The Origin of Layne Staley's Middle Name
Nancy McCallum – Layne Staley’s mother – did an interview with Northwest Music Scene recently. This particular exchange caught my attention: Early bands: “In 5th grade, he borrowed his Uncle Bob’s trumpet, so that was his first instrument. Then, our family friend Fred loaned him a drum set, and he loved the drums. He wasn’t…
Read MoreJim Elmer Remembered
Jim Elmer, Layne Staley’s stepfather, passed away in his home in Long Beach, Washington last week from heart failure, according to his son Ken. He was 72 years old. He was born in Spokane, Washington on March 28th, 1945 at home, but spent most of his life in the Seattle area. Jim had Bachelor’s and…
Read MoreThe Story Behind the Story: Was Layne Staley Going to Audition for Audioslave?
I recently read this article by Michael Christopher regarding the 15th anniversary of Layne Staley’s death and it got me thinking about something I reported in my book two years ago: that Layne told a friend of his about a year before his death that he wanted to try out for the band that would…
Read MoreChris Cornell Remembered
I was shocked and devastated when I received a news alert from a friend late last night informing me Soundgarden singer/guitarist Chris Cornell had passed away a few hours after performing a show at a Detroit theater. It was even more shocking and devastating to find out today that the coroner concluded Cornell had committed…
Read MoreDispatches from Kansas
On the road again… A post shared by David de Sola (@daviddesola) on Apr 9, 2017 at 2:39pm PDT I was in Wichita the past few days covering the final stretch of the special election to fill Mike Pompeo’s former seat in the House of Representatives. Here’s all my reporting on the subject: Ron Estes…
Read MoreMorning After Election Analysis
I put together this document the day after the election based on the data available at the time to try and make sense of what happened and how/why so many people (myself included) got it wrong. Feel free to read and share. I’d also be curious to hear your feedback. America in the Age of…
Read MoreDemri Parrott Remembered
This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the death of Demri Parrott, Layne Staley’s ex-fiancée. I wrote the following tweetstorm to remember her (and him) for the occasion: Most, if not all of that material was in my book, where Layne and Demri’s relationship and her passing is covered in much more depth.
Read MoreA Death in the Eternal City
I wrote a few thoughts about the sad and senseless death a few days ago of an American college student in Rome – my old stomping grounds.
Read MoreThe Unintended Consequences of Brexit
Read my take on the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote.
Read MoreFacts Matter
I recently joined Medium and published my first article there, titled “The Fact Checker’s Worst Nightmare.” You can follow me on my profile page there.
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