Unchained: The Story of Mike Starr and His Rise and Fall in Alice in Chains

by John Brandon

Finally -- a book that uncovers the many mysteries...and much of the mystique of Alice In Chains. From "Rooster" to "Man In The Box" to "Down In A Hole" this band had a dark, raw knack for creating a Grunge Music sound that will stand the test of time. Read about its story from the beginning through the eyes of founding bass player, Mike Starr. The early poverty, the music, the fame, the women, the fans, the dangerous drug addictions, and the unfortunate decline. The story is told by Mike Starr, his family, and several of his close friends. It includes exclusive stories about: Sean Kinney, Layne Staley, Jerry Cantrell, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Nirvana, Pauly Shore, Matt Dillon, Van Halen, Pearl Jam, and Evel Knievel.

It explores the question "How likely is Alice In Chains to make a comeback?" This book is a must-read for any Alice In Chains or Grunge Music fan.

"Unchained..." is the compelling story of Mike Starr's roller-coaster ride that packed more thrills and experiences into a few years than most people could have in 10 lifetimes. Find out: how Alice In Chains was first discovered, why 3,000 girlfriends weren't enough for Mike Starr, who punched out Kurt Cobain in Brazil, why heroin kills you when you overdose, why you'd rather be dead than quit, and what happened when Alice In Chains' lead singer, Layne Staley, insulted the Ku Klux Klan on stage in the heart of Louisiana. Hint: it wasn't pretty.

Genres: Music, Biography

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Brian]

This was a terribly written book full of rumors, lies and hearsay rather than facts, truths and evidence. It centered around an amazingly beautiful and tragic musician but failed to capture the essence of the man; it instead trailed off in many pointless directions and shed very little light on the previously unknown.

Reading Unchained was like asking an untrustworthy friend for a history lesson about someone he vaguely knows. In fact, that's pretty much how this book was created. I don't know John Brandon's body of work but if judged by this book alone it comes off as amateur.

Speaking of amateur, the author used wingdings to space out chapters and make the book seem longer than it was, much akin to a high school freshman double spacing paragraphs to make one's essay appear longer. Sometimes there were consecutive pages of wingdings. My god, the wingdings! The font was also exceptionally large.

I wish I could recommend this to someone but I can't. Any hardcore Alice fan would know all of these stories already; people unfamiliar with their history would simply be misled. Just don't.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be. It was a little bitter sounding and the author wrote more from a fan-guy perspective then that of a true unbiased author, but the parts of the books that I knew to be true (because why lie?) I enjoyed. I love Mike Starr and there isn’t much about him out there which is a shame. He was such a beautiful, interesting, and talented musician who was taken from this world far too soon. I wouldn’t say I recommend this book but I am glad I read it and own it. And I love love love the subject matter! #lsms #mikestarrforever

[Maya Kellison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book extremely insightful. As a relatively new Alice In Chains fan I very quickly became fascinated by Mike Starr. I spent months searching for any fragments of information, rumors, pictures, videos- anything that could give me even a small look into who those guys really are. I'm very grateful to have found this book and learn more about Mike Starr and how he lived. It makes me very sad that he ultimately didn't survive his demons. I hope he and Layne are sitting pain free up in heaven. Rest in peace Mike and Layne, you are forever sorely missed.

[Theresa El-Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a deep look into what it is like to live the 'rock and roll' lifestyle. As a 90's child, I can remember the rise and fall of the Grunge scene. Bands such as Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam were what everyone was listening to and loving the way their dark lyrics expressed moods and thoughts of the time.

This book gives Mike Starr's take on what happened to the band. He will make you laugh and cry. The tribulations this band went through are astounding. It is very sad that heroin got introduced to these musicians but that is part of living the rock-star lifestyle. I totally agree with his mother Gayle when she says rehab should be written into the music contracts. Maybe that would be a way of saving some of the stars that get side tracked in this type of lifestyle.

Some of my favorite parts in this book include, the story behind the song "Would" and the friendships that were made between Kurt and Mike. Boy O' Boy did Layne had some big balls to get on that stage and ask about the David Duke supporters. This just made me laugh as I thought of how I agreed with his statement and the uproar it brought the crowd into that night.

This was a great book but I would have really enjoyed hearing more on what happened with Layne before his death. I know it was probably very hard for Mike and I can understand him not wanting to go there, but the fans are interested because of their love for the band.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, no effort given by the author to write a quality bio.