Exclusive - Rock + Metal Legends Share Personal Tributes to Alice In Chains' Layne Staley in New Book

Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and a handful of other rock and metal legends share thoughtful tributes to Alice In Chains' Layne Staley in the upcoming new book This Angry Pen of Mine: Recovering the Journals of Layne Staley.

The book features photos of the late vocalist from all stages of his life, his poetry, journal entries, song lyrics, artwork and more. It's a must-have for fans of Staley who want a closer look into his life and personality before and during Alice In Chains.

In addition to Staley's works, the This Angry Pen of Mine includes testimonials from family members who describe the kind of person the singer was offstage, as well as words from fellow musicians and other people who worked with him in an artistic capacity.

Mustaine, Trujillo, Taylor were three of the icons who contributed to the book and shared personal accounts of Staley, from working with him to simply being a fan of him.

Loudwire collaborated with Seattle music publication Nehi Stripes Seattle to give fans an exclusive look into This Angry Pen of Mine. 

Keep reading to see some bits of what each of the aforementioned musicians wrote and for more details about the book.

What Dave Mustaine Wrote About Layne Staley

Mustaine recalled hearing a cassette of "Man in the Box" and liking the song but wondering how the radio would handle a song with the word "shit" in the lyrics. He noted it was Megadeth's idea to have Alice In Chains join the Clash of the Titans tour with them and Slayer in the early '90s.

He also shared a story about a time he went skydiving with Staley and Mike Starr while Alice and Megadeth were on tour.

This is Dave Mustaine and I am giving you a story.

When Layne and I went with the band to go skydiving in Europe, we had been out on tour together. My publicist at the time, Val Janes, who I think worked with Alice in Chains, had been cruising around with me and she played a promotional cassette, it may have been a CD by then but it was long ago so it may very well have been a cassette, of “Man in the Box.” I thought that was pretty good, but I had said, “I don’t know how rock radio is going to react to somebody saying ‘Shit.’” As I suspected, it was beeped for a while, but Mother Nature does things the way she does and so does the Father. We had mentioned having Alice in Chains come out on tour with us for the Clash of the Titans Tour because I liked them so much. They were on tour for a little while when the single “Would?” hit and they left the tour and went on to greatness.

During those times on tour though, we had been traveling together, and we were up in Scotland of all places, the top of Great Britain, and as you can imagine, the winds that came across at the top of that island were incredible, cold, biting, and it was very windy. Everything that you don’t want to skydive in. However, for the day we wanted to go, we had a break in the weather. I can’t remember who all went, I think former bassist Mike Starr went . . . I believe it was all four of us. I remember heading to the jump site and everyone was noticeably nervous and anxious for this thing to happen. I don’t know how many of the guys would have passed up on jumping if someone else blinked first, but I think everyone was kind of stuck in the commitment to go skydiving with me, so we went through the training part, which is pretty short in the UK.

In the United States, they make you train for a while. I did an accelerated free fall, which is when a person jumps by themselves with their own, individual parachute, whereas the guys had done tandem, which is where they have a jumpmaster who’s got a gigantic parachute and a harness that a passenger can hook to the front of it. The two of them jump out of the plane together, deploy the chute, and hopefully arrive in one piece happily ever after.

We had done all the training, the moment was upon us, we were starting to get into the plane and that is when it started to become clear when no one wanted to be the first one to get into the plane. So I jumped in the plane first, then that was it and everyone else jumped in. It was probably 15 short minutes before we had gotten up to altitude, which was equivalent in meters to 13,000 feet, which is a little higher than what we jump out of in the United States. You see, the United States altitude we jump at is 12,500 feet and you deploy your chute at 4,500 feet. Naturally, they didn’t have any devices that the Americans use for safety, such as an automatic altitude device, which you wear on your harness and if for any reason you hit the wing or the tail or anything on the way down and you’re unable to deploy your chute if you’re jumping alone like I did, this device will blow off a pilot chute and that will open up and pull out my main chute, which hopefully will deploy and deliver whoever had to use the AAD device safely to the ground.

Although, they’ll be hitting the ground hard because if they’re unconscious, they’re coming in at about 10 to 20 miles per hour depending on the wind and all that stuff. So once we got in the air, I don’t remember the order we jumped out in, but when we got on the ground, the boys had become men. And it was one of the funnest times in my life with another band. We usually do stupid stuff like go-karting or bowling, or dumb stuff like that, but this was a magnificent opportunity to get close to the guys. I would do it again if I could, but I promised my wife I wouldn’t be jumping anymore after Justis was born.

What Corey Taylor Wrote About Layne Staley

The Slipknot vocalist referred to Alice In Chains as his "favorite band" and recalled the very first time he heard "Man in the Box" in his tribute. He also revealed that hearing "Would?" for the first time changed his life because it made him realize he could also write music about anything, particularly the uglier parts of life that cause pain.

I have two distinct memories about my favorite band, Alice in Chains: the first time I heard them and the time they changed my life.

