Name:

Date/ Place of birth:

Height:

Sean Kinney

May 27, 1966; Seattle, WA

6'1''

Layne Thomas Staley

August 22, 1967; Kirkland, WA

5'11''

Mike Allen Inez

May 14, 1966; Los Angeles, CA

5'9''

Jerry Fulton Cantrell, Jr.

March 18, 1966; Tacoma, WA

6'1''

Mike Starr

April 6, 1966; Honolulu, Hawaii

(unknown)

The press releases said "Amicable departure... rigors of touring... wanted to spend more time with his family," etc. The rumor mill has produced stories of drug use and illegal sales of laminates, etc. Use your imagination. Mike Starr was also later arrested and convicted of misdemeanor theft and possession of marijuana in Houston, TX for stealing luggage at a Texas airport. He was sentenced and served 90 days in a Lewis County jail. He later formed a "traditional" metal band called Sun Red Sun, which released only one album before breaking up due to the death of their singer, former Badlands vocalist Ray Gillen. Mike Starr left Alice In Chains in January of 1993.

Where does the band's name come from?

There is much speculation regarding the meaning behind the name Alice In Chains. The story seems to be that it just sounded good. However, AIC was not the first name the band had given themselves throughout their careers. Among the rejects, Diamond Lie and Fuck. One story goes that during an in-store appearance, the band passed out condoms with "Fuck The Band" on the wrappers. The band's name was originally spelt Alice N' Chainz. Layne sheds some light on the subject in a Rolling Stone article (11-26-92): "The name came from a side project of my old group. We were going to have this band that dressed up in drag and played heavy metal as a joke."

Have Alice In Chains appeared in any movies?

Yes. You can see the band perform live in the Cameron Crowe film Singles, in which the guys play a small role as themselves. Jerry also has a small speaking role in the 1997 hit movie Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise. Jerry plays the "Kinko's Copy Guy" in this film, also by Cameron Crowe.

Have some songs of Alice ever been used for a film?

Yes! Man in the Box has been featured in several movies, including The Perfect Storm and Lassie. The song was also used in several versions of trailers for the 2004 movie Collateral, though it was not included on the movie's soundtrack. (Source: Wikipedia)

Do the guys in the band have any tattoos?

Absolutely! Jerry has a large Voodoo doll on his left arm, along with a creature wearing a Medusa mask. On his right shoulder, he has a big colorful skull. Layne also had a tattoo, on his back, representing eyes sewn shut, similar to the way he looks himself in the Man In The Box video. Sean has a nose-ring (which he secretly uses to communicate with Uranus, rumours say).

Who is Demri Parrott?

Demri was Layne's ex-fiancée and close friend. Demri was a very sweet, beautiful person, interested in philosophy, poetry, and art. She loved to collect vintage clothes, make decoupage, write poetry and play in front of the camera. She supposedly was the love of Layne Staley's life. They met sometime between the years 1991 and 1992. Layne and Demri were described by their friends and family as perfect for each other, however, they drifted apart sometime in 1993 or 1994. Sadly, Demri passed away on October 29th, 1996, due to an inflammation of the heart caused by an unclean needle.It was a very upsetting moment in Layne's life, but his friends and family stayed close to him and supported him through this terrible time.Demri was also an inspiration to Layne as he wrote a few songs about her. You can read her obituary as printed in a Seattle newspaper.

Who or what is Alice Mudgarden?

Alice Mudgarden is a fictional joke; basically a combination of Alice In Chains, Mudhoney and Soundgarden. Fellow Seattle musicians Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) joined Alice In Chains to record a track found on the Sap EP, Right Turn.

Who is Nona Weisbaum?

Nona is the beautiful and vivacious young reporter who interviews the Seattle Rock Boys in the Nona Tapes. She really is played by Jerry Cantrell! The tape is hilarious and well worth seeing if you like the band.

Who is Johnny Steroid?

