(no subject)
I wrote this on Pearl Jam's message board regarding Eddy Vedder's song "4/20/02" which is a tribute to the late, great Layne Staley, Alice in Chains lead singer.
Here:
I just got it off of Itunes. I knew it was about Layne, and I am a HUGE Alice in Chains fan. I am only 18, but what I heard while 4 or 5 is what I listen to today. I always remember Pearl Jam and Nirvana on MTV and on the radio, and my dad was a big Pantera and Alice in Chains fan. I would hear the Dirt, or Facelift album or the Vulgar Display of Power album while getting ready for my Dad to bring me to school. My dad was and still is a big influence on what I listen to because of this.
Staley's death expectingly shocked me more than it did my Dad. My dad had been expecting it, as many older fans did for a while. I read that he died online, and I called my dad, and he told me that he was surprised that it took this long. I dont know, I guess after he came out with "Get Born Again" it gave me some hope that he could be turning it around. To no avail, apparently. Dimebag Darrell's death also shocked both of us, and is still a bit surreal.
I remember going into school the day Layne died and just thinking. Just contemplating and trying to have it sink in. I would tell people about him, and how he died, and no one would care. Like "oh hes just another smack addict that didnt matter." He was so much more than that. He was Layne. The day Dime died, my dad woke me up early, and we watched the whole thing unfold on the news, both of us in shock, that someone that affected us that much was just killed in cold blood, while he was doing what he did best. Bringing us music. Terrible things happen in this world, that I cant explain, but just really put things in perspective and make me look at how valuable life is.
But recently, because of all of this talk of Alice in Chains possibly regrouping (everything after the Tsunami benefit show) I started to delve deeper into AiC related things, even though I was a big fan already.
Well, there were two things I came across that really struck a chord with me. "Layne" by Staind, and "4/20/02" by Vedder. Both just hit so close to home. I just heard them a few days apart in the past week, and they both have been two "holy shits". The more I read about Layne, the more it really just hurts, I have grown up listening to this guys voice, and he has been such an intrical part of my musical growth, to see him gone isnt like seeing an actor in a movie you like die. Its like a part of you goes, or is at least deeply hurt.
Vedder and Staind definitely really addressed that. You can not just hear but feel the frustration in their voices and how they are playing. Two songs that are so spectacular, and at the end of them, it just feels like you got your ass kicked. You are just burnt out for a bit. I am not a big Staind fan, but hats off to them. I am a huge PJ fan, and it was just awesome to hear this track.
Layne was so important in music, even if he dosent get the credit. I dont know if it matters, but if that guy from Seattle, Washington did anything, he definitely had an effect on a kid from New Haven , Connecticut. I cared, and if I was the only one, I know that he is looking down upon me while I write this and smiling. Thats for sure. I know that when it is Vedders time to join the big mosh pit up in the sky that I will feel the same way.
Rest in peace, Layne, and Darrell.
Keep on rockin Ed.
Here:
I just got it off of Itunes. I knew it was about Layne, and I am a HUGE Alice in Chains fan. I am only 18, but what I heard while 4 or 5 is what I listen to today. I always remember Pearl Jam and Nirvana on MTV and on the radio, and my dad was a big Pantera and Alice in Chains fan. I would hear the Dirt, or Facelift album or the Vulgar Display of Power album while getting ready for my Dad to bring me to school. My dad was and still is a big influence on what I listen to because of this.
Staley's death expectingly shocked me more than it did my Dad. My dad had been expecting it, as many older fans did for a while. I read that he died online, and I called my dad, and he told me that he was surprised that it took this long. I dont know, I guess after he came out with "Get Born Again" it gave me some hope that he could be turning it around. To no avail, apparently. Dimebag Darrell's death also shocked both of us, and is still a bit surreal.
I remember going into school the day Layne died and just thinking. Just contemplating and trying to have it sink in. I would tell people about him, and how he died, and no one would care. Like "oh hes just another smack addict that didnt matter." He was so much more than that. He was Layne. The day Dime died, my dad woke me up early, and we watched the whole thing unfold on the news, both of us in shock, that someone that affected us that much was just killed in cold blood, while he was doing what he did best. Bringing us music. Terrible things happen in this world, that I cant explain, but just really put things in perspective and make me look at how valuable life is.
But recently, because of all of this talk of Alice in Chains possibly regrouping (everything after the Tsunami benefit show) I started to delve deeper into AiC related things, even though I was a big fan already.
Well, there were two things I came across that really struck a chord with me. "Layne" by Staind, and "4/20/02" by Vedder. Both just hit so close to home. I just heard them a few days apart in the past week, and they both have been two "holy shits". The more I read about Layne, the more it really just hurts, I have grown up listening to this guys voice, and he has been such an intrical part of my musical growth, to see him gone isnt like seeing an actor in a movie you like die. Its like a part of you goes, or is at least deeply hurt.
Vedder and Staind definitely really addressed that. You can not just hear but feel the frustration in their voices and how they are playing. Two songs that are so spectacular, and at the end of them, it just feels like you got your ass kicked. You are just burnt out for a bit. I am not a big Staind fan, but hats off to them. I am a huge PJ fan, and it was just awesome to hear this track.
Layne was so important in music, even if he dosent get the credit. I dont know if it matters, but if that guy from Seattle, Washington did anything, he definitely had an effect on a kid from New Haven , Connecticut. I cared, and if I was the only one, I know that he is looking down upon me while I write this and smiling. Thats for sure. I know that when it is Vedders time to join the big mosh pit up in the sky that I will feel the same way.
Rest in peace, Layne, and Darrell.
Keep on rockin Ed.