Alice in Chains - "We Die Young" (video)

Alice in Chains – “We Die Young”

. . .

Mike Starr’s death at age 44 weighs on my mind more than I expected.

I didn’t know the guy, and had no idea of his personality until I happened upon an episode of Celebrity Rehab. That was one of the most sordid, terrifying things I’ve ever seen. Starr wasn’t at his best then.

But he was trying for a second chance. Don’t we all wish for one?

And his bass anchored some of the most important music in my life. He was probably the least visible member of Alice in Chains. But listening to Facelift now, I can definitely hear him. He’s there, but he’s not here now. That still weirds me out, even though my music collection is full of dead musicians.

When I think of bass in Alice in Chains, I think of “Rain When I Die” and that one funk song from Facelift. But sadly the most appropriate song now is “We Die Young”. The video is very ’90s. More precisely, it’s very ’90s coming out of the ’80s: a hair metal riff on steroids, longhairs halfway between glam and real metal. Half that band is now dead. When the song ends, I expect “Man in the Box” to kick in. Instead, silence.

. . .