Angry Chair

"Angry Chair", by grunge band Alice in Chains, was the fourth single from their 1992 album Dirt. It is the twelfth song on the album, although older pressings place it eleventh due to an apparent error in track arrangements. The song was one of the few written entirely by lead singer Layne Staley for the band.

The song also has a reference to the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining (based on the novel by Stephen King) in the line, "I'm a dull boy work all day". The quotation is taken almost directly from one of the most famous scenes in the film, in which main character Jack Torrence repeatedly types, "All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy". (The movie was also referenced in the echoing of "red rum" in the interlude track "Iron Gland" on the same album). "

An acoustic version of "Angry Chair" was later performed for the MTV show MTV Unplugged. (Though omitted from the aired performance, the song was included in the Unplugged CD and DVD release, and on the Greatest Hits disc and 'Music Bank'' box set.

Jerry Cantrell on the song, from the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection:

"Such a brilliant song. I'm very proud of Layne for writing it. When I've stepped up vocally in the past he's been so supportive, and here was a fine example of him stepping up with the guitar and writing a masterpiece."

Although Dirt marked the introduction of Staley's guitar playing contributions to the group, he rarely played in concert, focusing instead on his vocals and showmanship. This is one of the few songs he regularly played guitar on during live performances.

The ending to the song was often used as a lead in to another famous Alice in Chains song "Man in the Box" in concert.

The current members of AIC performed an acoustic version of "Angry Chair" with Stone Temple Pilots/ex-Velvet Revolver lead singer Scott Weiland in concert on September 30, 2007 in Austin, TX.

An "Angry Chair" is also mentioned in Rafe Martin's