To celebrate the release of their upcoming fifth album, Alice in Chains have teamed with Funny or Die for a mockumentary honoring the grunge legends’ legacy. Too bad the 11-minute clip, titled AIC 23, doesn’t manage much in the way of laughs or insight.
The camera follows character Alan Poole McLard as he tries to find AiC fans with interesting things to say about the Dirt kings’ two-act, 20-year-plus career. Instead, the FoD crew turns in an overlong sketch that takes easy aim at thin clichés: hipsters with handlebar mustaches, hardcore metal fans who still live at home, chill Jamaican dudes enshrouded in smoke.
Luckily, the video’s last few minutes are filled with rock star cameos from Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo, Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, and Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan (who recently showed up in Funny or Die’s Postal Service collaboration), and even guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who makes a quick appearance by voicemail.
