT i already?
Speaker 2: SAID i was, Like SO i texted, Him i'm like
these on the party. Too so, wow, ABSOLUTELY i think
it's totally exactly Like WHEREVER I May.
Speaker 1: Roam that's, Funny, yeah So. James, yeah WHEN i texted,
That james, said also listened to the beginning and end
Of Until It, sleeps which is off of? Fuel is
that the name of the, album it was that load or.
Load that's, Right fuel was On, load but he, said
listen to the beginning and end Of Until It sleeps
and then listen To Angry, chair and there's definitely some.
Crossover and so, yeah they borrow from each. Other that's
what you, do you, know you, know good artists create
great artist. Steel there you.
Speaker 2: Go Lane staley wrote this song to a quote certain
person who basically buried my.
Speaker 1: ASS i don't know what that means, either but, okay
then there you.
Speaker 2: Go done with this one good. SONG i like. It it's.
Speaker 4: Okay it's a heavy song And lane's vocal with her
own point and really appropriate.
Speaker 2: This, okay next song on the album's song called Godsmack
wow wow wow wow.
Speaker 1: Wow it's kind of interesting to me this, ONE i,
mean shockingly another song about, heroin but this is a
little more, Dancy like this is more like a club
music kind of which is weird for me to hear
from alis In. Chains it's not that it's, bad it's
just it doesn't seem to fit for. ME i like.
IT i still listen to. It it's it's not a bad,
song it's just kind of. Odd it just seems. Odd
to me that they're writing This godsmack song and have
this very dancy kind of.
Speaker 4: Style the lyrics and the music clearly don't match, up
and that may have been. INTENTIONAL i mean talking about
what smack Is god's name the, song there's clearly someone
getting deeper and deeper in the depths of their addiction
as they continue their progress down the dark road When
lane was.
Speaker 1: On Obviously godsmack the band came along later on and
they got their name from this.
Speaker 2: Song any song that Has laine on vocals And Jerry
cantrell on guitar is going to be two steps.
Speaker 9: Ahead if this one doesn't really do it for, Me
so you sickness ways a.
Speaker 2: Ton this is not my drug of, choice all?
Speaker 1: Right all, right well then let's move, on shall? We?
Speaker 2: Yes do we want to talk about the intro The Iron?
Speaker 1: Gland we want to talk.
Speaker 2: About The Iron.
Speaker 1: GLAND i am Iron. Land, yeah so there. Is it's
just untitled depending on which release you. Got it's untitled on,
some AND i think it was mistitled when they put
it On Apple music As Iron, man WHICH i mean
obviously they're borrowing From Black. Sabbath we discussed how they
were a huge. Influence but this is a forty three
second song Called Iron, gland developed out of one Of
Jerry cantrell's guitar riffs that everyone else in the band.
Hated it annoyed the crap out of. Everybody so he's, like, okay,
FINE i want to just put it on an album
and THEN i will never play it. Again and there you.
Go that's what you.
Speaker 4: Brought In Tom area From slayer just to do the.
Speaker 1: Art then they had to Take tom and rush out
To Joshua tree because people were looting and. MURDERING i
kind of like.
Speaker 2: The Red rum stuff at the very. End, yeah, Okay
so that brings us to the next song called hate To.
Speaker 1: FEEL i don't hate this, song BUT i also don't love.
It this one is he's doing something with his. GUITAR
i think it's like an effect pedal where it plays
obviously the note that he's, playing and then like a
sixth step down from that, note which gives it that
kind of weird sound that each of the notes that
he plays has obviously flows smoothly from that Weird Iron
gland thing that we had right before. IT i don't
know how that song got messed up in the placement
when they originally pressed this, album so it wasn't they
it wasn't one that followed. Before but all of that,
aside this is one THAT i could leave off the
album and never miss.
Speaker 4: It and one of the highlights of this song is
it's you. Know laane actually wrote two songs for this
album and came when they were. Recording this is one
of the two that he wrote. Himself but, YEAH i,
mean other than getting steadily darker and darker down the junkie,
trail this is the, closest one of the. Closest this
album has to a skipper for me as.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah this is a skipper for me as.
Speaker 1: Well, yeah this one And Angry chair composed completely By
Laine staley and on both of them he plays, guitar
Which Jerry cantrell, SAID i Was he was the one
that encouraged me to sing and complimented to me on
my singing WHEN i. Did AND i think he knocked
it out of the park with these songs and did
wonderful on the.
