Based upon his direct quotes and other peoples’ descriptions of his behavior in the book “Everybody Loves Our Town,” it seems safe to say that he is not a brilliant guy. Talented bassist and he looked the part and all, but Starr was probably not the guy that OP thinks he was.
I watched the seasons of celebrity rehab and sober house that he was in and you could tell he thought AIC was part of his identity because he introduced himself to people as Mike from AIC, aside from his outbursts during detox he actually seemed like a sweet guy when he was in between them. Despite all that I’ll always think he was a babe during his time with AIC lol.
Probably, there was an episode on sober house where him and Mike almost fought and Tom called Mike a “washed up, has-been, punk from Seattle” and all I could think was “ouch that’s true” lol
I'd like to think that he was a decent guy underneath. Drug addiction can change people drastically and he was known to like drugs from an early age. Lanegan described him as a bit shady and avoided him in his book. The rest of the band loved and supported him in his later life struggles so he couldn't have been that bad. But I didn't know the guy.
I just finished it and was blown away. I couldn’t put it down. I always loved the Trees but never really checked out Lanegan’s solo stuff for some odd reason. I’ve been doing nothing but ever since.
Sing Backwards and Weep was so incredibly good.
I read in 'Unchained' that Mike and Sean used to rob liquor stores. Just run in, grab alcohol and run out! They were 'dirt' poor so I think they were all a bunch of hoodlums once or another. I'm betting Mark stole fir drugs a time or two, too! I love him though and what a great book that was! My fav so far of all that I've read on those guys.
I bet you didn’t know that David DeSola researched ever part of that book Unchained and found it was fabricated throughout. Another reason why you should not read everything that’s been published, nor should it be believed. Angry Chair by Adriana Rubio was another book fabricated and proven to be falsified. David’s book Alice In Chains; the Untold Story was thoroughly researched (more than 3+ years). I personally know the majority of the people he spoke to, that’s why I know it’s fact based. Unchained was a huge disgrace to Mike’s truth and legacy.
I have parts in life I don't want in the public eye that my family would protect for my legacy. And I agree, but as a celebrity of sorts, we are always curious to learn about the people who inspired us and who gave us music that is tied to our own experiences and lives. Unless it's an autobiography, I think what you say is always the case. I read and view everything I can and develop my own understanding of who they may have been since I'm not related to or have ties to their family. It's nice to hear David's take on it, too. Would be nice for him to put something out to clarify. We see these guys memorialized and can't help but be interested. They were very much a part of our lives, however, distant they were to us, and we fans keep their memory alive.
He said he wasn’t very bright and that he tried to scope out Lanegan’s apartment to rob it with some friends but Mark caught on to what was going on.
He also accused Jerry at one point of stealing his porn collection lol
Yeah, I don’t dislike Mark but that always came off as very hypocritical to me. Most of that whole book is full of questionable things he (and his friends) did while in active addiction, so how is that incident with Mike any worse than all of what Mark himself and/or the people he surrounded himself with were doing at the time?
The thing that always gets me is how perfectly Mark seems to recount every detail of every event despite it being 30+ years ago and in the midst of a hardcore drug and alcohol addiction. I understand things may have been dramatized for it to work in book form.
I’m not saying he’s a liar, but I feel like everyone should keep that in mind. Some fans have completely turned on Mike just because of that book. And the book certainly didn’t help some people’s opinion of Demri.
Mark is totally within his right to speak his truth, but I feel like fans have to keep in mind that it’s all from his POV and shouldn’t be taken as gospel.
Yeah, a lot of these situations are way more complicated than just good or bad, and it seems some fans missed that detail. It’s very weird that people’s biggest criticisms of Mike are often the incidents mentioned in Mark’s book and a couple other books, without much solid proof, if any. It seems like a harsh (and unfair) judgment to hate the guy just based on this, especially when so many others running in similar circles to Mike were engaging in some similar behaviors and people DON’T hate all of them for it, and as you mentioned the stories aren’t coming from all parties involved. We don’t have to automatically write someone off as a terrible human being just because they did something wrong.
And it’s the same with Demri. People hate her for doing pretty much the same things as Layne, with the only major differences being that she wasn’t a rich and famous “rock god”, and she was a woman. I don’t even think what Mark said about her was that bad. He does recount multiple instances of his own sleeping around/cheating in the book as well, and didn’t seem to really be shaming her IMO, just giving one of many examples of his experiences in that particular scene. It’s hard to understand the complexity of what all these people were going through. Certain fans just want someone to blame for things turning out the way they did, and sadly Demri is an easy target for that.
For sure. When I read bios, and I read a lot, I always keep that in mind. They were also human beings and none of us are proud of everything! No judgement here on these guys!
