First of all, I want to thank everyone who helped the “run away” video reach 43,000 views, of which only one third were purchased, so I’m happy—the song was probably liked, but I think the anime it was inspired by also helped generate interest, also because it’s not ancient, it’s well-made, and it deals with themes that are still relevant. In fact, these dynamics and situations are increasingly widespread among young people around the world.

I really wanted to talk about a band that inspired me a lot in composition, but before doing that, I would like to write a couple of lines of solidarity for a friend of mine. This friend of mine, months later, found himself facing a stalking complaint, a complaint based on “hearsay” accusations. That is, the alleged victim brought all her acquaintances to testify, including her best friend, her sister, colleagues, neighbors, and you know what the strange thing is? No one confirms having seen my friend hit or attack the alleged victim. And now he has to defend himself… do you understand? And after assuring him that they have no compelling evidence and that it’s all BS, what does the lawyer tell him? To find out how much they are asking to drop the charge! What??? Besides being innocent, he has to pay to remain so? This is unacceptable, it’s not right, it can’t work like this. The paradox is that genuine complaints from real stalking victims are treated with indifference and superficiality, while these obvious idiocies become serious! Also, from what I understand, because she’s a deadbeat (forgive me, I have to insult her somehow) she doesn’t even pay the legal fees, do you get it? What a messed up world is this? Where the hell are we?

And fortunately, due to various work-related events, my friend learned to save his chats and voice messages, so he can bring messages to his defense where she threatens to scar him with more violence next time since she had only done it lightly (after she had already scarred him)! I admire him for the self-control he is demonstrating; in his place, I don’t know how I would have reacted. Since I’m no longer needed by anyone, I could potentially be both indifferent and dangerous, especially if I notice a fundamental injustice being done to me. I hope my friend succeeds in defending his innocence and that she suffers until the day she removes herself from his life. Miserable person with no dignity.

There would be another topic, but it’s too fresh; I might start cursing and insulting relatives, too, so I’ll talk about it later.

Let’s move on to the band I think of when talking about Grunge. You’ll say Nirvana! No, Alice in Chains! I like Nirvana a lot, too, but the Cantrell/Staley duo released the album “Facelift” which fully explains what grunge is. There is despair, anguish, even anger for not being able to solve a discomfort you have, and to overcome it, you find solutions that cause you even more problems, making you withdraw from social life and never escape, as in Staley’s case.

I like Facelift from start to finish, but I listen to it when I am euphoric because if I’m already down, it can finish dragging me under. It makes me disgusted with social life, with people who go to clubs looking for something to buy to cheer themselves up, people who are ready to speed off in their cars the second the light turns green just to stop at the next traffic light 50 meters ahead… After listening to Facelift, the risk is no longer seeing any meaning in everyday actions; everything seems futile and, all things considered, unimportant.

In fact, in Alice in Chains, I hear a very “blues” approach, and those who played the “blues” were people who were dissatisfied and wanted to vent, bringing out their existential discomfort and their suffering from living in a world that hates you, a world where you have no rights. In the grunge of Alice in Chains, I have always seen a hint of protest, with the awareness that no matter how much you fight, you will never solve a damn thing. The only request is to at least be left with the freedom to vent and scream one’s despair.

Thank you, Jerry. Thank you, Layne.