Rating: 
Summary: Please don't fall for this one
Review: .... I harbor no personal biases against Alice in Chains, Mike Starr, or the author. The predicament is simple.This book is absolutely the most poorly written text I have seen in a long, long time. The only thing that propels it is the story at hand, and Brandon does a haphazard job of re-telling it. The writing is choppy, sometimes grammatically error-laden, and too vague to enjoy. At times, I wanted to smack the paperback binding against my head, because it got to be so frustrating to read. One problem? Brandon introduces people with very little background information. You're left wondering, who are these people and why are they important? As a matter of fact, Brandon fails to build a decent rapport with the reader from the start. A second problem, the interview quotes are poorly presented and leave much to be desired. At some points, you wonder just what the hell Mike Starr is talking about, because of a vagueness that is never clarified. A third problem, the book boasts that you will learn all the dirty details that forced Starr out of Alice In Chains. Well, it doesn't. Both possible causes (heroin abuse and the fact that Jerry Cantrell was apparently jealous of Starr's womanizing skills) are not properly addressed anywhere in the book. They're mentioned in passing, rather than written about directly with solid description. All in all, the book lacks total focus and looks as if it were rushed... extremely rushed to print. Brandon's writing lacks the passion and "ummph" to make this worthy reading material....
Rating:
Summary: MY 9 YEAR OLD SON CAN WRITE BETTER THAN THIS!
Review: AFTER READING ALL OF THE PREVIOUS REVIEWS I STILL HAD TO READ THIS BOOK, ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT "AIC"...I HAVE TO SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST BOOKS EVER PUT TOGETHER..DIDNT THIS GUY HAVE A EDITOR WHO PROOF READS ALL THE BOOKS BEFORE THEY GO TO PRESS??
MY GUT FEELING IS THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A PRETTY GOOD STORY IF IT WAS WRITTEN BY A ACTUAL "WRITER".BUT DONT BLAME MIKE STARR SO MUCH, HIS ONLY MISTAKE WAS WHO HE CHOSE TO WRITE THE BOOK FOR HIM!! I RECOMMEND DO NOT BUY....GET IT FROM YOUR LIBARY LIKE I DID...
Rating: 
Summary: an amateur recounting of the rock and roll experience
Review: After reading other rock and roll biographies, like Aerosmith's Dream On, Led Zeppelin's Hammer of the Gods, Motley Crue's The Dirt, and Stevie Ray Vaughan's Caught in the Crossfire, perhaps my expectations were too high for this Alice in Chains story. John Brandon definitely lacks the finesse of authors like Steven Davis, Neil Strauss, and Joe Nick Pantoski. This Alice in Chains biography reads like a poorly written news article. With the afore-mentioned biographies, I felt the need to reread them to savor each word, but I felt nothing like that after reading this one. Brandon often comes across as being preachy, particularly with the drug stories, whereas in most other rock star biographies, the drug stories simply speak for themselves. One other thing that irked me was that his portrayal of Mike Inez comes off as an after-thought. Give the guy some credit! Inez is a fine bass player, revitalized Ozzy Osbourne's career, and managed to help hold Alice in Chains together for several years after Mike Starr's departure. The only thing mildly good I can say about this book was that it got me curious as to what the other band members' takes on this situation is.
Rating: 
Summary: "Hearsay Once Removed"
Review: Being a lawyer, I appreciate unbridled and unadulterated truth. The impact of receiving such information firsthand really takes one to the proper perspective; the trials, the tribulations, the addiction. Rock is not all that glamorous. Simply put,one thumb up to this guy, John Brandon.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: Enjoyed this book very much. Hope to see more from author John Brandon.
Rating: 
Summary: A very cool book explaining my favorite band...
Review: Every now and then Alice In Chains puts out new music but I've always wondered why they don't play concerts or make personal appearances. Why is Jerry Cantrell out there on his own? This book puts everything into perspective for me. I found the stories to be informative, humorous and sometimes heartbreaking. Wow! Is heroin abuse that bad? After reading this book I totally understand the phenomenon known as Alice In Chains. I don't have to guess any more about this band after reading this well-written book. It's a journey from the start in 1987 through 2001. Too bad about Layne. I recommend reading this book...if you can handle strong, descriptive stories about rock stars. Four stars definitely. The best music book I've read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment.
Review: First off, I need to start by simply saying that the writing in this novel is subpar. As someone else put it "My 8 year old can write better than this." Now, it's one thing to have bad writing skills, and it's another to publish pure rubbish. I am a huge alice in chains fan, but this book paints Mike Starr out to be a self-indulged, whiny, washed up rocker on drugs. It's apparent that throughout the book he takes numerous shots at both Layne and Jerry, and critising the whole band after he "left" AiC (He actually quit, and then wanted to come back, and AiC was like "no way man"). It's a poor read, and I wouldn't even feel comfortable suggesting it to other hardcore AiC fans. There's a lot of mudslinging and name calling, and a real dissapointment.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written, some interesting details
Review: I always wondered why Mike Starr & AIC parted ways & this book does shed light on the subject along with some intersting details about Mike's past, growing up in Seattle & how he began playing in bands. However, I have read better material from high schoolers. This book was written in a very poor fashion, repeated certain facts/stories over & over & bored us with some really uninteresting details (like interviews with Mike's friends who had nothing to do with AIC) This book is only interesting for the absolute die-hards, but chances are when you're done with this book (after about 45 minutes) you'll have regretted spending money on it.
Rating:
Summary: PRETTY SAD STORY ABOUT A GREAT BAND...
Review: I barely even remember Mike Starr but Alice In Chains is the greatest band ever to come out of Seattle. All in all, I'm glad they replaced Starr with Inez to keep the band moving forward. Otherwise, we never would have gotten "No Excuses" "Grind" "Heaven Beside You" and the live stuff. Starr seems like a creep for blowing it so badly but I do feel sorry for him and his music will live forever. This guy had a little courage to tell the truth about Layne and Jerry when we couldn't get it from anywhere else...rolling stone, mtv, any seattle writers...that alone makes this book worth reading. But who really cares about Starr? I barely even remember him. Not the greatest rock and roll book I ever read but it's the first one I ever read cover to cover in a couple hours. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: PRETTY SAD STORY ABOUT A GREAT BAND...
Review: I barely even remember Mike Starr but Alice In Chains is the greatest band ever to come out of Seattle. All in all, I'm glad they replaced Starr with Inez to keep the band moving forward. Otherwise, we never would have gotten "No Excuses" "Grind" "Heaven Beside You" and the live stuff. Starr seems like a creep for blowing it so badly but I do feel sorry for him and his music will live forever. This guy had a little courage to tell the truth about Layne and Jerry when we couldn't get it from anywhere else...rolling stone, mtv, any seattle writers...that alone makes this book worth reading. But who really cares about Starr? I barely even remember him. Not the greatest rock and roll book I ever read but it's the first one I ever read cover to cover in a couple hours. I couldn't put it down.
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