"Name your god and bleed the freak"

It might be a little too early for a new blog update, but as I was listening to Alice in Chains’ first album “Facelift” today, I realized I should pay honour to the two legendary musicians deceased on the 5th of April within 8 years difference. I am speaking about Kurt Cobain (1994) and Layne Staley (2002), may they rest in peace. Even though the cause of their deaths is said to be different, it is known to everyone that both of them were quite serious drug addicts.

The list of truly gifted musicians who died of drug abuse is so long, that I am not even going to start writing it. I’m sure you know at least a few. It is such a senseless and unthinkable way to waste your life when you were blessed with a huge talent, when you can influence people all over the world with your music. Naturally, each one of us is the owner of his life and it is our decision what to do with it. But when you’ve got something so great in your hands, how can you simply burn it down on a heroin spoon?

I’m not a genius musician… hell, I’m not a genius in anything. I can only imagine what it must be like for all these people whose minds are simply out of this world. The common historical pattern shows that apparently drugs made it easier for them to deal with reality, but did they really want to end up losing it? It makes me feel really weird watching old video interviews with Layne Staley where he was so proud and boasted how he managed to kick his drug addiction and how he conquered death. And then reading his last interviews, where he said that he knows he is about to die soon and he never wanted to end his life that way. I hope Mr. James Hetfield felt really bad for all the stupid shit jokes he made on stage during Metallica’s gigs about Layne’s addiction.

A lot of words have been said and written concerning drug abuse in music history. The lifetime motto “sex, drugs and rock’n’roll” didn’t come out of nowhere and there is nothing new I could possibly say here. It’s just sad and really hard to understand. So I’ll simply finish this entry with my most favourite Alice in Chains song.

Don’t do drugs, people.




Proud to be loud.
- Tanja.