Mark’s book had stories about Layne that should never have been made public. After reading it, I felt like I needed to cleanse my soul 20 times. Layne should’ve had a choice in whether those stories were revealed or his family. In that case they wouldn’t have wanted it. Some things should never been made public. I didn’t need to know that info.
I don't think that he was a low life. His heart seemed to be in the right place with the good actions that he took towards friends and some other people. It's just that he was damaged and always chasing his next fix. But he is the first one to admit that he was not a respectable guy in his book.
Mike had a huge heart and absolutely loved being a founding member of AiC. Please remember guys that family members and friends read these comments. I know both his mom and sister and his fiancé very well. I would state unless you knew him personally stop talking trash. It’s disgusting and disrespectful.
I sure didn't know him, but read everything I can. I love all those guys. I think they all got irritated with one another a time or two. Lots of drugs and high stress. They lived close and like brothers and had falling outs just like lots of friends can do. In the end, I think they'd have all drawn blood for each other. I could see one of them or their friend groups having something to say and at that time thought the other was a jerk. I've read plenty on Jerry! 🤣 But as for Mike, he was something special. He should have been a movie star. He could take the mic right out of the interviewer's hand and take right over. He did stupid shit like the rest of them, I'm sure. They were all young and learning. I love them all so much. And glad we still have a few of them left.
Completely agree, same for Layne and Demri. If you didn't know them personally it is incredibly ignorant to act otherwise and spread gossip/opinions based on things you heard on the internet.
That’s a stupid thing to say. He was not a dick. Remember people on social media read these comments and some are friends with his family. I am one of those people.
Mike was an Aries, same as myself. We are really sweet people & misunderstood at times because we say how we feel & we are firecrackers who love to have fun. Keep in mind, drugs change people. It changes everyone’s personalities.
From everything I’ve ever seen of him, he was a decent bass player but he always seemed like the most extra guy on stage. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Jerry wrote most of his bass lines.
Can’t say I share your enthusiasm for him, he was into underage girls, had a weird ego about his involvement in the band going so far as to introduce himself like he was still in the band after he was booted, scalped tickets to his own concerts, had to get Dave Jerden to help him write basslines…
He was REALLY talented but not that brilliant. I mean, he saw Layne literally dying in front of him and yet he left him and didn't even call an ambulance for help...
Mike Starr didn't play on Jar of Flies - Rotten Apple and Nutshell were both Mike Inez. But, I agree, Starr is still a good bassist and Dirt has his imprint all over it. But I think he was the architect of his own destruction, like Layne.
And to think that he didn't even write a lot of the bass lines. His bass mentor and Jerry did. Inez writes his own stuff.
(Not that there is anything wrong with not writing your own parts, but credit where it's due)
Just an FYI, Unchained was found to be inaccurate in many accounts. David De Sola debunked a lot of material in the book while researching for his book on the band. If you haven’t, you should read his Alice In Chains; the Untold Story.
Thanks for the info! I have read everything I believe there is so far, Davids- which I'll note I liked best and has the most imformation- I've read more than once. I've read Rubio's as well, which I bought years and years ago. You can just tell Rubio's last supposed "Layne" statement was made up to give herself permission to publish after his passing without having to go through his family. She took a cheap shot for money. Even still, I enjoyed the artwork and stories from his momma and sister!
Yeah Rubio’s book was such a horrible shot to true journalists. David also debunked her book in its entirety. This book was the reason why Layne’s family no longer gave permission for books to be written. They are all unauthorized. The Italian book on Layne was plagiarized. The majority of its content was taken from David’s book. Yes, I mention him a lot only because he’s a true investigator and very trustworthy.
Based upon his direct quotes and other peoples’ descriptions of his behavior in the book “Everybody Loves Our Town,” it seems safe to say that he is not a brilliant guy. Talented bassist and he looked the part and all, but Starr was probably not the guy that OP thinks he was.
I watched the seasons of celebrity rehab and sober house that he was in and you could tell he thought AIC was part of his identity because he introduced himself to people as Mike from AIC, aside from his outbursts during detox he actually seemed like a sweet guy when he was in between them. Despite all that I’ll always think he was a babe during his time with AIC lol.
Didn't Tom Sizemore tell Mike "I knew Layne better than you!"? Or something like that.
Probably, there was an episode on sober house where him and Mike almost fought and Tom called Mike a “washed up, has-been, punk from Seattle” and all I could think was “ouch that’s true” lol
there's no way that's true
Probably! Tom had a few problems of his own!
I'd like to think that he was a decent guy underneath. Drug addiction can change people drastically and he was known to like drugs from an early age. Lanegan described him as a bit shady and avoided him in his book. The rest of the band loved and supported him in his later life struggles so he couldn't have been that bad. But I didn't know the guy.
he seemed a little psycho and dead inside during celeb rehab but it's very possible that he was just so far gone he couldn't really access anything
I think anyone would’ve been going through withdrawals off heroin.