Speaker 2: Guitar so when he brought it in he had sort
of the basis of it but no lyrics chet hm
and so he wrote the lyrics while they were recording the.
Speaker 4: Album we've got the cheerful lyrics like what's he? Say
used to be? Curious now the blank is. Sustenance more
songs about.
Speaker 1: Drugs, okay we done with this. One, yeah slush.
Speaker 2: That one down the toilet before the cops get.
Speaker 1: Here let's get rid of this one and move on
to the Next Lane staley, Song Angry. Chair how in
opposition to that last, Song Lane staley brings it home
with this. ONE i love this. Song this is, fantastic
and it's funny to me that it's a song about a.
Toilet so the first verse of the song is sitting
on an angry, chair angry walls that steal the. Air stomach,
hurts AND i don't. Care when you do, heroin you
lose your. Appetite but what comes along with that is stomach.
Pains you end up sitting on the toilet because of
your stomach. Pains and what he's saying here Is i'm
sitting on the. Toilet i'm angry BECAUSE i can't. Poop
my stomach, hurts BUT i don't.
Speaker 2: Care SEE i heard that this song was written about
him having that special chair when he got in, trouble
when he was a little kid to time, chair time out,
chair and he had to sit and look at a
mirror of, himself, like look at that bad kid right.
Speaker 1: There oh my, god that's What.
Speaker 4: That's WHAT i heard as. Well oh my, god maybe
there's a mirror in his.
Speaker 1: Bathroom, yeah of course there's a mirror in his. Bathroom.
Well verse two starts off with, candles, RED i have a.
Pair it's talking about cooking. Heroin, Yeah i'm pretty sure
this song is a continuing story About. Heroin it definitely.
Speaker 2: Is, it definitely. Is this was the third, single Released december,
sixth nineteen ninety. Two Lane staley wrote this one as.
Well this is, dense, scary, dark but then they break
into that really cool melodious.
Speaker 1: PART i, MEAN i don't mind.
Speaker 2: Part, yeah he's got a knack for doing.
Speaker 1: That, YEAH i don't. MIND i don't mind it lost my,
mind can't find it. ANYWHERE i don't.
Speaker 2: Mind there's some dark beauty.
Speaker 4: Here. Yeah this is one of my Favorite cantrail. Solos.
Speaker 2: Oh the guitar solo is killer on this.
Speaker 1: One it's. Amazing let's listen to this requet freaking, awesome
mind blowing by the, way right before the guitar. Solo he,
Says i'm a dull, boy work all, day So i'm strung. Out,
ANYWAY i don't think this is a kid in Time,
Hey i'm.
Speaker 2: Just the internets are telling me that this is a
what you read all?
Speaker 4: Right?
Speaker 2: Hey the music video on this has one of those
weird night. Monkeys here's seeing with the giant eyeballs and
it's on his shoulder and it's hanging.
Speaker 1: It's it was actually is a monkey on his. Back
there is a monkey on his. Back, yeah obviously the
song is about a little boy who's in time.
Speaker 4: Out there's no, Question and this is the one WHERE
i REALLY i may be, wrong BUT i do Think
Laura's ulrich heard this and use some of the, intro
the kind of drum part when they Recorded Until It
sleeps a few years.
Speaker 2: Later, hey one of the THINGS i wanted to throw
in On. Metallica we brushed up With metallica just a minute.
Ago the guys From metallica were in the audience the
night That Alison chains did the unplugged Show The Friends
Don't Let Friends Get? Haircuts, yes thats.
Speaker 4: Don't Let friends get friends?
Speaker 2: Haircuts that's HER tv.
Speaker 4: Show oh So.
Speaker 2: Metallica had just cut their, hair And mikeez wrote on
the front of his guitar friends don't let friends get friends.
Haircuts so these guys were. FRIENDS i. Know in, Particular
Jerry cantrell is still very close With.
Speaker 1: Lars apparently he also still goes out To kabo For
Sammy hagar's birthday. Party It jerry's cool, dude good old. Boy.
Speaker 2: Yep, OKAY i.
Speaker 4: SWEAR i rad that he used to go hunting With,
headfield so probably, so which also sounds like a GREAT tv, show.
Speaker 2: Hunting With. Headfield let's make that. Happen. Okay now that
brings us to the last song on the, album a
song that was on the singles. Soundtrack this song is Called.
Speaker 1: Wood they're ending strong on this, one boys. Man this
is Not this is not the. Throwaway let's stick it
on at the last minute Sound this is. Fantastic, yeah
it's one.
Speaker 4: Of my favorite songs on the. ALBUM i.
