soundgarden rewatered, reblooming

Took their break, now ready for more crazy

 

by a.d. amorosi, the inquirer, july 2011

With its mix of maudlin metal, earthen psychedelia, and animalistic punk done up in complex chord changes, Soundgarden was an anomaly on the American music scene of the '90s.

While grunge-era gods Nirvana and Pearl Jam played it noisily or straight, Soundgarden made a racket, sure, but made it sing and swing, racking up platinum album sales for their troubles. Topped by Chris Cornell's powerfully primal howl and emotionally tortured lyrics, guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, and bassist Hunter "Ben" Shepherd could do no wrong and went out on top when they disbanded in 1997.

"Soundgarden was a band that had been around long enough that it needed a long break," says Cornell, fresh off a plane and ready for another in a series of gigs with the reconstituted Soundgarden. "We had that break yet it doesn't feel as long as it's been. And everyone's refreshed about being in this band and writing new material. The intense, crazy moments that you shared together come rushing back."

Certainly all members have done their solo things, Cornell most prominently as a member of Audioslave. He has also done his own tour, offering some Soundgarden material.

"There's an intangible X-factor amongst the membership, a chaos going on between us that I've never seen or heard in any other way with anyone else I've played with," Cornell says. "That has to be there for us to work, yet it's impossible to control. Sometimes there can be too much of it, but I never lost a fascination with that element."

No one member provokes the chaos. "It's a living, breathing thing that only happens when the four of us are together," Cornell says.

No one member pursued reunion. They got together to discuss restarting a fan club, launching a website, and merchandising with deluxe catalog reissues, rarities, and other ephemera ("You can't buy a Soundgarden T-shirt unless it was old and on eBay"). Discussions turned to rehearsals, organically, and practice turned to writing new songs. "We're a band who gets better after two weeks of rehearsing. Much more than that, and we start to get worse. We can't overdo it. As soon as we get bored, it crashes." The new songs come from the fact that only Soundgarden can create the manic panicked mix of noise that they do. "Face it, we have no copycat bands or sound-alikes."

Ultimately, this tour isn't about just reliving the past or cashing in on nostalgia, he says. When Soundgarden is on stage it doesn't seem as if they are reviving an old thing. It's fresh and vital. "I remember seeing Pink Floyd reunite during Live 8," recalls Cornell. "David Gilmour may have looked a little pudgy but he sounded vital, not like some guy who just got up off his couch without having touched his guitar. That's what makes a band classic no matter when they do it. I pay attention to guys like that because like them I want to play music until I'm dead. There's no finish line. That's Soundgarden's attitude."

Reprinted from The Inquirer - originally available as an online feature here

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2011