Chris Cornell interview by Tom Harrison in the Province

Chris Cornell is known as a singer, but he didn't set out to be.

"I actually started out as a drummer," he recalls. "I didn't like the songs, I didn't like the singers. In our trio, I was the only one who could sing. I became a singer by default. The focus has always been the songs."

Cornell also took up bass and then guitar, moving ever closer to the front. He didn't have a plan, he just was going that way.

Similarly, his first band of note, Soundgarden, didn't plan to be an architect of what became known as grunge in the early '90s. The band simply was merging a broad taste in new-wave pop and heavy metal into its own writing, its most far-reaching song being "Rusty Cage."

Seven albums later, in 1997, Soundgarden dissolved and Cornell released his first solo album, Euphoria Morning, in 1998. A plan for a second solo album was shelved and he joined Tom Morello and company in a new band, Audioslave, that rose from the wreckage of Rage Against the Machine.

Audioslave lasted for three albums to 2006, by which time the band was getting more Jimi Hendrix-like and Cornell was well-established as a wailing frontman. Cornell got around to making a more introspective, comparatively quieter second solo album, Carry On, last year. A third album, Scream, his collaboration with Timbaland, is due to be released late this year or early next. Timbaland is known for his work with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Madonna. Cornell doesn't seem a likely collaborator. As he explains it, none of this was calculated. One thing has led to another, apparently by instinct.

"It's not something you have to look for," he notes of an ever-broadening reach. "It comes from different things presented to you. It's a time issue, really."

Similarly, depending on how he feels, the set he and his band perform can change from night to night, from old Soundgarden to Scream. The latter is one continuous link, the songs flowing from one into another.

"It was great," Cornell says of performing an hour solid of Scream. "It was one of the best tours I've ever been on."

The songs translate from the studio to the stage, despite being alien to an audience.

"I knew from the obviousness of it all, that it would be different from anything I'd done before. It's a clear difference between what you can do in a band and what you can do solo. In a band, you have the guitar player or drummer to consider; solo you can do what you want, even if that means having a track that doesn't have drums.

"The biggest difference," he concludes, "is that I can do what I want."



	cornell loves the idea of being solo by tom harrison, the province, november 2008
	Chris Cornell is known as a singer, but he didn't set out to be. "I actually started out as a drummer," he recalls. "I didn't like the songs, I didn't like the singers. In our trio, I was the only one who could sing. I became a singer by default. The focus has always been the songs." Cornell also took up bass and then guitar, moving ever closer to the front. He didn't have a plan, he just was going that way. Similarly, his first band of note, Soundgarden, didn't plan to be an architect of what became known as grunge in the early '90s. The band simply was merging a broad taste in new-wave pop and heavy metal into its own writing, its most far-reaching song being "Rusty Cage." Seven albums later, in 1997, Soundgarden dissolved and Cornell released his first solo album, Euphoria Morning, in 1998. A plan for a second solo album was shelved and he joined Tom Morello and company in a new band, Audioslave, that rose from the wreckage of Rage Against the Machine. Audioslave lasted for three albums to 2006, by which time the band was getting more Jimi Hendrix-like and Cornell was well-established as a wailing frontman. Cornell got around to making a more introspective, comparatively quieter second solo album, Carry On, last year. A third album, Scream, his collaboration with Timbaland, is due to be released late this year or early next. Timbaland is known for his work with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Madonna. Cornell doesn't seem a likely collaborator. As he explains it, none of this was calculated. One thing has led to another, apparently by instinct. "It's not something you have to look for," he notes of an ever-broadening reach. "It comes from different things presented to you. It's a time issue, really." Similarly, depending on how he feels, the set he and his band perform can change from night to night, from old Soundgarden to Scream. The latter is one continuous link, the songs flowing from one into another. "It was great," Cornell says of performing an hour solid of Scream. "It was one of the best tours I've ever been on." The songs translate from the studio to the stage, despite being alien to an audience. "I knew from the obviousness of it all, that it would be different from anything I'd done before. It's a clear difference between what you can do in a band and what you can do solo. In a band, you have the guitar player or drummer to consider; solo you can do what you want, even if that means having a track that doesn't have drums. "The biggest difference," he concludes, "is that I can do what I want." Reprinted from The Province- originally available as an online feature here
	Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2008