Of all the grunge bands to come out of Seattle, Alice in Chains were the greatest.

A lot of bands whine about the road and how tough it is.

I was more influenced by players like Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen than by the guys in southern rock bands.

I was mostly influenced by bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest - Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All' was also a hell of an inspiration.

Way before we got a record deal, we were playing clubs seven nights a week, three one-hour sets a night. Then we got the record deal, and we took off on the road and stayed out.

Lessons didn't really work out for me, so I went to the old school, listening to records and learning what I wanted to learn.