After years with bands, Cornell finds liberation going solo

by doug pullen, flint journal, july 2007

Chris Cornell sounds like a happy man.

"I'm having the time of my life," he confirms.

Why shouldn't he be? In poll after poll, he's been praised as one of the best singers in rock, possessed of a muscular voice that can range from a pain-filled wail to a rumbling moan.

He's sold millions of records, won Grammy Awards and made a boatload of cash fronting two of the most successful rock bands of the last quarter century - Seattle grunge pioneers Soundgarden and the recently disbanded Audioslave, the supergroup he formed with Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine.

Ask Cornell, who turned 43 on Friday, why he's so happy and he'll tell you it's about the sense of freedom he feels as a newly liberated solo artist.

"There's only so much you can do personally in the context of a band with equal members, equal decisions. It's democratic. Everybody has to give " (but) what you give is not exactly what you want," he said by phone during a recent break from a tour, which comes to Fillmore Detroit (formerly the State Theatre) on Sunday, to promote his aptly titled new album, "Carry On."

For Cornell, the desire to "play lots of different kinds of music and feels and songs" was always there, but after two very good runs with two very good bands, he just decided it was time to pursue those impulses without the compromises that come with being in a band.

"At this time of my life, I've come to the realization that certain things would never happen if I was not alone. If not now, it would never happen," he said. "Maybe I'm a little bit stir crazy that way. Something in me wants to keep changing and keep going."

It's a restlessness that goes back to the Soundgarden days in his native Seattle. There, the man born Christopher Boyle (he took his mother's name after his parents divorced), who loved the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, '70s rock and the '80s hardcore punk bands that inform so much of today's rock, found camaraderie with like-minded musicians on the Emerald City's burgeoning indie scene. He helped birth a sound that, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and others, restored rock to the grinding, guitar-driven sound lost amid the synthesizers, drum machines and hair bands of the '80s.

Soundgarden was huge, eventually selling albums by the millions and working its way up from small clubs to large arenas. But through it all, Cornell battled demons on and off the stage.

"What I do remember even back then was being disappointed in what we did musically. The visceral would take precedence over what we were doing (musically)," he said. "Sometimes we'd do shows where I'd break the ceiling with my mic stand and break guitars and go crazy, covered in blood. We were awful.

"We played awfully. It sounded awful, but our fans would say it was the best show they'd seen us play, which would make me feel worse. Is that what it's all about? Me losing my mind and smashing stuff, being this big violent, loud aggressive pulp? It didn't make sense. It was who we were. It was honest. It was not an act to entertain, but it was the opposite of what I wanted to be doing."

The group broke up in 1997. Cornell followed two years later with his first solo album, "Euphoria Morning." The response was lukewarm, but Cornell was unfazed. He had begun a second album when producer Rick Rubin suggested he hook up with the musicians from Rage Against the Machine, who were looking for a singer after Zack de la Rocha's departure.

Though they had different managers and different recording contracts that almost derailed the whole thing, they quickly banged out a much-anticipated, self-titled debut album in 2002, a blockbuster hit followed by lots of touring.

"Audioslave was four guys who loved to play live. Even from the first day of rehearsals, we were all there with our instruments on playing. It wasn't what Soundgarden was," Cornell noted.

And, unlike Soundgarden, it was relatively short-lived. The band didn't tour in support of its third and least successful album, last year's "Revelations," because Cornell wanted to work on solo material. He denied he was leaving the group, but by last February, when he announced the impending release of his second solo album, "Carry On," he had decided to cut ties. He cited "irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences," though Cornell said they remain friends.

Though Audioslave was a good experience, he said, "there were still aspects of it musically and the musicality of the songs over the years where I was really not satisfied as I am now. It feels great 20 years in to be reaching new vistas." "Carry On" debuted at No. 17 on Billboard's album chart last month but has received mostly mixed reviews from critics. It was produced by veteran Steve Lillywhite (who's worked with the Rolling Stones, U2 and Dave Matthews Band) and is more diverse than anything Cornell has done before, ranging from the guitar-crunch of opener "No Such Thing," to the Latin-tinged horns of "Safe and Sound," plus a surprise version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and "You Know My Name," the theme from last year's James Bond movie "Casino Royale."

Changes in Cornell's personal life have fed his creative wanderlust. He's been sober since shortly after joining Audioslave, quit smoking, divorced in 2001 (a year after the birth of his first child) and married French publicist Vicky Karayiannis [actually she's Greek - webmaster] in 2003. The couple have a daughter, 2, and son, 1, and a mutual love of travel.

"(Going to Cuba in 2005 with Audioslave) made me realize that among other things, having a wife that loves to travel and raising children to travel, that being part of my career, I've come 180 degrees from where I started out as a musician who tours," he said. "I realize seeing the world is a privilege, an exciting privilege I get to do as part of my job, as part of how I'm living. I don't want to miss this opportunity. I want to play music for anybody who wants to hear it, in every corner I can get away with."

While the album response has been just so-so (many critics have called it boring), Cornell and his four-piece band's recent European tour was met with raves as he mixed a cocktail of songs from Soundgarden (including "Black Hole Sun," "Spoonman" and "Jesus Christ Pose"); Audioslave; 1991's "Temple of the Dog" album and solo material.

"This is very different. It's no holds barred. I can play the new record or anything I want to play, any part of my past, any song, any record, any era. It doesn't matter," he said. "I put this band together specifically to handle that and play it great, better than I've ever done them live ever. Some are transforming. Even some Audioslave songs feel better than before."

Cornell's not sure what the future holds, but it's unlikely it will involve reunions with Audioslave (though a greatest-hits anthology is rumored) or Soundgarden. Cornell sounds very happy going it alone, even pointing out that he's never released two consecutive solo albums because of his band involvements.

He believes that his fans have come to expect the unexpected, and hopes they'll stick around to see what's next.

"I'm lucky to be able to get away with a lot, to do what I want. Some people hate it, a lot love it. Everyone at least will listen to it," he said. "That's the part where I'm most lucky. It's important to point out the difference between when you go on tour and write a song that they never listen to and knowing they are going to give it a chance, it's a difficult place to get to. I feel lucky. I'm in a place I never want to abuse."

First published in Flint Journal, July 21 2007

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007