Crying through the eyes of a child

Mark Lanegan in the press of his hometown of Ellensburg, 1964–1979

Abstract

Mark Lanegan (1964–2022) became known in the 1990s as the lead singer of the rock band Screaming Trees, formed in Ellensburg but based in Seattle during the grunge movement boom. After the band disbanded, he pursued a solo career, collaborated with numerous artists, and wrote a memoir, making Los Angeles his home base. In the last two years of his life, he lived in Killarney, Ireland, dedicating himself to writing a second memoir, poetry, and painting. Accounts of his life in Ellensburg can also be found in other sources, such as The (Ellensburg) Daily Record. With this in mind, the account of his childhood and pre-adolescence contained in the two books is compared with the information about him available in the newspaper, in order to understand his philosophy (a "way of life" as Hadot understands it). Thus, we see a stark contrast between the character in the two media, clarifying the distinct objectives of a provincial newspaper, jealous of local identity, and a rebellious literature.