Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Was this book even about Layne?, May 21, 2003
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.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
*YAWN*, February 26, 2003
I realize Adriana is going to read this review, but I must be quiet honest. First, I don't understand why the family supposedly withdrew support for this book after it was published. If anything, it's severely complimentary to the memory of Layne Staley. Maybe that's the big problem. The book NEEDED more input from others outside of Staley's family, such as the members of Alice in Chains-but they were hesitant (not surprising with their track-record) to help out the author. Maybe I went into this book looking for more "dirt", no pun intended. This book's perspective was seen through the eyes of the author a little too much for my tastes and that's why there is seemingly a backlash against her for being more of a rabid-fan of Layne than a serious author. I'm even wondering if there is any validity to Layne's supposed phone call to Adriana where he states that the members of AIC are no friends of his. Was it a last-ditch effort to put something "shocking" in the book?
If you are wanting to experience a true autobiographical experience of Layne Staley or the band, purchase their box set, Music Bank, instead. It's just a few more dollars and it'll be listened to alot more than this book will get read!
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good Grief!, May 21, 2003
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.
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