Layne is an extremely knowledgeable guy, he just has an uncanny ability to come off as a complete know-it-all asshole most of the time. If you can get past his off-putting personality, he’s a goldmine of valuable information.
As a side note, I don’t know Layne personally, but I’m friends with some guys that are friends of his (I live near the town Layne grew up in) and without exception, everybody I know that really likes Layne is also in insufferable asshole. Not sure if there’s a real correlation there, just something I noticed over the last few years.