GET BORN AGAIN....
BEHIND THE SCENES....
By Adriana Rubio....
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It is with much respect that I write this letter to you as I always do.....
The purpose of this letter is to let you know about a number of serious issues happening behind the scenes of the Get Born Again movie which are really hurting the entire project. Although I have received a lot of positive feedback from Layne's fans, I have also received many insults and threats which are also addressed to my family and the crew who works for the project. ....
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For the people who think the movie is based on a book full of crap...well, I must tell you that the book entitled "Layne Staley: Get Born Again", which is a revival of the "Angry Chair" book, has 160 pages and about 50 of those pages are filled with pictures of Layne from when he was a baby, from his childhood, from his teens years, some family pictures, Layne's drawings, Layne's letters and poetry in his own hand writing, and pictures of his clay objects made by his own hands. There are 71 pages filled with the story his mother and sister told me including Layne's last words. Additonally there is a Memoriam letter that was written by Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin. If you do the math, this totals 121 pages and is 75% of the book. Do you really think these materials are "crap"? Pictures of Layne are crap? The Alice In Chains first draft logo made by Layne's own hands is crap? The grief of a mother saying "I want him to have peace but I don't want him to die"...is crap? The stories his mother tells about school and the statement Layne wrote on Public Education are crap? The funny story Liz tells when Layne asked her to let him cut her hair and the mess that resulted is crap? I could be here writing many passages of the book and ask the same question over and over again...Are these stories crap? And if you are still thinking these passages are crap...well, in that case you need to know that you are insulting Layne's mother and Liz, not me. It is the story they told me, and not to say the lack of respect to Layne Staley since those words are about his life, his first steps, childhood, school, artworks, music, and the pain he went through with drug addiction.....
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Then you can find about 39 pages, to complete the 160 pages the book has and which represent 25% of it. These 39 pages include Table of Contents, Note From The Author, Introduction, my journey, as a journalist, to Alaska and Seattle to meet Layne's mother and sister, pictures of some relevant places in Seattle, citation of Kurt Cobain, interpretations and highlightings of Layne's drawings, the Ink & Pen Collection, some heroin history, a short story from an inmate who read the first book "Angry Chair" in prison ( the book was ordered by the Correctional Facility ), and a few comments on myself as requested by Layne himself. Why? Just because he simple said "Put your feet into my damn shoes, you writer". He meant that journalists use to write mostly about what happen to others unkindly, but they never talk about their innermost feelings or sufferings in public. I did. I'm a human being first, then a journalist so I perfectly understood his words. ....
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Another thing I want to comment about is that although I may disagree in some aspects with Layne's mother, I was sat with her for hours during several days talking about Layne, and I must say that she touched my heart. I won't forget her words and tears. She spoke so frankly to me and all those words, except the ones she asked me to keep OFF the record, were transcribed in the book. Six years have passed since Layne died and I'm sure she is still in pain. It must be hard for her and the rest of the family to realize that Layne is not with them anymore and that the idea they had on his recovery was not the way they thought. Here are Layne's mother own words which are on page 125 of the Get Born Again book:....
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"You know how scared I was for him, but I never gave up hope that he would ask for help. Every day I am faced with the realization over and over again that I will never see him here again, that his recovery will not be as I had imagined. I am still stunned at the constant reminders of his loss". ....
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And here is another on page 127:....
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"There's nothing more I can say or do. The work I need to do is to keep my head above the water on that subject and not let it kill me off a little at a time. And to know that we are intact, as mother and son. And that we live in a safe place. That he and I live in our successes and joys and that the rest is kind of a nightmare that isn't real. I fully expect my son to recover. And that's strange because for five years or so I've been preparing myself for his death". ....
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I started writing about Layne Staley from when he was still alive. I had the chance to meet his mother and sister several months before his death. Our first communications were by telephone and e-mails. Then we met in person in late July and early August of 2001, just ten months before he died. Layne's story was told by his mother, sister and Layne himself. Do you think I'm kind of robot or something? It was hard for me to choose the most critical moments of Layne's life. It was extremely difficult for me to close my eyes to the problem of drugs. I can assure you all that I never, ever asked any questions about it, as I never intended to base Layne's story on this matter. But, Liz and Nancy mentioned it spontaneously in every conversation. Of course, he died ten months later! What do you think? He was just walking to die when I met them. How would I know it if it weren't for what HIS family told me? They were in a desperate situation without knowing exactly what to do. And there I was listening to them and trying to do my best to help Layne. I even called a rapid Detox Clinic in Seattle for an appointment and gave all the details to Liz so she can talk with the doctor. It was on a Saturday night and I will never forget Liz desperately crying over telephone. She was pregnant. You can't even imagine how sad and stressful that was. I'm based in a different country and was trying to help Layne and his family overseas. How can you possible insult me and a book which is based on a human being's story that was told by his family and he himself? ....
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Going back to the movie project. We are making great efforts to get it done. Although we count the support of a DVD company distributor in California, we are working hard as an Independent Production. I have donated all of my book royalties to the project. Actor Lathan McKay travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to meet me in February of 2008. He is very much involved in the realization of this project. We need positive feedback. We understand how much you all love Layne, so please stop hurting and do the right thing. Do you want a film that gives justice to Layne? Ok, that's what we are doing. However, we are open to receive ideas, suggestions and for the most part positive feedback. ....
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Spread the word. Thank you!....
This is an important project. True fans of Layne and his legacy will truly enjoy this movie. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll scream out in anger…most of all, you'll get a look into the life, the heart, the man who was Layne Staley.....
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Adriana Rubio....
Journalist/Author....
ARTS Publications....
www.artspublicationsbooks.com ....
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