Chris Cornell interview by Simon Cosyns, The Sun

The audacity of Chris Cornell is breathtaking.

The rock titan who emerged from Seattle’s grunge scene with Soundgarden and went on to form Audioslave has made an album with hip-hop’s wonder producer Timbaland.

Even the cover of Scream comes over like a major “rock is dead” statement, showing the singer in mid-air about to smash an electric guitar.

It has shocked Cornell’s followers to the core. Here is their heroic, full-blooded rocker singing over slinky R&B grooves.

Take Me Alive even features a certain Mr Justin Timberlake on backing vocals although to be fair, it is one of the more rocked-up tracks.

One critic wrote: “Scream is one of those rare big-budget disasters, an exercise in misguided ambition that makes no sense outside of pure theory.”

Furthermore, the album’s 13 tracks run seamlessly, all knitted together by the sonic wizardry of the producer. Not a concept album as such but pretty close — and quite a big ask of the listener.

But give it a fair hearing and clock the soul in Cornell’s voice matched to processed beats and shimmering electronica and you will find plenty to admire in this clash of cultures.

Obvious standouts are Part Of Me, Ground Zero, Long Gone and the title track, notable for strong choruses and sophisticated arrangements. Here, the 44-year-old singer puts the case for his ground-breaking, genre-busting album.

WERE you taking a risk mixing up genres?

It was an obvious left turn. It wasn’t particularly calculated over a long period of time. It was a whimsical thought that became an album. I was having a phone conversation with a guy (Timbaland) about doing some remixes and he seemed more excited about doing something new.

I just knew this would be different. I’ve had situations where producers aren’t that big an influence. On this album, there was no question — the producer was as influential in every way as me.

So, it was an equal relationship with Timbaland?

Yeah, it was pretty much. He did what he did and I did what I did. Neither of us told the other person anything. We were both enjoying what was happening.

We’re two people who are always in a race with themselves anyway, so the combination worked pretty well.

How did you find singing over those beats?

Well, there was a difference rhythmically. It seemed to be really important to be consistently bouncing with the rhythm. That is a new concept for me. With the albums I’d done previously, the vocal expression is more the Sinatra approach... moving ahead, falling behind, wherever you want to be. This album is so groove orientated that my usual vocal phrasing would have sounded clumpy and awkward.

Why did you decide to make it one seamless piece?

That came from Timbaland. After the songs were written, we started talking about joining them together. In the world of DJs and mixing, it’s not that uncommon. Some pretty elaborate interludes were written specifically for this.

On your last album, you covered Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. Did that have an influence on the direction of this album?

No, what I did with Billie Jean was something I’d done with my own songs like When I’m Down from Euphoria Morning (his first solo album). It had that sort of gospelly vocal.

Is it demanding to play this album seamlessly live?

Well, it’s pretty easy now. Because it is one song, there are no real variables in terms of its length. At the very beginning, it was tough because it was a lot of music to know.

What sort of reaction have you been getting to it?

There aren’t any holes in the show so I don’t really know! But it’s certainly different to what my hardcore fans would expect and that goes a long way, especially nowadays. Predictability can be a comforting scenario but it’s also deadening.

You sound like someone who doesn’t want to stand still...

It’s important, at least every once in a while, to feel like you have the freedom to do something out of left-field. Why not? I thought that was the whole point of a rock musician and a recording artist in the first place, otherwise it’s like going to the office.

Is the album cover symbolic of this new direction?

It was more a joke. It isn’t an album with no guitars but it is an album where guitars take a back seat.

Was there a particular mood you wanted to create lyrically?

I was writing to beats and loops in a musical environment that was different to anything I’ve done before. I seemed to create these characters that kind of live within the album, that became something unifying.

Your Bond song (for Casino Royale) didn’t mention the title of the film in the song. In a way, that sums up your individuality, doesn’t it?

Lyrically, it was really easy. It was the only book where Ian Fleming wrote this vulnerability into the character, not yet this invincible super spy. On one hand, I was unlucky that I was given this film that had a really s***ty title to write a song to, not like Thunderball or Live And Let Die. Nobody wrote a song called Octopussy but I think that was a mistake! They had a great opportunity and they squandered it.

You’re synonymous with two great bands, could you see yourself working in a band again?

