Layne Staley: Angry Chair

Rating:
Summary: WASTE OF MONEY
Review: I worked two hours to purchase this book.
I wasted an afternoon of my life reading it.
This book could have been about 10 pages long.
136 pieces of paper were wasted on this book.
This muck barely deserves space on a webpage, let
alone an entire book.
Read something else, don't waste your time friend.

Rating:
Summary: Was this book even about Layne?
Review: When I heard about this book being published I was pretty excited, having been a long time fan of AIC and Layne in general. I was hoping it would reveal more about his life and death than I had previously been able to find on my own. Too bad it didn't. Everything I heard about this book prior to purchasing it made it sound like Adriana Rubio had actually been in contact with Layne and had gotten a very indepth interview with him. Turns out she only talked to his mom and sister, who only told their perspective of him. This turned into them simply trying to justify their actions, or lack of them, concerning Layne, his addictions, and his childhood. Although later in the book she actually receives a phone call from Layne, all he has to say is that she better not screw up this book and that he didn't approve of it anyway.

At other points in this book I completely forgot that it was SUPPOSED to be about Layne Staley. Rubio starts going off on comparing him to goats, talking about her anorexia, giving a brief history of herion (which she never ties back to Layne, since she "didn't want to focus on his addiction"), and talks about renaissance religions. Is she writing a biography, as the book claims, or is she writing a bad high school english paper? Everthing in the book is told in her biased perspective. She never confirmed anything that Layne's mom or sister told her by going to other sources and doing research. For all she knows they could have been feeding her a line that she was all to willing to swallow and publish.

Also, throughout the book, Rubio claims that Layne didn't trust any of his bandmates any more and wasn't friends with any of them but that he was still close to his mother and sister. She goes on to tell a story that Layne's mom told her about how she was so grateful that Layne didn't live alone because he had a cat that "licked burnt hair out of his face once when he passed out from the drugs". Why is it that if his mom and sister were soo close to him and they loved what that cat did for him that that cat now lives with Jerry Cantrell? Wouldn't you think they would have wanted the cat that was Layne's soul companion for his last years?

Don't buy this book... you can get everything you need to know about it from excerpts in Rolling Stone and on MTV.com. They have excerpts of Layne talking that are the only ones in the book. The rest of this skimpy 146 page book is just fluff that Rubio added. Layne was truely a great singer and musician and deserved much better than this book. Rest in peace Layne, the REAL you will be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Good Grief!
Review: I've been a fan of Layne Staley's music since I first heard the "Man in the Box" in 1990.
Layne's work with AIC and Mad Season brought me through many troubled times throughout my adolescence and I am grateful for the musical legacy Layne left behind. Mr. Staley was one of the foremost singers of my generation and made a strong impact on the world of rock music.
When I heard of Layne's untimely demise in April of 2002, I was deeply saddened. After reading the Adriana Rubio's sorry excuse for a publication, those feelings of grief had returned.
Layne Staley's life was a remarkable one that is much more deserving of better biography than this travesty. Nowhere in Senora Rubio's indecipherable words and poor grammar could I find a reason as to why I wasted [$$$] on this book (which is about as long as a Reader's Digest magazine).
The "book" primarily contains interviews with Layne's mom and sister. Layne himself graced the author with a telephone interview, which makes up about 5 paragraphs of this 160 page "book." Layne himself admits to the author he only agreed to an interview because of his mother's constant phone calls begging him to do so. In addition to several poorly photocopied pictures of family pictures and artwork, the author gives plenty of personal insight and interpretations regarding the aura of Layne Staley, and ooooh is it deep (yes I'm being sarcastic)!
The book also makes an attempt to deify Layne by comparing him to Jesus Christ and contains other rhetoric formulated by none other than author herself. It almost seems like Adriana Rubio thinks of herself as the Oprah Winfrey of rock journalism. But let's face it, she is neither a journalist or a writer. This book reads like a report written by a junior high student. There are enough typos and grammatical errors to drive an English teacher mad. If you want real rock journalism read any book by Neil Strauss or Michael Azerrad, writers who have mastered English 101 and know how to properly write and format a book on rock musicians.
Even Layne's family withdrew their support from this project around the time this "book" was released. True fans of Layne or his bands owe it to themselves to ignore this work of amateur literature, children's storybooks read better than this. The author interjects more of herself than she does of Layne. Mrs. Rubio's heart may have been in the right place when writing this, but her skills fall short.

