[Andrés]

Mike Starr has died, he was 44:

http://grungereport.net/?p=3278

I thought he had finally become sober after watching the reunion/intervention with Layne's mother:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeoDI...0093B65B 5407

Did you know that he was the last person that saw Layne alive?...did you also know that he covered Kool Thing? :

http://grungereport.net/?p=3287

[RanaldoNecro]

I saw some interviews with him and he came across like a Class A dick.

RIP

[hevusa]

Yeah, the guy seemed like a douche. He was probably in a lot of pain...

RIP

[Derek]

Shame, Alice in Chains were kinda cool. Really dark for a band of that popularity.

[RanaldoNecro]

Yeah they had their moments. Some of Jerrys riffs were really unique. Like Heaven Beside You.

[floatingslowly]

Originally Posted by Derek

Shame, Alice in Chains were kinda cool. Really dark for a band of that popularity.

Starr hadn't been with the band since Dirt.

that said, if the loss of Layne Staley wasn't enough to stop them from making music using the name...

[Derek]

Yeah, I know. Was just a general statement.

[Pelle]

That's sad. AIC is really great.

R.I.P.

[floatingslowly]

Originally Posted by Derek

Yeah, I know. Was just a general statement.

I wasn't trying to negate it.

they WERE cool (and really need to stop making music).


edit: weird double post time portal shit

[SuperCreep]

"dirt" and "jar of flies" are good albums. i haven't listened to either in a really long time, though, and don't feel any need to now, but they meant a lot to me when i was 13-14ish. say what you want about AIC, but i still think they had some legit incredible moments.

RIP

[Rob Instigator]

Sux. Any idea about cause of death? Last nite I couldn't find it. Sometimes long term junkies have bad hearts

[fishmonkey]

RIP Mike Starr

[Genteel Death]

They always seemed like one those bands nobody outside the usa cared about after their initial mtv grunge push. Not saying it's a bad thing. They had some good songs. I'm assuming someone in Georgia cares more than I do.

[jon boy]

never really liked alice in chains, shame the guys dead but it doesnt mean a whole lot to me.

[Andrés]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

Sux. Any idea about cause of death? Last nite I couldn't find it. Sometimes long term junkies have bad hearts

It seems it was Mike himself who called the police and when they arrived they found him dead, so there's a chance that it was a heart attack or maybe he just ODed. It's really sad since he was the last person who saw Layne alive. I wonder if Mike ever confessed anybody about that last meeting, beside the Dr. Drew episode where he probably was told whatever to say by some asshole tv producer.

I was a huge AIC fan when I was in high school, I really love Dirt, Jar of Flies and the s/t album even though it was the other mike who played bass on that record.

Starr also oded after the infamous Brazil show in January '93. He was partying with Nirvana, Courtney and L7...now what a party it was!

[ann ashtray]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

They always seemed like one those bands nobody outside the usa cared about after their initial mtv grunge push. Not saying it's a bad thing. They had some good songs. I'm assuming someone in Georgia cares more than I do.

I've never been too big into AiC, even though that Unplugged album is fantastic.

[GeneticKiss]

I love Alice In Chains and always will, even though their imitators suck balls royally. I'm also one of the few people without any problems with Jerry Cantrell and the others continuing to use the name, as if bands are somehow required to change their name if they want to continue playing after their original singer dies...people weren't screaming at AC DC to change their name after Bon Scott died, were they (a real question since I wasn't around then)?

RIP Mike Starr, and Layne Staley...

[Torn Curtain]

I really like the bassline on Would:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA8Vq4nEkQc

[pad_023]

RIP.

Shame AIC were a big part of my growing up.

[hipster_bebop_junkie]

Originally Posted by floatingslowly

Starr hadn't been with the band since Dirt.

that said, if the loss of Layne Staley wasn't enough to stop them from making music using the name...

Supposedly, they didn't want him in Alice In Chains when they signed their contract with Columbia Records, but someone in their management thought he was a handsome dude or something, so he stayed based on his looks rather than on his musical abilities and despite other factors that a band would take in consideration for dumping someone out.

He was finally kicked out after that performance in Brazil in 1993. I didn't know he overdosed after that show, i found out recently. According to his own words, he was dead for eleven minutes, and it was Layne Staley who brought him back to life. According to Susan Silver, one of the main reasons he was fired from the band was that he was more involved in the rock-star lifestyle rather than in the music. The official word was that he didn't want to tour anymore. He mentioned at some point that they kicked him out due to the fact that he was seriously addicted to junk. The origin of his addiction is linked to his involvement in Alice In Chains, so it probably would have been much better for him if they had fired him when they initially pretended to do so. On the other hand, i consider it a shame that he couldn't recover from his drug addiction once he was out of the band. One could think that being relatively away from such lifestyle, and having already faced death would be of help to get rid of the habit. Then again, this is an easy assumption since of course i never met him, and thus, i have no idea what was going on in his head. Reasons why people do (or can't stop doing) certain things are complicated matters. At least all the struggling is over now, and i hope he's in peace.

I never followed his post Alice In Chains career, and don't have any interest in hearing that Sun Red Sun record even now. I had sympathy for him due to his work on "Facelift", "Sap", and "Dirt", which i used to really love when i was younger, and which i still appreciate in some level even though i rarely listen to them anymore. I got into Alice In Chains when a friend of mine gave me a cassette tape containing "Jar Of Flies". She later gave me "MTV Unplugged" in cassette format as well. I like the so-called "Tripod" and the "Alice In Chains Live" records, too. Again, i don't listen to those too often either. On the contrary, i still listen to "Jar Of Flies", and "MTV Unplugged" sometimes, and still enjoy them a lot. I've heard "Black Gives Way To Blue" and i find it atrocious, not only in terms of the music contained in it. I think at some point i read an interview with Mike Starr, in which he said he was against the idea of the band going on under the Alice In Chains moniker without Layne Staley. Maybe it's not very remarkable, but i thought that was a cool honest gesture from his part (i wasn't aware he was somehow close to Layne to the point to be with him in the final days of his life, that's a recent discovery as well).