I could if it were, I guess, a momentary collaboration but I don’t really think that it’s possible. I haven’t ever found a band situation where everybody wants to be as busy as I do. Bands that find success tend to want to be bands less often



	'predictability is comforting but deadening' by simon cosyns, the sun , march 2008
	The audacity of Chris Cornell is breathtaking. The rock titan who emerged from Seattle’s grunge scene with Soundgarden and went on to form Audioslave has made an album with hip-hop’s wonder producer Timbaland. Even the cover of Scream comes over like a major “rock is dead” statement, showing the singer in mid-air about to smash an electric guitar. It has shocked Cornell’s followers to the core. Here is their heroic, full-blooded rocker singing over slinky R&B grooves. Take Me Alive even features a certain Mr Justin Timberlake on backing vocals although to be fair, it is one of the more rocked-up tracks. One critic wrote: “Scream is one of those rare big-budget disasters, an exercise in misguided ambition that makes no sense outside of pure theory.” Furthermore, the album’s 13 tracks run seamlessly, all knitted together by the sonic wizardry of the producer. Not a concept album as such but pretty close — and quite a big ask of the listener. But give it a fair hearing and clock the soul in Cornell’s voice matched to processed beats and shimmering electronica and you will find plenty to admire in this clash of cultures. Obvious standouts are Part Of Me, Ground Zero, Long Gone and the title track, notable for strong choruses and sophisticated arrangements. Here, the 44-year-old singer puts the case for his ground-breaking, genre-busting album. WERE you taking a risk mixing up genres? It was an obvious left turn. It wasn’t particularly calculated over a long period of time. It was a whimsical thought that became an album. I was having a phone conversation with a guy (Timbaland) about doing some remixes and he seemed more excited about doing something new. I just knew this would be different. I’ve had situations where producers aren’t that big an influence. On this album, there was no question — the producer was as influential in every way as me. So, it was an equal relationship with Timbaland? Yeah, it was pretty much. He did what he did and I did what I did. Neither of us told the other person anything. We were both enjoying what was happening. We’re two people who are always in a race with themselves anyway, so the combination worked pretty well. How did you find singing over those beats? Well, there was a difference rhythmically. It seemed to be really important to be consistently bouncing with the rhythm. That is a new concept for me. With the albums I’d done previously, the vocal expression is more the Sinatra approach... moving ahead, falling behind, wherever you want to be. This album is so groove orientated that my usual vocal phrasing would have sounded clumpy and awkward. Why did you decide to make it one seamless piece? That came from Timbaland. After the songs were written, we started talking about joining them together. In the world of DJs and mixing, it’s not that uncommon. Some pretty elaborate interludes were written specifically for this. On your last album, you covered Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. Did that have an influence on the direction of this album? No, what I did with Billie Jean was something I’d done with my own songs like When I’m Down from Euphoria Morning (his first solo album). It had that sort of gospelly vocal. Is it demanding to play this album seamlessly live? Well, it’s pretty easy now. Because it is one song, there are no real variables in terms of its length. At the very beginning, it was tough because it was a lot of music to know. What sort of reaction have you been getting to it? There aren’t any holes in the show so I don’t really know! But it’s certainly different to what my hardcore fans would expect and that goes a long way, especially nowadays. Predictability can be a comforting scenario but it’s also deadening. You sound like someone who doesn’t want to stand still... It’s important, at least every once in a while, to feel like you have the freedom to do something out of left-field. Why not? I thought that was the whole point of a rock musician and a recording artist in the first place, otherwise it’s like going to the office. Is the album cover symbolic of this new direction? It was more a joke. It isn’t an album with no guitars but it is an album where guitars take a back seat. Was there a particular mood you wanted to create lyrically? I was writing to beats and loops in a musical environment that was different to anything I’ve done before. I seemed to create these characters that kind of live within the album, that became something unifying. Your Bond song (for Casino Royale) didn’t mention the title of the film in the song. In a way, that sums up your individuality, doesn’t it? Lyrically, it was really easy. It was the only book where Ian Fleming wrote this vulnerability into the character, not yet this invincible super spy. On one hand, I was unlucky that I was given this film that had a really s*ty title to write a song to, not like Thunderball or Live And Let Die. Nobody wrote a song called Octopussy but I think that was a mistake! They had a great opportunity and they squandered it. You’re synonymous with two great bands, could you see yourself working in a band again?** I could if it were, I guess, a momentary collaboration but I don’t really think that it’s possible. I haven’t ever found a band situation where everybody wants to be as busy as I do. Bands that find success tend to want to be bands less often originally available as an online feature here
	Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2009

by simon cosyns, the sun , march 2008