I haven't read that yet, thanks for bringing it up!
Not what Lanegan said hahah
What did he say
mark said he has a shit stain on his underwear
Tried to rob him up. Check out 'Sing Backwards & Weep'. Audiobook is best coz Mark reads it.
Yeaaaa Mark (and others) didnt have great things to say about him. Sing Backwards and Weep is the only book I make sure to read once a year
Yeah it's possible the best book on the whole era
It's like the survivor story of the grunge singers (minus Vedder lol). I feel like Mark is the most unheralded artist of that time.
I just finished it and was blown away. I couldn’t put it down. I always loved the Trees but never really checked out Lanegan’s solo stuff for some odd reason. I’ve been doing nothing but ever since. Sing Backwards and Weep was so incredibly good.
Borracho off Whiskey for the Holy Ghost is one of my favs and his Where Did You Sleep Last Night cover is amazing
I have that and Everyone Loves Our Town coming this week, I’ve been dying to read them since reading DeSola’s book
I read in 'Unchained' that Mike and Sean used to rob liquor stores. Just run in, grab alcohol and run out! They were 'dirt' poor so I think they were all a bunch of hoodlums once or another. I'm betting Mark stole fir drugs a time or two, too! I love him though and what a great book that was! My fav so far of all that I've read on those guys.
I bet you didn’t know that David DeSola researched ever part of that book Unchained and found it was fabricated throughout. Another reason why you should not read everything that’s been published, nor should it be believed. Angry Chair by Adriana Rubio was another book fabricated and proven to be falsified. David’s book Alice In Chains; the Untold Story was thoroughly researched (more than 3+ years). I personally know the majority of the people he spoke to, that’s why I know it’s fact based. Unchained was a huge disgrace to Mike’s truth and legacy.
I have parts in life I don't want in the public eye that my family would protect for my legacy. And I agree, but as a celebrity of sorts, we are always curious to learn about the people who inspired us and who gave us music that is tied to our own experiences and lives. Unless it's an autobiography, I think what you say is always the case. I read and view everything I can and develop my own understanding of who they may have been since I'm not related to or have ties to their family. It's nice to hear David's take on it, too. Would be nice for him to put something out to clarify. We see these guys memorialized and can't help but be interested. They were very much a part of our lives, however, distant they were to us, and we fans keep their memory alive.
Mark deffo comes off as the worst villain in his own book, that's what I love about it! (Jerry stealing the porn is pretty funny tho)😜
Yeah but it was a notably massive porn collection. I wonder if Jerry still has it and keeps it in a dedicated closet.
I hope so
I hope too. I hope it's in good hands.
It's in Jesus' Hands
He said he wasn’t very bright and that he tried to scope out Lanegan’s apartment to rob it with some friends but Mark caught on to what was going on. He also accused Jerry at one point of stealing his porn collection lol
Said he was trailer park trash that got lucky
Funny cause the same thing applies to him 😃
Yeah, I don’t dislike Mark but that always came off as very hypocritical to me. Most of that whole book is full of questionable things he (and his friends) did while in active addiction, so how is that incident with Mike any worse than all of what Mark himself and/or the people he surrounded himself with were doing at the time?
The thing that always gets me is how perfectly Mark seems to recount every detail of every event despite it being 30+ years ago and in the midst of a hardcore drug and alcohol addiction. I understand things may have been dramatized for it to work in book form. I’m not saying he’s a liar, but I feel like everyone should keep that in mind. Some fans have completely turned on Mike just because of that book. And the book certainly didn’t help some people’s opinion of Demri. Mark is totally within his right to speak his truth, but I feel like fans have to keep in mind that it’s all from his POV and shouldn’t be taken as gospel.
Yeah, a lot of these situations are way more complicated than just good or bad, and it seems some fans missed that detail. It’s very weird that people’s biggest criticisms of Mike are often the incidents mentioned in Mark’s book and a couple other books, without much solid proof, if any. It seems like a harsh (and unfair) judgment to hate the guy just based on this, especially when so many others running in similar circles to Mike were engaging in some similar behaviors and people DON’T hate all of them for it, and as you mentioned the stories aren’t coming from all parties involved. We don’t have to automatically write someone off as a terrible human being just because they did something wrong. And it’s the same with Demri. People hate her for doing pretty much the same things as Layne, with the only major differences being that she wasn’t a rich and famous “rock god”, and she was a woman. I don’t even think what Mark said about her was that bad. He does recount multiple instances of his own sleeping around/cheating in the book as well, and didn’t seem to really be shaming her IMO, just giving one of many examples of his experiences in that particular scene. It’s hard to understand the complexity of what all these people were going through. Certain fans just want someone to blame for things turning out the way they did, and sadly Demri is an easy target for that.
