chris cornell carries on

by michael christopher, daily times, philadelphia, july 2007

One year ago, Chris Cornell was in a weird place. The release of a third effort by Audioslave, the supergroup featuring the singer aligned with the backbone of Rage Against the Machine, was right around the corner. But the decision had already been made not to tour for the record, an odd turn for a band known for its crushing live performances.

Instead, Cornell did solo acoustic dates outside of the States during the latter part of 2006, and what was long suspected came to a head with his issue of a terse press release where he cited “irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences” between himself and the other members of Audioslave, whom he was “permanently leaving.”

To put it even more simply: he just wasn’t enjoying himself.

“I just have always dreamed that making records should come naturally to someone who is a songwriter or a musician or a recording artist,” Cornell told Rock Music Menu. “It’s something that you should be able to enjoy, the challenges of the creative process, not something where it’s arduous.”

More surprising than the revelation that the singer was leaving Audioslave, is that he was already in the midst of preparing a solo album, his second, for a spring drop date. The aptly titled Carry On expands his creative palate as much as anything in Cornell’s past, now with layered melodies of funk and soul cohabitating with songs that build from quiet subtlety to crisp and noisy rock and roll.

“It’s a place where I’ve been trying to get for a really long time,” he said. “Mainly because the process of it, writing, recording, playing shows – all of it really, it should be as fun as people think it is.”

Carry On did just that for Cornell, who not only moved at his own pace with the record, but also wrote the entire work himself – a first in his career. He’s now in the middle of the second leg of touring to promote the release, making a stop Sunday night at the Electric Factory.

Live, he’s not only been acknowledging his recent past, but reaching way back into the Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog catalogs for songs that have rarely been done on-stage; and he seems entirely comfortable doing it.

“This last year has been me realizing it’s entirely possible to be prolific, but to also really enjoy it and make great songs,” he said. “For Carry On, I was just thinking about that day and enjoying the moment of coming up with music and doing what I was doing and not worrying about the outcome or what it would mean culturally or commercially…I didn’t even worry if it would yield a good song or not.”

But as the new record illustrates, there are good songs, and they’re abundant and flowing; so much in fact that Cornell is already thinking about not only new music, but how to release them in an ever changing industry, one that he is fully prepared to adapt to.

“Now is the most difficult period in the record industry that I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Basically, no one is really sure how people are going to listen to or buy music in the future, but we know how it isn’t going to happen; people aren’t going to buy CDs anymore, there isn’t going to be hardware, there isn’t going to be the way the record industry is set up to serve it.”

There is no doubt that the industry is presently in complete panic mode. Yet while some artists are freaking out about how to get their music out to the masses, and label executives are one open transom window away from throwing themselves out of a high-rise, Cornell is prepared to steer right into the storm, looking for the positive angles.

“My latest thought on the future of the record business is that the fans will literally be a record company,” he said. “Pointing and clicking is probably the ultimate future of how people will listen to music.” “So if I want to make bodies of work versus one song at a time, how do I get people to listen to it that way? Because I’m clearly someone that thinks in groups of songs. As fan and as a songwriter, I’ve never been into hits, my favorite songs have never been on side one of a record.”

“One of the upsides to all of this,” Cornell continued, “Is we really don’t have to think about normal record cycles anymore. I could literally release bundles of songs every couple of months, or a song a week! Why not have fun and enjoy that stuff now and enjoy the immediacy.”

The New Media Age, as it is quickly becoming known, is not just something for established acts to fully embrace. Cornell believes that there are emerging artists who just need to avoid the stagnation of traditionalism that has bogged down rock music in general – something he noticed while gaining notoriety with the Seattle powerhouse Soundgarden as the grunge movement took hold.

“Ever since I started being on-stage and making records, I’ve noticed people constantly trying to make comparisons, and then use that to predict the future,” he said. “And it’s all based on things that have already happened and people who have already existed; like, for example, people saying “They’re going to be the next Led Zeppelin” or, “They’re going to be the next U2,” or that guy’s going to be the next David Bowie.” Who is David Bowie? Was he the next…who? What happened to people just sort of creating something new?”

While no doubt an iconic figure in the legions of hard rock singers, there is something expressly “new” about Chris Cornell today. Be it the music or the excitement of the second chapter of his solo career taking flight, the man is full of contagious energy, and this is the perfect time to witness him harness it.

Original article appeared in the July 27 edition of The Daily Times - read it here

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007