Speaker 1: Agree so the title of the song Is wood question
mark as in Would but this song was written By
Jerry cantrell as a tribute to his Friend Andrew wood
From Mother, lovelone who passed away from heroin overdose in
nineteen Ninety it's also directed towards the judgmental sons of
bees that look down upon folks who are dealing with
the heroin addictions and don't know how to deal with.
Speaker 2: It Probably, yeah this was the first, single like we,
said from a single soundtrack Released june, thirtieth nineteen ninety.
Two and If rooster is not your favorite, song it's
probably this. Song those are the two best songs on the.
Album my huge, chorus haunting, tone dark and beautiful song
about drug.
Speaker 4: Addiction Andrew wood had a tragic life and an ended,
tragically but he inspired some amazing music besides. This you,
know we had The temple of The doll album With
Chris cornell and some of The Pearl jam, guys beautiful
sad music and it's all once again inspired By wood's.
Speaker 2: Depth during the making of this, video they flew To
seattle for three days and while they're in the middle
of the video, Shoot lane goes to the video director and,
SAYS i need to go, home and he's like. What he's,
LIKE i have to go get some massprin AND i
have to feed my. Cat so he left in the
middle of the video shoot to you, know feed his.
Cat which is the story we're going.
Speaker 1: With he had a. Cat he did have a. Cat
his cat's name Was. Sadie his cat's name Was.
Speaker 2: Sadie And i'm sure that was the only thing he
did when he got, home.
Speaker 1: Right, yeah he was probably drug sick and needed something
to get him. Onsick the director of that, video by the,
way we've talked about. Before, yeah who's. It yeah It's Josh. Taft, Okay,
Now josh was co director With cam And crow on this. Video.
Right you, know of Course Cameron crowe having, singles is
going to come in to take part in the direction
of the. Video But Josh taft also directed videos For
Stone Temple, pilots Including Sex Type, Thing plush And Lady Picture,
show which we'll be talking about on our next. Episode
but we talked about him in the past because he
was the guy who recorded the live performance of A
live By Pearl jam that if you listen to the extended,
video at some, Point Eddie vedder goes turn the lights. Off,
yes this is a rock, concert not a.
Speaker 7: Movie.
Speaker 1: Josh That's Josh taft who directed videos For Alison Chains
Stone Temple, pilots who will cover next, week and of
Course Pearl jam throw back to that episode.
Speaker 2: Which we love forgot about that is a great, story
Freaking Josh rock. Video just a fantastic way to cap
off the album about.
Speaker 4: Them bleeding blending this darkness and. BEAUTY i think it's
hard to find a better example of it than this.
Song it's got such an ominous tone with that bass
intro at the, beginning but then when it explodes in that,
chorus there's, ALMOST i hate to say, optimism but there's
almost a sense of there's something positive about the.
Speaker 2: Chorus, dark haunting and.
Speaker 4: Beautiful and my band actually we still play this song
and as soon as our bass player starts that, intro
you can hear people all around, going, oh people still
love this. Song even thirty years, later it still goes over.
WELL i guess that's a testament to its.
Speaker 1: Power super strong, ALBUM i, mean not a miss on side.
One side one is. Epic, yep you got one or
two skippers on side, two but mostly great stuff. Throughout
definitely a fantastic. Album they left Off Mike starrs SONG
I Know.
Speaker 2: Fear The voices really wanted that one on, there and
they fought him all the, way and they did not include,
it but it is in their box set if you
want to hear. It we're kind of putting a capro on.
This but they had to cancel one of the shows
on The dirt to her mid performance Because lane would
drop the mic and leave and go get high in
the middle of the, concert and so the manager had
to come out and, say that's, It we're not finishing this.
Concert so they actually called off a concert in the
middle of the.
Speaker 4: Show wayne's life. Story it's a. Tragedy the man had
so much. Talent it was such an amazing. VOCALIST i
mean people have been trying to replicate his voice for
years and bands Like godsmack and other, places, yep but
they lacked that certain. Timber he had that certain feeling
that came with.
Speaker 2: It, yeah his vocals are, amazing.
Speaker 1: Amazing so have you got some info on how this
album performed upon?
Speaker 2: Release, yeah D, so this album peaked at number six
on The billboard two hundred five times. Platinum as we,
said just hit that five million mark In august of
twenty twenty.
Speaker 1: Two you know, what If i'm just picking my own favorites,
HERE i wouldn't put it at the. TOP i would
put The unplugged album at the. Top, well we need
to talk about the N plugged down for just a.
