The history of rock is littered with bands unable to overcome the death of a frontman. Just think of the Doors, Thin Lizzy or Nirvana. When Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain died in 1994, there was no question the band was finished. When Mother Love Bone’s Andrew Wood died, the core members were able to find a comfortable fit with a guy named Eddie Vedder. They changed their name to Pearl Jam and the rest is part of Seattle legend. Another Seattle band, Alice in Chains, sold 17 million records before frontman Layne Staley passed away in 2002. But since the band’s guitarist, Jerry Cantrell, was the main songwriter and harmonized on vocals with Staley (in some cases taking lead), the band’s future—or lack thereof—was never clear cut. This month, the otherwise intact band returns with Black Gives Way To Blue, featuring new vocalist William DuVall harmonizing in Staley’s stead with Jerry Cantrell.“Here’s what I believe,” says Cantrell. “Shit fucking happens. That’s rule one. Everybody walking the planet knows that. Rule two: things rarely turn out the way you planned. Three: everybody gets knocked down. Four, and most important of all: after you take those shots, it’s time to stand up and walk on—to continue to live. We have a lot to live for, a lot to celebrate and a lot of great music in us still.”The proof of that is on the album. Churning, sea-sick guitar riffs alternate with more contemplative Jar of Flies-like sounds; lyrics explore death, self-doubt and isolation; Elton John turns up to play piano on the Staley tribute title song. In short, with Black Gives Way to Blue, Alice in Chains has made its Back in Black. We talked to Cantrell about the band’s recorded resurrection.PLAYBOY: It’s a risk bringing back such an iconic band. What made you want to give it a try?
CANTRELL: This whole thing was a fucking gamble from the start. We had some great memories and killer music that not only satisfied us but a lot of fans. But we’ve also had the downside of having lost our best friend and the band coming to an end. We’ve been through all of that. Early on, I don’t think anybody was into the idea outside of us. We wanted to take the shot and see how it felt, see if something was there. And the answer was yes. Yes in a big way.
PLAYBOY: What about the specifics—was there a moment when you knew it felt right and you had to do this?
CANTRELL: It all started with a benefit concert we did—strictly to raise money for tsunami victims. We had a lot of fun doing that—and it was a really intense experience because it was the first time we had played without Layne. So while it was good, it was also pretty heavy. After we did that, it led to us playing some more together, exploring ideas and jamming. We did that with a lot of friends. William was a friend of mine and I’ve had a lot of time to jam with him. I invited him down and the guys ended up digging him. It was a step-by-step process. As far as when it felt right, I can’t tell you when that happened. We’ve been working together since 2006 and every step of the way has felt right enough to continue.
PLAYBOY: Are you worried about how people will react?
CANTRELL: Something that bugged me about Seattle was that they wanted you to do good, but not too good. That attitude was there in the music scene, too. Rockstar was a dirty fucking word. But what the fuck do you get into a band for if not to make some great fucking music and take it as far as you can? To reach as many people as possible all over the fucking world? That’s the goal—or at least it was for me. But in Seattle, being totally successful was like a bad thing.
PLAYBOY: Success didn’t work for everyone in the scene.
CANTRELL: I guess if you look at the reality, maybe for some people it was a bad thing, including Layne. And Kurt Cobain and Andrew Wood. You have to swallow that, too—a lot of shit happened. I’m proud of what went down, but I miss all those guys. But that’s part of life. People die. We have a finite existence.
PLAYBOY: It seems that Layne’s presence is still very much felt on the record. Is that fair to say?
CANTRELL: Layne’s always going to be in there. He was such a unique guy musically. We met each other when we were really young and we developed this sound together. That’s pretty much all I’ve ever known. Definitely in the vocal and writing style, although he’s no longer with us, he’s still there. Fuck yeah. I’m proud of that fact. It’s important to me. It’s important for us to honor the man. But it’s also important for us to realize that there’s a lot left to do and that we’re still here—to honor ourselves as well, to take a shot. If it doesn’t work out, we just go back to the way it was before. Fuck it.
PLAYBOY: How will you gauge the success of this comeback?
CANTRELL: Benchmarks are quite a bit lower, eh? Even if the record doesn’t do well, we’ve already proved something to ourselves. It’s a cliché to say it’s already a success to have gotten it to this point, but it’s fucking true.
PLAYBOY: Have you thought about your next steps?
CANTRELL: Here’s the bad news, kid: There is no fucking manual. Jesus, none of us thought we’d be sitting where we are today. We’ve just made it up as we’ve gone along. We’ll see where it goes. But we’re looking forward to making a few records.
Entrevista ideal para todos aqueles que acham que o AIC não deveria ter continuado, ou ainda mudado de nome, leiam seus idiotas.
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