Customer Reviews

Layne Staley: Angry Chair

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

if you enjoy rambling, clumsy, self-important sentences that lead nowhere.... BUY THIS BOOK!

if you want to know more about goats, columbian drug wars, bulimia, & somebody else's grandma.... BUY THIS BOOK!

if you're a big layne staley fan, BORROW this book, cuz there are some sweet early pictures of him(when he was healthy), some of his drawings, & a few interesting "factual?" sidenotes for those laynie lovers needing more dish on their beautifullostjunkieangelman.

i'm a HUGE layne staley fan, intriqued with his sensitivity, aggression... his complexities. i got this book thinking i might better understand him, might better understand his rapid descent into a hell of his own making. instead i found myself totally annoyed with the tone of the book & it's many pointless digressions.

i wanted to like it, but i just didnt.

In less than 200 pagess the author trails off into her own biographical infromation, goats, Cobain conspiracy theories, etc. Poorly written and printed in large type to beef up appearance of content I presume, and poorly edited (typos abound). For an individual who had access to a virtual treasure trove of Layne's family photos and early school and artwork, she printed nominal amounts of either, but they are very much worth seeing. "Interviews" were several hours long with Layne's sister and mother, yet the content was lacking. No light thrown on how or why Staley got so entangled in heroin use. That info. would have been useful. Nor did she reveal much about Demri and how her demise contributed to Staley's self-destruction. Get what you can out of it. . .won't be much. The account of her phone conversation with Staley is interesting if (IF) it is accurate. The only Angry Chair here was the one I was sitting in as I read this awful book!

I questioned how such a book could even make it to the shelves and the answer I got was troubling. Apparently, Layne's family realized that Rubio was not fluent in English (she's from Argentina) and insisted that she use an interpreter for final edits. . .she obviously did not. There was also an alleged disagreement between the publisher and the author. Personal thought is that what that equated to was maximizing profit over quality. Quotes were taken out of context and thus made no sense or were misleading according to Layne's mom (who was not, understandably,pleased with the finished product). Think about it $19.95 for a flimsy paperback that the publisher saw mass profit in, after Staley's untimely and sad death. Put it together with an inexperienced and naive author and the result is this terrible book. Sadly, the subject (which was supposed to be Layne Staley NOT Adriana Rubio) was worth and due far more in terms of a biography. Save your money or give it to charity (perhaps the Layne Staley Fund). . .don't bother buying this book.

You have to wallow around in a lot of garbage to find any gems worth taking home with you.

I posted a scathing review of this book, chapter-by-chapter, on the Sony Alice in Chains board (The Wouldshed) a few weeks back, and unfortunately it was far longer than this 1000-word limit will allow.

It is the job of the author to not only thoroughly research her subject, but to also interview EVERYBODY involved and take all the raw material she gathers and polish it into something that is coherent and readable. Rubio failed abysmally on all counts. Her writing is at the elementary school level at best, very melodramatic with long, rambling transcriptions of Layne's mother and sister talking on tape. Rubio wanders all over the place, including a bunch of nonsense about Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Chinese Astrology (Layne and Kurt are fire goats, Jim is a water goat, and this supposedly explains everything!), rambling tales of her own grandmother's goats, her battles with anorexia nervosa, and last but not least, her dog, named Layne, who takes part in her family's impromptu memorial service for Layne when they are informed of his death via an e-mail from Layne's mother, Nancy. Incredibly, she also includes a chapter about the book "Unchained," written about former AIC bassist Mike Starr by another groupie/wannabe songwriter, John Brandon. I don't know who's worse, Brandon or Rubio. How on earth do these people get publishing deals?

In addition...unless everything said about Layne's dad is true and verifiable, if I was him I'd be consulting an attorney about suing Rubio for defamation. Phil Staley is never interviewed to either confirm or deny his alleged behavior, or even explain himself at all. This is sloppy, lazy writing - if indeed "writing" is the proper term to use, here, and Rubio should hang her head in shame for contributing to Layne's pain and misery toward the end of his life, and for causing his family even more pain as well as embarrassment to boot.