Second So april, tenth nineteen ninety, six they came back
after having not performed together because of all Of lane's.
Problems they hadn't performed together in two and a half.
Years and you can tell when you watch THE Mtv
unplugged he's got his sunglasses. On he's, there he's, coherent
he's performing the songs and all of. That but at
some point he takes those glasses.
Speaker 7: Off i'm back.
Speaker 1: And you look in his eyes and he has, piercing entrancing,
eyes but they're there's a sadness there that you can
see a life that is about to be.
Speaker 2: Extinguished that he can barely sit on the. Stool but
they somehow against all, odds Like Sean kenney even, said
we can't even get through, rehearsals like we made crash
and burn on this, deal and somehow they pulled off
the impossible and that night was an epic. Performance maybe
they're best ever is also.
Speaker 1: Changs his vocals are perfection throughout the whole, thing which
is saying something because when you get a regular, album
you have the opportunity to re, record re, record and re,
record and they did this in front of an. Audience
it was an, amazing amazing, performance and four months later
he would do his very last Performance Kansas, City, missouri
turing With. Kiss from then on he was out of public,
spotlight never to perform live.
Speaker 4: Again it says something about a band's music when it
translates so well into a different. Format for these, songs
which are, recorded most of them with the, heavy distorted
guitar and the pounding, DRAMs to hear them in this
unplugged acoustic, format and realizing how much creativity and talent
these guys had and how great this song still. SOUND
i think that's the reason Why Alison chains is still
such a beloved band. Today, yeah they just had the.
Speaker 2: Songs when they started their first song that, night that
song was Called. Nutshell people were. Crying first of, all
they're amazed that they're even, there and then to pull
off that, performance it's just tear.
Speaker 1: Jerky it is truly an amazing. Album it's an amazing.
Performance it's JUST i could listen to it over and
over again and never get tired of. It so just
a little over three months After lane's last live. Performance
On october twenty, ninth nineteen ninety, six his former fance
that we talked about, Before Demri, pirot died of a drug.
Overdose he got placed on a twenty four hour suicide.
Watch they quoted a friend of his saying he was
taking her death extremely badly and was in a deep. Depression,
well if you started from where he, was you, know
he can't even do a live performance, anymore and say
he went down drastically from, there, right that's pretty freaking.
Low well you can.
Speaker 2: TELL i mean he normally weighs about one hundred and seventy.
POUNDS i, mean he's a thin guy, Anyway but at
THAT Mtv unplugged, PERFORMANCE i bet he's one hundred and
twenty five. Pounds, yeah and when he died he was
around ninety.
Speaker 1: Pounds he's like six foot. TALL i, know.
Speaker 2: Get, This. Okay so it's estimated that he was spending
between two hundred and fifty and four hundred dollars a
day on crack and. Heroin, now he went on a
camping trip with some friends to try and go Cold,
turkey didn't bring anything with, him went camping in the.
Woods there's no WAY i can get drugs. Here, well
they started to get dope, sick and so they had
to go back into. Town when they went back into,
town they went To safeway to get some. Groceries and
in the parking lot of The safeway there's a bunch
of teenagers just kind of a little impromptu party the
back parking lot of the. Safe, well they were blaring
No excuses The alison, chainsaw and they pulled. Up he
rolled down the window and he's dope, sick and he
still belted out the perfect version of no Excuses.
Speaker 1: God and.
Speaker 2: The teenagers were, like is that Freaking Lane staley right?
Speaker 4: There?
Speaker 1: Wow we can't forget. That he did a couple side.
Projects mike McCready invited him to be a part Of
Mad season because he was in hopes, that, hey maybe
if we surround him with musicians that are all clean and,
sober that that will help him get clean and. Sober
unfortunately it didn't. Work fortunately it gave us The Mad season,
album which is. Fantastic but he also you played one for.
ME i had forgotten that this was on, there but
on The faculty, soundtrack that terrible high school alien movie
from nineteen ninety, nine there is a remake of The
wall And Lane staley is singing.
Speaker 2: That his voice is, there but his enunciation is.
Speaker 1: Awful, yeah if we can listen to it, here we
don't no, dog.
Speaker 4: No dog sca.
Speaker 7: Classroom teach their.
Speaker 1: Ship, yeah and you. Can, yeah you're totally. Right you can.
Hear he's probably missing some tea he doesn't.
Speaker 2: Have he doesn't have any team at this.
