Layne Staley of Alice In Chains Beat Up a Skinhead in 1993
SANTA MONICA, CA - DECEMBER 18: Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains attends The Rip Curl Grand Opening on December 18, 2003 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Giulio Marcocchi /Getty Images)
Layne Staley, anti-racism pioneer? With a renewed conversation about racial inequality in America today, this clip resonates.
During an Alice In Chains gig in Stockholm, Sweden in 1993, lead singer Layne Staley spotted a man in the crowd making Nazi salutes and acting aggressively toward other concert goers, punching and elbowing people at random. So he did what any quick-thinking frontman would do: he invited the man onstage.
Once the man made his way to the stage, Staley hit him with two quick punches, and the man was then removed by security. Far Out Magazine has the full story (and aftermath) here; you can watch the video below.
Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.