Alice in Chains: The Untold Story

David de Sola

Aug 2015 · Sold by Macmillan

About this ebook

Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four - ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden - to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did its problems.

Acclaimed journalist David de Sola follows the members from their inauspicious beginnings at a warehouse under the Ballard Bridge through the history of the band, charting:

- The local hair metal scene in Seattle during the 1980s.

- How drugs nearly destroyed the band and claimed the lives of Staley and founding bassist Mike Starr.

- Jerry Cantrell's solo career and Mike Starr's life after being fired from the band.

- The band's resurrection with William DuVall, the Atlanta singer/guitarist who stepped into Layne Staley's shoes.

Based on a wealth of interviews with people with direct knowledge of the band and its history, many of whom are speaking on the record for the first time, Alice in Chains will stand as the definitive Alice in Chains biography for years to come.

Ratings and reviews

This is a 'good' book and a must read for Alice In Chains fans. However, this book is not as witty, entertaining, or brutally honest as the great rock & roll bio books such as Neil Strauss's "The Dirt"(Motley Crue); or Stephen Davis's "Watch You Bleed: the Saga of Guns N Roses". The primary reason for these shortcomings is the author, David de Sola, whose background is in news reporting, and not rock & roll journalism. Instead of going heavy on the juicy details that went on behind the scenes(the reason we buy these books in the first place) with all the debauchery of drugs, sex, and fistfights, the author devotes too much coverage to the boring technical and legal minutiae. Mostly the author simply acknowledges that these things did occur, but he does not go into much detail on it. Instead the reader has to suffer through too many descriptions by the producers & technicians recalling the details of how the songs were recorded while in studio. Also, the only people whose drug problems were chronicled are Layne Staley and Mike Starr. There is only brief mentions of Sean Kinney's alcoholism, while Jerry Cantrell's addictions are mentioned but not named. Book lacks wit and humor also.

I actually really loved this book, and I plan on reading it again. David spent a lot of time making sure all the information he gathered was factual, he traveled around and interviewed many people including Layne's family members. And he devoted years into creating this. Mad respect.

This is a great read. Someone finally took the time to actually research and tell the story as it was. I have waited years on a true bio about AIC. There was great music made but along with that came pain. You can't tell a story and leave out the good, bad and ugly. I love this book. It starts off with this energetic feeling of these young kids trying to make it big and you actually feel the change as the story goes on. I laughed and cried a few times in this book. Fate really brought these guys together.

About the author

David de Sola is a journalist with experience working at CNN, 60 Minutes, and Reuters whose work has also been published in The Atlantic, The Huffington Post and other print and online publications. He has a B.A. in history from Tufts University, a M.A. in journalism from the University of Southern California, and a M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University. He lives in Los Angeles.