cornell explores his music as a solo act

by joe lawler, des moines register, 16 november 2007

Chris Cornell has had hits with Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog and as a solo artist. After six years with Audioslave, Cornell is back on his own and enjoying the freedom to explore his musical history. "I pretty much just mix it up in my live shows; I don't savor any particular period," Cornell said during an interview last week. "There's a period I haven't really gotten into for a long time, the very beginning of Soundgarden, the indie and Sub Pop stuff like 'Louder Than Love.' It was a time when I was still discovering myself lyrically."

Cornell hinted at the split with Audioslave last year when he wrote the theme song for the Bond film "Casino Royale," and the rest of the band cemented it this spring when they reunited Rage Against the Machine with Zack de la Rocha.

"All three (Audioslave) albums were written very quickly. We ended up being very prolific as a band," Cornell said. "I think that probably contributed to the early demise; the band ran its course quickly. Audioslave made sense musically for me. As a singer I saw it as a chance to do a lot of stuff I wanted to do in Soundgarden. I could make rock records with more room for vocals."

The shift to a solo artist is just part of the changes in Cornell's life. He and his family moved to Paris, and he opened a restaurant with his brother-in-law.

Cornell grew up worshipping the Beatles. Now, after three decades in the music industry, a new generation sees Cornell's music in a similar manner.

"Growing up in Seattle, there was never any hope or dream that you would become famous," Cornell said. "When we started a band, success was not our focus. Suddenly when we had that success, we still didn't know if it would mean anything a decade later. "

About two years after Soundgarden broke up, I realized they were going to keep playing our records. We went from something new to established. It would be hard to imagine myself in a role of someone like Lennon or McCartney; I still feel like a student of music."

Reprinted from the Des Moines Register. Originally available as an online feature here.

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007