Rating:
Summary: Layne Staley: Angry Chair
Review: I searched high and low for this book and finally had to order it through Amazon.com. My expecations of this book were very high after hearing a local radio DJ quote Layne from this book. I was immediately dissappointed after spending $19.95 and the additional shipping fee to find the paperback book was only 146 pages cover to cover with ridiculous black and white photocopied pictures throughout. The author mentions that she is from Argentina and it is obvious in her grammar that English is NOT her first (or second) language. There are even type-o's in this book. I wonder if it was ever edited at all. I have never felt so compelled to write a review on a poorly written book. The biggest flaw in this book is understanding the truth about Laynes biological father. Did he die or not? How is it that he was found in a "body bag" and then re-appeared 15 years later to shoot up with his son and take advantage of his money and fame? I found this story line so frustrating I will have to do the research on my own. Another major flaw is how ignorant Liz and Nancy appear (Layne's mother and sister) regarding his addiction and attempts at recovery from his DOC. If I were Nancy or Liz, I would be furious that this mock of a bio was ever published. This book is as tragic as Layne Staley's untimely death.

Rating:
Summary: Good, just not what I expected.
Review: I am a huge AIC fan, and an even larger Layne fan. I feel AIC is one of the most underrated bands ever, and that Layne never got the respect as an artist and a person that he deserved. I have all AIC's CD's, videos, etc. and have to say the day Layne was found dead, I felt like I lost a friend. I bought the book hoping to get 'inside Layne' as the book and website stated. And if I had to state my opinion of the book it would be simply 'not what you would expect.'

In all honesty, many of the people bashing the book are correct: It's not the most well written book you will ever read and the content into Layne himself is minimal. I'm not one to criticize someone's writing, but I feel you should expect a little more from someone who writes for a living. Like people said, the book was choppy from time to time, and every so often I found myself having to re-read pages because I just couldn't quite grasp the point the author was getting at. But for insight into a great musicians head, I was more than willing to suck it up and read on.

But the 'insight into Layne' was not what I expected it to be either. Every AIC fan knew Layne hated reporters and interviews and knew that there was slim to no chance ever of getting an interview. This author I feel played with our senses a little bit and gave a lot of us an impression that she sat down with Layne and this is what the book was about. Its really not. That's what upset me. The majority of the book is simply talking with Layne's mother and sister, general information into drugs and other past artists, and personal opinion. The book is filled with opinions that really didn't have much backing except for the fact that the author was an AIC fan. Now I completely respect that of the author that she is a fan and wrote a book about it and her feelings, but I wish the book would be portrayed as such. Yes the book gets into what Layne may have been feeling, but thru opinions of his family, not himself. That's what I was hoping for.

Though not what I expected, I am still pleased with the book. I wished she had more conversations with Layne and some with rest of the band, but any information on this subject is welcomed to a fan. I do feel she respected Layne and his family and did not wish to say some things (because I feel she even felt horrible for the lack of positive journalism given to this great artist) and thus the reason the book is somewhat short, redundant and choppy. I am grateful to her simply for taking on this subject and giving us fans a chance to take a small step closer to Layne. I truly feel she is a huge fan herself, and wish she would have portrayed the book as such, rather than an in-depth look 'inside Layne.' I still feel any fan of Layne should read the book. You will enjoy it. If not for simply the history, but for the final conversation she had with Layne and what he said to her so near his death. If you don't read anything else in the book, just read those few pages. His few words give an in-depth perception of what he was feeling, what he was going thru and who he felt was behind him. That's all we want, and for the time being'this is all we have.

