Featurrre: Remembering Kurt Cobain & Layne Staley
----------
Reflecting on two of Seattle Rock's greatest
April 5th, 2024
It’s today that we realize two legendary Rock and Roll figures, both icons from Seattle’s Grunge era, died on the same day of the year. 30 years ago, Kurt Cobain, guitarist and lead singer of Nirvana, ended his life at home with a shotgun. It was April 5th, 1994. Eight years later Layne Staley, guitarist and frontman of Alice In Chains/Mad Season, was found dead in his apartment from an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin. It was April 5th, 2002.
Both artists were at the forefront of a Rock revolution, pioneering a heavy and aggressive sound in the early 90’s that single handedly ended the spandex spectacle of hair metal and ushered in the entire genre of alternative rock. Their music often dealt with difficult themes of trauma, addiction, and personal struggle. But it also harnessed a raw energy and sincerity that went unmatched, connecting with millions of people across the globe.
Here are two of our favorite clips of both artists. The first is Nirvana performing “School” live at Seattle’s Paramount theater in October 1991. Their breakout second album “Nevermind” had just been released a month prior and was catching the world by storm. This band did not yet know how high into the stratosphere they would reach.
This next clip is of Layne Staley’s side project Mad Season performing “I Don’t Know Anything” at Seattle’s Moore theater in April of 1995, one year after Cobain's death. The song is powerful but Layne is six feet deep into his addictions and looks like shit. Grunge was dying and so were its icons.
Rest in peace, Kurt & Layne.