Speaker 5: Point.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Actually alice In chains got together and recorded two
songs for their box. Set they had two days because
they were recording Around, offspring who's recording their, album But
offspring agreed to give them two days to come in and.
Record everybody showed up and recorded their, parts but they
could not Get lane in the. Studio when he finally showed,
up they couldn't believe what they were seeing was super,
thin scary. Thin so he came, up screwed, around and
then decided that he had to. Go he couldn't, stay
and they actually had to bring the recording to him
to get his vocals for those last two. Songs those
songs are Called Get Born again And. Died and then
On april fourth of two thousand and, Two Mike starr
Visited lane at his, apartment which it's Very Howard hughes.
Like he had this. Apartment nobody ever really saw. Him
he would go to the comic book store and toys.
Arrus otherwise he stayed locked away in his. Apartment, Well
Mike starr was actually visiting, him And lane was chastising
him for being addicted to, pills And mike's, like what
the heck are you talked, about? Dude look at? You you,
know oh, High you're. High in, fact he Threatened. Lane he,
SAID i might just call nine one, one how about?
That And lane, said if you, Do i'll never talk
to you. Again mike stormed, out and on his way,
Out lane, said not like, this, Man don't let it
in like. This and it's estimated that he died the next.
Speaker 7: Day.
Speaker 4: Yeah the weird part about, that to make the, hair
what little there is stand up on the back of
my neck is. That Mike starr said that when he
was talking To lane that, Night, lane they were watching
some show about ghosts or seances or, reincarnations And lane
said That dimri was here last.
Speaker 1: Night Tragic Tragic Story april, fifth two thousand and. Two
lane stay overdosed on a speedball at the age of thirty.
Speaker 2: Four which music did we miss out? On because he
could not break free of this.
Speaker 1: Addiction, yeah the bank called his parents because there had
been no financial transactions for two. Weeks he had people
who he normally would have called who hadn't heard from
him in the two. Weeks so his mother and his
stepdad went to his. Apartment couldn't get, in which was not.
Atypical what happened was she heard that, Cat, sadie, meowing
and she, Said sadie's normally a very quiet. Cat this
sounded like a cat in. Distress and so it was
that that caused him to call nine one one and
have the paramedics come out and break the door down
to find.
Speaker 4: It hard to imagine someone who just a few years
earlier had been one of the world's most legendary rock
stars just dying by himself alone And leigh in there
for two.
Speaker 2: Weeks, yeah just couldn't break.
Speaker 1: Free Mark, lanigan who's From The Screaming, trees said he
never recovered From demery's death after. THAT i don't think
he wanted to go. On when they had his memorial,
Service Chris cornell was joined By ann And Nancy Wilson
art and they sang a rendition of The Rolling Stones Wild.
Speaker 4: Horses soon After lane passed, Away Jerry cantrell released a
solo album he's been working on during the. Hiatus it
was Called Degradation, trip and it Was jerry doing with
his own. Addictions the rest of the guys in the
band were having their own. Problems but if you listen
to a lot of those songs are clearly discussing his
low pete relationship With, waane and the fact that it
was released as soon after his death makes IT i don't, know,
man it's tough to listen. To it's a beautiful, album great,
music but it's just tough to listen.
Speaker 2: To great, band great, album important band of the. Nineties
next week we're going to talk About Stone Temple pilots
and we will go track by track Through their album Cor.
Speaker 1: Core was released on the same, Day september twenty, ninth
nineteen ninety, two same day As. Dirk and to give
you a little a little, HINT i have a dear
close friend who is the the Biggest Allison chains Fan
i've ever met in my. Life her firstborn, child his
middle name Is, laane spelled with a. Y that is
how important this band was to. Her WHEN i told
her about this, mashup she Said core's the better, album
AND i was, like, what she, Goes, listen you know
HOW i feel About Alison, chains But core is the better.
Speaker 4: Album i'll save my takes later on that.
Speaker 1: One i'm not SAYING i share her. Opinion i'm just
saying there's a definite contention in this particular.
Speaker 2: Matchup all, Right, well we will see you guys back
here next.
Speaker 1: Week, yeah be sure and hit that follow button on
your podcast app so that you get updated automatically when
that next episode comes. Out we will talk to you guys.
Then thank you so much for joining, Us, James thank
you for coming in and going through the history and
the track by track with us on this. Album loved you.
Takes can't wait to do this again with you.
Speaker 4: Soon, well thanks for waiting to be the man in
the zoom. Box. GUYS i appreciate.
Speaker 1: It, schneck, right, schneck. SCHNECK i don't, Know, okay