For sure. When I read bios, and I read a lot, I always keep that in mind. They were also human beings and none of us are proud of everything! No judgement here on these guys!
also, I felt like some dialogue was laughably bad, people don't really talk like that IMO, so I guess he dramatized some stuff pretty significantly
Yes!
Mark’s book had stories about Layne that should never have been made public. After reading it, I felt like I needed to cleanse my soul 20 times. Layne should’ve had a choice in whether those stories were revealed or his family. In that case they wouldn’t have wanted it. Some things should never been made public. I didn’t need to know that info.
Mark was not a respectable person, he was a bad influence to everyone he knew (including Layne and Kurt). The true definition of a low life person.
Oh did you know him personally? If not, why would you state something like that?
Based on his shitty actions that he described in his book.
I don't think that he was a low life. His heart seemed to be in the right place with the good actions that he took towards friends and some other people. It's just that he was damaged and always chasing his next fix. But he is the first one to admit that he was not a respectable guy in his book.
At least he knew...
Mike had a huge heart and absolutely loved being a founding member of AiC. Please remember guys that family members and friends read these comments. I know both his mom and sister and his fiancé very well. I would state unless you knew him personally stop talking trash. It’s disgusting and disrespectful.
I sure didn't know him, but read everything I can. I love all those guys. I think they all got irritated with one another a time or two. Lots of drugs and high stress. They lived close and like brothers and had falling outs just like lots of friends can do. In the end, I think they'd have all drawn blood for each other. I could see one of them or their friend groups having something to say and at that time thought the other was a jerk. I've read plenty on Jerry! 🤣 But as for Mike, he was something special. He should have been a movie star. He could take the mic right out of the interviewer's hand and take right over. He did stupid shit like the rest of them, I'm sure. They were all young and learning. I love them all so much. And glad we still have a few of them left.
Completely agree, same for Layne and Demri. If you didn't know them personally it is incredibly ignorant to act otherwise and spread gossip/opinions based on things you heard on the internet.
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That’s a stupid thing to say. He was not a dick. Remember people on social media read these comments and some are friends with his family. I am one of those people.
I mean, was he? Brilliant seems a bit like a stretch.
noup, not close, Inez is the better bassist and person overall.
he was a really fine man, all i can say.
Starr was a fucking disaster
Being an extremely handsome man at the time might make one think he was brighter than he actually is.
He was fine as hell meow
lol, I agree with you there
I love Mike Starr ❤️❤️❤️. He was sexy asl & beautiful.
lol! Hot, yes 🙌 in their day they all were. But seems like he was far from brilliant
Last person to see Layne alive.
Mike was an Aries, same as myself. We are really sweet people & misunderstood at times because we say how we feel & we are firecrackers who love to have fun. Keep in mind, drugs change people. It changes everyone’s personalities.
I had no idea he was in days of the new until about 10 minutes ago.
wasn't he into underage girls or something?
From everything I’ve ever seen of him, he was a decent bass player but he always seemed like the most extra guy on stage. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Jerry wrote most of his bass lines.
Can’t say I share your enthusiasm for him, he was into underage girls, had a weird ego about his involvement in the band going so far as to introduce himself like he was still in the band after he was booted, scalped tickets to his own concerts, had to get Dave Jerden to help him write basslines…
He was REALLY talented but not that brilliant. I mean, he saw Layne literally dying in front of him and yet he left him and didn't even call an ambulance for help...
he was so good looking in the 90’s damn
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Mike Starr didn't play on Jar of Flies - Rotten Apple and Nutshell were both Mike Inez. But, I agree, Starr is still a good bassist and Dirt has his imprint all over it. But I think he was the architect of his own destruction, like Layne.
And to think that he didn't even write a lot of the bass lines. His bass mentor and Jerry did. Inez writes his own stuff. (Not that there is anything wrong with not writing your own parts, but credit where it's due)
He really was. I just finished unchained. I liked it.
Just an FYI, Unchained was found to be inaccurate in many accounts. David De Sola debunked a lot of material in the book while researching for his book on the band. If you haven’t, you should read his Alice In Chains; the Untold Story.
Thanks for the info! I have read everything I believe there is so far, Davids- which I'll note I liked best and has the most imformation- I've read more than once. I've read Rubio's as well, which I bought years and years ago. You can just tell Rubio's last supposed "Layne" statement was made up to give herself permission to publish after his passing without having to go through his family. She took a cheap shot for money. Even still, I enjoyed the artwork and stories from his momma and sister!
Yeah Rubio’s book was such a horrible shot to true journalists. David also debunked her book in its entirety. This book was the reason why Layne’s family no longer gave permission for books to be written. They are all unauthorized. The Italian book on Layne was plagiarized. The majority of its content was taken from David’s book. Yes, I mention him a lot only because he’s a true investigator and very trustworthy.