Alice in Chains: AIC 23


AIC 23 is a 2013 mockumentary by the American rock band Alice in Chains to promote their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. The screenplay was co-written by guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, director Peter Darley Miller and actor W. Earl Brown. The video premiered on Funny or Die on April 3, 2013. The title is a spoof of Pearl Jam's documentary Pearl Jam Twenty.
Snippets of songs from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here are featured in the film, such as the first two singles "Hollow" and "Stone", and two songs that had not been made available before the album was released; "Voices" and "Phantom Limb".

Synopsis

AIC 23 follows Film Studies professor Alan Poole McLard on his journey to make a documentary about Alice in Chains. McLard interviews other musicians who have been influenced by the band. Among them are the country singer Donnie 'Skeeter' Dollarhide Jr., Reggae singer Nesta Cleveland, Black Metal musician Unta Gleeben Glabben Globben Globin, and the hipster blogger Stanley Eisen.

Cast

' guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell told Loudwire that the idea for AIC 23 came out of five or six conference calls with the band wondering what they would do to promote their new album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. So the members made up their characters and had a loose idea of what they wanted to do, similar to what they did on The Nona Tapes. The band brought up director Peter Darley Miller and actor W. Earl Brown, who is also a friend of Cantrell. Alice in Chains' co-lead vocalist William DuVall stated that the band would rather do anything than a run-of-the-mill promo video, and that's why they decided to do this video.
The script was co-written by Jerry Cantrell and W. Earl Brown. Cantrell revealed that his character is a little bit his dad. Sean Kinney improvised the "cuff" lines and "I was in a band back in the day".
The prosthetic makeup was made by Oscar-winning make-up artist Matthew W. Mungle, who also worked on Edward Scissorhands, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Schindler's List.

Release

AIC 23 premiered on Funny or Die on April 3, 2013, and was uploaded to Alice in Chains' official YouTube channel two days later.