The first time I heard them was obviously “Man in the Box.” Already, there was a shift happening in music in general, but AiC was the first time I heard all the elements that really resonated with me: darkness, metal, rock, and amazing lyrics. And it all circled and swarmed around Layne Staley’s voice. From that moment on, he was one of my biggest influences and favorite singers.

The day they changed my life was the day I heard “Would?” I was sitting on my couch, the movie Singles hadn’t even come out yet, and the video premiered on MTV. The bass rumbled from my Zenith and I was never the same. The sheer power that Layne sang with was unreal, especially the outro as the modulation descended into a pseudo-Phrygian scale of chords that allowed Mr. Staley to pour every inch of his soul and pain into every note he chose.

It was in that moment that I realized I could write about anything I wanted: addiction, depression, obsession, anguish . . . I didn’t need to look to the clichés that I’d been bombarded with for years. I was free.

I can say with all honesty: No Layne, no me. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to explore the things I have. So, Mr. Staley, sincerely . . .] Thank you.

What Robert Trujillo Wrote About Layne Staley

Trujillo's tribute to Staley was perhaps the most personal, as he described his first impression of the vocalist and what he was like once they got to know each other on a friendlier level.

Trujillo toured with Alice In Chains in 1993 while he was in Suicidal Tendencies and he recalled their offstage shenanigans feeing like "summer camp." He recalled Staley having fire-breathing contests, hanging out by the pool and just have a gentle demeanor overall.

Layne Staley was not a man you could judge by appearances, and you were a fool if you saw him first without knowing him or tried to.

He was kind of a lanky dude — 6 ft 1 in and weighing in at around 150 lbs — but in truth, Layne was actually a huge giant, his size and uplifting spirit residing in that towering heart and soul, and most loudly in his music. I recall Jerry (Cantrell) telling me how he had been repeatedly floored by the strength, power, and ginormous presence in Layne’s voice—certainly a hell of a lot more than 150 lbs’ worth, more like some behemoth Paul Bunyan.

I first met him at the Club With No Name on Highland in Hollywood circa 1991. Alice in Chains was a newer band around town, fresh from Seattle, and he was excited to meet me because I was in the band Suicidal Tendencies! He said, “Hey Robert, you have to meet my girlfriend—she loves you guys. In fact, she says Suicidal are better than my band, Alice in Chains!” I was like, “Whaaat??” and we had a good laugh!

Yeah, his positivity and relentless quest to have fun and stay festive stood out to me when I first met him. He was a warm and witty guy for sure back then. There was absolutely no ego with Layne—just genuine love and respect.

In 1993, Suicidal toured Australia with Alice in Chains. They had huge success with their album Dirt, which was everyone’s favorite album at the time, and supporting them was big fun as that sense of humor flowed from Layne through the band. It was summer camp at its finest—never a dull moment. Layne would have these insane late-night fire-breathing contests at the hotel bar (Bacardi 151 was the fuel) with Rocky George (Suicidal’s guitarist)—this little dude taking Big Rocky to his fire-breathing limits! Poor Rocky ended up with blistered lips and singed hair—all in good fun, of course—but looking at his face the day after these events, I’d say he took a slight beating!

I spent that tour trying to be responsible and maintain my “on-tour Aussie surf and gym workout regimen,” yet despite these fire contests and other nocturnal shenanigans, the first person I’d see at 9:00 a.m. every morning was Layne Staley, by the pool basking in the sun with a huge smile, a glass of OJ, and a polite, “Roberto.” I’m like, This motherfucker’s superhuman! Not just in his voice, but in his stamina, edge, and attitude.

My favorite individuals have always been folks who are grounded and humble yet still maintain that hoodrat warrior quality and passion-driven creativity that gushes from the heart. They walk the earth with wisdom while still battling their demons. It would become clear that Layne was a wounded warrior with an angel spirit that would pour through his voice and songwriting to lift us all.

As we know, life isn’t easy. Layne sadly knew that sharper than most, yet he constantly shared that magic spirit. And as I listen to that music he so beautifully helped make, and think about that Paul Bunyan–sized spirit and soul, it’s impossible not to imagine Layne watching us all with his infectious smile, content in the knowledge that his beautiful, fire-breathing energy continues to infuse us all.

READ MORE: Layne Staley's Lost Journals Show Alternate Lyrics to Alice In Chains Classic

Where to Get a Copy of 'This Angry Pen of Mine'

This Angry Pen of Mine: Recovering the Journals of Layne Staley will be available Nov. 11 through publisher Simon & Schuster and can also be purchased through Amazon.

Additionally, Nehi Stripes Seattle, which hosts the annual Layne Staley Tribute show in Seattle, will host a first-ever Layne Staley tribute concert in Boston, Mass. this Saturday (Nov. 8) featuring the bands Nothingsafe and The Real Thing. There will be 20 copies of This Angry Pen of Mine available for purchase at the show.

The show will honor the lives and legacies of Staley and Starr while also raising awareness and support for addiction recovery. Proceeds from the show and donations will go to the Layne Staley Memorial fund via Therapeutic Health Services.

More information on the show can be found on the venue's website and tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

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