Gone To Soon

Today a friend of mine posted a YouTube video of one of my favorite Blind Melon songs, Mouthful of Cavities.  After watching this video, I began watching the Behind the Music for Blind Melon, which also led to me watching the Behind the Music for Sublime.  After watching these videos, I also realized that today is the anniversary of the death of another '90s musician, Aaliyha. These are the musicians and the music of my youth and so many of them are tragically gone to soon.

I remember the first time I heard No Rain on MTV.  I remember thinking, "These dudes are crazy, but interesting and great too".  After seeing the No Rain video, I went out and bought the album Blind Melon. Blind Melon was a wonderful album, but Soup, in my opinion is their masterpiece.  Shannon Hoon, the lead singer of Blind Melon, was also a heroin addict and used many other drugs.  Hoon fought to get sober after his daughter, Nico, was born, but alas, on October 21, 1995, Shannon was found on his tour bus dead.  He had overdosed and left Nico, and her mother, on their own.  

Bradley Nowell, the lead singer and founding member of Sublime, also had a drug problem.  Bradley fought with his addiction for years and finally became sober when his son was born.  After being sober and having his son, he married the mother of the boy.  Nowell was the happiest anyone had ever seen him and then he and the guys went back on tour.  Being on the road ended up being too much and Nowell relapsed on May 26, 1996 and overdosed.  He was found in his and his band mate’s hotel room in the morning, barely on the bed, next to his cherished dalmatian, Lou Dog.

I will never forget the day I heard Layne Staley passed away.  I was 21 years old and still an avid Alice in Chains fan.  Hell, I still listen to AIC all the time.  The day was April 5, 2002, I had walked down to my neighbor’s apartment, and he told me Layne had overdosed.  I cried.  Sounds silly, I know, but he just had a place in my heart, with his depressing, yet understanding lyrics.  Another musician lost to the grips of drugs.

I do not want to forget to pay homage to the likes of Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Aaliyha, Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Tupac, and the many other musicians who left too early.  Whether it was drugs, which it usually is, or other horrific reasons, these people all have a place in my childhood and now my adulthood.  I hope that all my readers will take a moment to honor these often misunderstood, but wonderful people.