In the beginning, Jerry & Layne were a monster of a songwriting duo, with Jerry calling Lane his "best friend in the world." (interesting that you never heard Layne call Jerry his best friend, which I always thought was very telling). After the honeymoon phase was over after the first couple of years it became apparent that Layne and Jerry were two very different types of people: Jerry was very driven, goal oriented, Layne was more interested in the artistic side of things. AIC was important to him, but by the 3rd album, he was already bored, but I think Jerry's harshness and harping on Lane to get his act together and sing, obviously wore him down as well.
Undoubtedly Jerry let his mouth get away from him and probably said some things to Layne, about Layne behind Layne's back to other people that eventually got back to Layne, things that cut Layne to the quick, so he felt he had to get out.
If you look at their lyrics especially in their third album, even Sean Kinney said it's an album of Layne and Jerry pretty much just yelling back and forth at each other in their lyrics. The more Layne tried to pull away, the more Jerry tried to pull him back in.
But ever self-reflective in his lyrics, Jerry realizes he'd become Layne--a recluse, shuttered away from everyone and everything, no headlines, no news. And while he's bitter & sorrowful about the way he treated Layne, he's also angry that he couldn't--and wouldn't--defeat his demons.
AIC was going to break up eventually, if not from Layne's heroin use, then from just differences in personality and overall working style. In the beginning opposites attract, but it soon becomes apparent after time has passed how different those personalities can be, and if they're not willing to work together to overcome those differences, things fall apart rapidly. Music and drugs seem to have been the two factors that all of the band members had in common. But when those started becoming problematic, it was only a matter of time...
Oddly, in the end both Layne and Jerry got what they wanted: Layne chose his way out, and Jerry's dream of riding out into the sunset with AIC seems to be a thing. But all of the guys are nigh unto 60 years old now, so...for how much longer???
In the beginning, Jerry & Layne were a monster of a songwriting duo, with Jerry calling Lane his "best friend in the world." (interesting that you never heard Layne call Jerry his best friend, which I always thought was very telling). After the honeymoon phase was over after the first couple of years it became apparent that Layne and Jerry were two very different types of people: Jerry was very driven, goal oriented, Layne was more interested in the artistic side of things. AIC was important to him, but by the 3rd album, he was already bored, but I think Jerry's harshness and harping on Lane to get his act together and sing, obviously wore him down as well.
Undoubtedly Jerry let his mouth get away from him and probably said some things to Layne, about Layne behind Layne's back to other people that eventually got back to Layne, things that cut Layne to the quick, so he felt he had to get out.
If you look at their lyrics especially in their third album, even Sean Kinney said it's an album of Layne and Jerry pretty much just yelling back and forth at each other in their lyrics. The more Layne tried to pull away, the more Jerry tried to pull him back in.
But ever self-reflective in his lyrics, Jerry realizes he'd become Layne--a recluse, shuttered away from everyone and everything, no headlines, no news. And while he's bitter & sorrowful about the way he treated Layne, he's also angry that he couldn't--and wouldn't--defeat his demons.
AIC was going to break up eventually, if not from Layne's heroin use, then from just differences in personality and overall working style. In the beginning opposites attract, but it soon becomes apparent after time has passed how different those personalities can be, and if they're not willing to work together to overcome those differences, things fall apart rapidly. Music and drugs seem to have been the two factors that all of the band members had in common. But when those started becoming problematic, it was only a matter of time...
Oddly, in the end both Layne and Jerry got what they wanted: Layne chose his way out, and Jerry's dream of riding out into the sunset with AIC seems to be a thing. But all of the guys are nigh unto 60 years old now, so...for how much longer???