I don't believe for one minute that Layne wanted to talk to Rubio. The two transcripts (which I suspect are from one single phone conversation) of him supposedly talking to her reveal that he felt pressured into talking to her, and he finally caved in just to get her the hell off his back. It was good to see that he hadn't lost his scathing wit toward the end, however. More than once he told her she should write a book about herself. Given the way Rubio injects herself into this story practically every other sentence, it seems she took his advice, dragging him along for the ride so it would sell.

Don't waste your money on this birdcage liner (I didn't - a friend who had pre-ordered and regretted it as soon as she read it loaned it to me specifically so I could do a thorough review for the Wouldshed gang). It's a shame that this man who we so admired for his ability to plumb the depths of human misery so eloquently is being immortalized in this pulp-fiction trash (complete with poorly reproduced photos that look like photocopies) by a woman who, though obviously a fan, couldn't write her way out of a paper bag.

First Mustaine, now Staley. Equally bad results. Who's she going to harangue next?

I was thrilled when I ordered this book. It took several months to finally get it and when I sat down to read it, I finished it in about twenty minutes! Needless to say, I was disappointed. But more than that, I was utterly confused by the writer! This book was nothing but a jumble of subjects that at times, had nothing to do each other or with Layne at all! For example, I don't understand how a writer can jump from talking about Layne to a report on the condition of her eating disorder! She didn't even try to tie in the points she was making. And honestly I could have cared less! All I wanted to know about was Layne's personality, his life, his goals, his pain and what led him to such an early death. Additonally, the band was hardly discussed at all. After reading this, I could understand why none of them would ever talk to her. But what confused me most was what I call the "filler" pages. These were pages of lyrics to songs written in memory of Layne and Dermi and they took up about four pages if my mind serves me correctly. They seemed out of place and put there just to increase the pages of the book. If you are looking for moving tributes to Layne, there are many available on line and I can guarantee you they are more inspirational than what was presented in this book. In conclusion, I would say that Rubio is an extremely poor writer. I have always said that a fifth grader could write better and that's no lie. She lacks focus and did not appear to have done any research other than talk to Layne's mother and sister, which I can't be sure is legitimate. It has been said that Layne's mother doesn't support this book and I can certainly understand why. This book does not do justice to Layne's memory and I'm am saddened that I put any money into her wallet by purchasing it. However, I had no idea at the time and as a fan, I was only trying to learn more about the man that inspired me. This book will leave you confused and severly disappointed.

What a shame.... Adriana Rubio managed to do such an amazingly bad job with this book, that it frightens me to think a publishing house was willing to print it.The book is superficial as regards Layne, egoistical(as regards Adriana Rubio) and lacks basic information.The other huge problem is that the author doesn't know how to write.I ask myself, if Layne didn't want a book written about him (which he was right about- considering the bad job this so-called writer did on his biography) why did his mum and sister allow this to happen and so sloppily at that. I am really touched by the lyrics Layne wrote and they continue to intrige me, but this book has left me irritated and confused, as half the time I couldn't understand 'what' the author was trying to say (as he English is so bad) and the rest of the time I was was trying to figure out 'why' she was trying to say some of the things she says. Rubio talks about herself (...who cares)and keeps saying things like 'I am going to share this and that with you' (oh ...wow.. thanks..). In conclusion, buy the book if you must - out of curiosity - but you'll probably find out a lot more about this great artist on the www. I believe this book is now rare.

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.

I feel that this book is inadequately written she places herself too much in the lime light and writes as if she was a member of layne's family. I feel that it was written under delusional connection to the 'soul' of layne. After a while her tone gets to be irritating paralleling his work to the renascence era and going into detail of the drug culture drawing a parallel to her anorexia and layne's heroin addiction. I can say from the standpoint of being a writer, singer and artist myself that if someone were to write a book about me in this fashion I would be greatly upset. I feel that it has done a disservice to layne and his family to be written in such a presumptuous tone. However, the book does contain good information, artwork, and quotes and must be read with a massive grain of salt.