Alice in Chains: Alternative takeover?
Drew Masters
March / April 1994
If any of today´s bands are known for throwing caution to the wind with a diversity that changes like the wind, it´s Alice in Chains. Just off the road with their mega successful hit second full-length album, Dirt – which astounded all in its bulldozer path with its guttural tone, grind and intensity – Alice in Chains have released their third EP offering of their short career, the 7-song Jar of Flies (Sony Music). Recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle between September 7 and 14 of 1993, right after their tour for Dirt was over, it´s an offering of immense opposite proportions from Dirt being that it´s full of mood and brood, yet it´s still as strong and as forceful as AIC´s fans expect – sure to astound all the same.
AIC singer / frontman Layne Staley took the leap back into the world of interviews with yours truly back in December of 1992, with a then world exclusive piece in M.E.A.T. Since it was face-to-face, one-on-one, and the only interview he´d done in ages, he was relatively at ease, and quite the talker – the double Jacks & Coke didn´t hurt! We got to really know one another, considering it was just an interview. This time, however, it was a more defensive, on guard Staley – possibly since reports now abound of how he´d gotten back onto the heavy drug wagon once again, and off once again, possibly ´cause they´re road burnt and not in the mood for more interviews; possibly ´cause he just couldn´t give a fuck.
Here´s how it went down, word for fuckin´word:
M.E.A.T: Why did the band decided to do an EP at this time?
Layne: “Just to have something to give people to listen to in our dead time”
With your “dead time” why not just take some time off and get ready for your next record?
“Well, if we took time off and we were getting ready for our next record, we wouldn´t be taking time off. But (the EP) is done – it´s recorded. We´re not doing anything for it. We are taking time off.”
When did the idea come up to put out the EP?
“During Lollapalooza. We didn´t write anything for it, we just went in and recorded whatever came out.”
So none of these were leftovers from Dirt?
“Not one of them.”
Why the title Jar Of Flies?
“Well, when you do your next interview with Jerry you can ask him. He came up with it.” (Ed Note: Here´s the scoop: It was named after guitarist Jerry Cantrell´s “famous” high school lab experiment. Two jars of flies – one with food, one without. The flies without food ate each other.)
It´s the direction shown on Jar of Flies a sign of the things to come, or is it just like you say, it´s something you did?
“Yeah, it´s just something we did. We were just having fun.”
You mentioned that you went into the studio and just recorded what came out. Did you write during the recording, or was it as you say – doing whatever came out?
“That´s exactly how we did it. Lyrics on the spot. Lyrics in the control room with headphones on and a microphone in front of me, sitting at the control booth with the record/play button on.”
This sounds very experimental for you?
“Yeah, it was. Definitely. We had never done anything like that. It was done so that it wouldn´t be like a chore or something. It was just something fun to do.”
Did you go into the studio with the idea of doing things different with the music? And what has the reaction been from most people?
“Yeah, we definitely wanted to go in and give it a try, and most people love it.”
Speaking of changes, why is Mike Starr out, and Mike Inez in?
“We were at the end of a long touring cycle and everyone was excited to go home. And then we got more offers given to us, and we wanted to commit to them, but Mike wanted to take a break. We just told him that if this is when you´re going to take your break, then we´re going to continue – and that´s what we did.”
Mike Inez – does he fit good with you guys?
“Yeah, We met when we toured with Ozzy, and he was the first choice. We knew he fit once we did the songs for Last Action Hero with him (“What the hell have I” and “A little bitter”)
Last time we spoke we were talking about how you had just gone through some drug problems and self-imposed rehab, and you looked to be doing pretty good. Yet I´ve read in the press that you slipped back into some old habits a while back. Are you doing okay now?
“Well, if you and I were sitting back and having a beer talking on a friendly level, I might talk about it, but on a press level, I´m going to take the fifth (amendment – U.S. law clause) ´cause I´ve decided that it´s nobody´s business”
I guess the thing is that people have a fascination about bands and their members, and because of this a lot of press is sometimes focused on the negative things. Yet fans want to know what makes you tick – it´s just natural human nature in wanting to know everything about celebrities
“Yeah, they do. But you could be a difficult slimeball journalist, or you be a cool journalist, like you are, and not get yourself involved in that. Asking on a personal level is fine, but not on an interview level”
Looking back, Dirt has done pretty well. How many sales has it done in the U.S.?
“Oh, it´s over 2 million now (In Canada it went platinum – over 100,000 sold). The album´s over now as far as videos and singles”
Is there anything you would have done different?
“No”
How much planning went into Dirt´s songs?
“Some for a few of them, but half of them we wrote in the studio like this”
What do you think the next direction will be? Will you stay along the lines of Dirt, or do you think it will change?
“I don´t know. That´s impossible to answer unless you´re a psychic. We don´t plan these things. We didn´t sit down and say let´s make Dirt this real scary, depressing album. I don´t know.”
Do you think you´d like to do all of your records like you just did Jar of Flies?
“Yeah, definitely.”
When are you scheduled for your next full –length?
“I don´t know. Right now we´re just taking time off to take time off. The album will probably come out this year , but we´re really not concentrating on it right now”
Do you feel that you´ve made it, or is there a lot more down the road?
“I feel like we´ve got a lot more work to do. But I think we´ll do okay”
I really like “Don´t follow” and “I stay away”. Any personal favourites of yours?
“I like “Rotten Apple”, “Nutshell” and “Whale and Wasp” (The other songs are “No excuses” and “Swing on This”)
Is this EP going to become a trend after each full-length you do?
“I think it might become something we´ll continue to do. It didn´t take a lot out of us to do this – it was just one week, we just went in, no pressure. You know, the only pressure was that we had seven days to complete it. But there was no pressure on how many songs we had to do. We just went in with no pressure at all and wrote whatever we wrote and whatever we came out with was going to be it.”
Will there be any videos for Jar of Flies?
“There might be one, but for what I don´t know”
When you put out SAP, you told me there was no big expectation for it, yet it did really well. Do you have any expectations for this one?
“I don´t know, I think there´s a little more push behind it, more pressured than SAP”
What was the difference from doing this one and SAP.
“I don´t know. I can´t remember doing SAP”
How did Lollapalooza go, and what did you think it did for you?
“It was great…amazing. Gave me a failed kidney. Otherwise it was fun. I don´t know what it accomplished”
During your show at lollapalooza in Toronto you were dressed in a suit – a much different image than before. Where did this come from?
“We really don´t come up with ideas, we just do things. People have to understand we just do things – we don´t think of them at all. I just bought a suit and thought “Fuck it! This looks good – I´m going to wear it tonight” I started wearing the suit in Toronto. But sometimes I wear jeans. You know, whatever I put on after I get out of the shower is what I put on for the gig.”
Do you find that you have to keep it fresh like that ´cause some guys are imitative of you?
“No, I don´t feel any threat like that. I just do whatever I do. If I had to do a gig right now, I´d wear what I´m wearing right now”
For a while you also had the shocking red hair which was a drastic image change. Do you have it now?
“No, I´m back to natural. I just felt like it at the time. This is the thing - I´m not one who is big on image. Like I don´t really give a fuck at all. Like I go to the mall, I´m shopping, I´m buying clothes, I see some red Manic Panic hair dye, and I go, “Give me that, too” It´s that quick. It´s not thought up. It´s not, “Hey, I´m gonna change and become this red head guy, and that´s my new thing” It´s just that moment”