Rating:
Summary: Opportunity Wasted
Review: First of all, let me say that after reading these other reviews I promised myself that I would really try to like this poor girls book. Unfortunately, I am unable to keep my promise. I have waited a long time for someone, anyone, to write a book about Layne's life, I guess I will have to keep waiting. I wish that someone with a little more experience could have been given this inside track on the family and in turn could have written a book that his fans could cherish forever. Aside from the grammer used (was the interpreter from this country?) my biggest complaint is that Mrs. Rubio spends so much time talking about her own problems and feelings. I feel bad for her and her past experiences, but if I wanted to read about them, I would have purchased her autobiography. She claims that Layne kept telling her to write a book about herself instead of him, I think she did just that. The space she isn't wasting talking about herself or giving long winded history lessons, she uses to continually kiss ass to the family members that did talk to her. I am glad she liked them and that they got along, but I just summed up their relationship in one sentence, why couldn't she? The saddest thing of all is that Layne's mother comes across as ditsy and a little off center. This is truly a shame, as most of his fans know, he adored his mother. Layne was a deep, thought provoking lost soul and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Last, but definetly not least, is the lack of respect given to Demri Parrott. She was the love of Layne's life, yet she gets only a few paragraphs of mention. The only reason I gave this book 2 stars was for the pictures I hadn't seen before. I know all hardcore fans will purchase this book just as I did, and be left disappointed just as I was. Mrs. Rubio complained repeatedly that she didn't want to be called a journalist, I think she is safe! Let's just hope that in the future someone out there can write Layne's story the way it should have been done in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money!
Review: This book is crap. Just another nobody author trying to make it big by exploiting a dead celebrity.

I was extremly dissapointed in the book due to the fact it was written like a high school girls diary. Hard to read and very choppy. Nothing valid was said, just opinions and personal intrepritations of AIC songs. There is a reason none of the band added anything to this book!!

Rating:
Summary: Cringeworthy
Review: The tone is sophomoric. Rubio uses Dickensian expressions like "Dear reader". One of her sentences reads simply: "Hmmm."

The pictures are almost all disappointing. Her photo of Layne playing the drums cuts off the top of his head. The one of him feeding the goat is so dark you can't see where Layne leaves off and the goat begins.

Some photocopied mementos seem to be included just because they were there. Layne's school essay, for instance, is as dull as dry toast.

I wonder how Mike Inez escaped being bashed along with the other members of AIC. Readers get treated to a John Brandon song criticizing Jerry, one dissing Sean, and two putting down Mike Starr.

Layne's daybreak phone call to the author sounds like a pastiche of things I've read on messageboards. The entire account (I hesitate to call it "book") is even more disjointed than this review. There's only one reason I haven't donated this thing to the Salvation Army dumpster: because the spread with Layne's drum lesson flyer and coupon somehow succeeds in being endearing. Maybe I'll cut it out for my scrapbook and shred the rest.

If you're a fan, as I am, you'll surely buy Angry Chair; but I doubt that you will be satisfied with it. There is very little solid information included. Somebody, please write a good book about AIC soon!

Rating:
Summary: The Incredible & talented Layne Staley. This book needs MORE
Review: First off, I would like to say. I am an Alice in Chains fanatic. One of my favorite bands. While I do appreciate Adriana Rubio's dedication to Layne and this book, the book is not very good. It had many typing mistakes. It also has very little information on Layne Staley. The book was also very short. The book did have some background info about Layne's childhood and family. But not much straight from Layne. The book can grip you at times and is very sad. But, I guess I expected more. Some of this book seemed like a history lesson. I understand what she was trying to do. But, it was not interesting. There is also a part of the book that Layne's sister Liz says about Jerry Cantrell: "Jerry doesn't have a great voice. it is boring to hear his voice, He has no soul." I understand that Layne has had a rough life and people screwed him. Layne has brought me much joy. He has helped me through rough times in my life. He deserved better. But to say those things about Jerry is absolute BS! Listen to Jerry's solo CDs. WOW! Jerry's voice is incredible. As was Layne's. That is what made AIC the best. The combination of two soulful, engaging, powerful vocalists and musicians. Layne was incredible. He is missed. I hope he finally found some peace. R.I.P and Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, RIP layne
Review: Awesome book, with as little resources available to go outside what she did, the author did an incredible job in getting all this material together for us. Im a huge AIC fan and appreciate any and all info i can get about the band, especially layne in his last days. Thumbs up to Laynes family for contributing and Thumbs up again to the author for educating me about who layne was, where he came from and what his music meant to him.

R.I.P layne, we miss you even more!