This is Alice In Chains' touring crew, also known as Johnny Steroid and The Basehead Kings. They have played a couple of songs at a few AIC shows, some of which can be heard on the bootleg Johnny Steroid's Last Show. The track in question is entitled "Fuck You, Fuck You, Where's My Dick". They have also jammed to Man In The Box.

Does the band endorse the use of drugs?

No, although many of their songs relate to drug use. However, this is not to promote any of their possible advantages, rather to expose the dangers of addiction.Here is a quote from Layne Staley, lead singer and song writer: "When I tried drugs, they were fucking great, and they worked for me for years, and now they're turning against me -- and now I'm walking through hell and this sucks. I didn't want my fans to think heroin was cool. But then I've had fans come up to me and give me the thumbs up, telling me they're high. That's exactly what I didn't want to happen." (Rolling Stone, February 1996)Alice In Chains are also involved with Artists for a Hate Free America, a non-profit organization working to fight bigotry, homophobia, racism and censorship in America. What does it say on Mike's bass?During the Unplugged videos, you can read "Friends don't let friends get Friends haircuts", in reference to the show. At the time, everyone was getting haircuts just like the characters on the show, and this was Mike's way of making fun of it.This quote was more specifically directed at the guys from Metallica, who were at the taping of the show. As you all know, Metallica cut their hair around that time.

Was Jerry really sick for the Unplugged show?

Indeed. Cantrell mentioned in an interview that he got food poisoning from a hot dog. He had to leave the stage a couple of times during the performance. The same thing happened at Lollapalooza 93, in Washington. From Guitar School, August 1996: "I was ill that whole week. I got food poisoning from a hot dog I bought from a street vendor -- bad move. I was puking right up until the gig and immediately afterward, but while I was playing I felt fine."

Did Layne take voice lessons?

Nope. In a former band, it has been said that the other band members couldn't get Layne to stop singing. However, he never had any formal training. Nevertheless, Susan Carr apparently has a web page where she claims to have given lessons to Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Layne Staley.

Did the band earn any awards?

In January 1991, the band was nominated for American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal Artist, which they lose. Similarly, they lose the Best Heavy Metal Performance Grammy in February of the same year.The band was named Best New Band in 1991 in readers' polls in RIP, as well as Guitar For The Practicing Musician.In September of 1993, they win an MTV Music Video Award in the Best Video From A Film category, for the song Would? (featured on the Singles soundtrack).The band is nominated once more for a Grammy for the song I Stay Away, which they inevitaby lose in March 1995.In February 1996, we see the band lose another Grammy, in the Best Hard Rock Performance category, for the song Grind.Alice In Chains were nominated for Again in the Best Hard Rock Video at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, but alas, lost to Metallica's Until it Sleeps.Alice In Chains were nominated in the 1997 Grammy Awards in the Best Hard Rock Performance category for the song Again. This time, they lost to Smashing Pumpkin's Bullet With Butterfly Wings.Alice In Chains were nominated in the 2000 Grammy Awards in the Best Hard Rock Performance category for the song Get Born Again. As expected, they lost to Metallica.

Did Alice do any cover songs?

It is said that the band started up to play Slayer covers in their glam days. They did David Bowie's Suffragette City live, and also recorded it as a demo song. Jerry and Sean played Lynyrd Skynyrd's Tuesday's Gone with Metallica on the "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" radio show (which aired in December of 1997). This song is available on Metallica's Garage Inc. 1998 double album.Jerry Cantrell recorded a solo version of Willie Nelson's I've Seen All Of This World I Care To See, along with Sean Kinney. Sean also did drums on Time Of The Preacher. Both songs are available on the Twisted Willie tribute album.They certainly did more throughout the years, including live performances with groups such as Metallica (For Whom The Bell Tolls) and Aerosmith (Sick As A Dog).

What kind of music do the guys listen to?

Beside their own music, one would guess that they pretty much like all the bands that have been mentioned throughout this document. They list Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Kiss as major influences, among others.