Chris Cornell Interview by Uturf.com's Daily Grind

Think you know Chris Cornell? Think again! You've heard his work with Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave, but with his latest effort Scream, Chris unleashes a sound like you've never heard from him before -- thanks to a full-album collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland. How the heck did these two polar opposite music legends meet up? And what are the chances of seeing Chris play with any of his old bands again? Find out now!

We never thought we'd see a collaboration between Chris Cornell and Timbaland. How did you guys hook up?

I was looking for somebody to do some remixes, mainly of my version of the Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean" 'cause it was sort of a controversial moment of my last album. So I was asking around and Timbaland's name came up as someone who was interested in working in rock. He didn't want to do remixes, but he was a fan of mine and was interested in doing new material. A light bulb went off in my head and I said, "Well, why don't we make a whole album? And he said, "I'd love that." [I liked the idea because] I would be able to make an entire album that doesn't sound like anything else I've ever done, work in ways that I never had before, and make a commitment to a collaboration with someone I don't know. That's sort of the point of being a solo artist, as opposed to being a component of a band: if I have the creative freedom as a solo artist, why aren't I using that?

What are some favorite tracks of his that he's produced, besides your own?

The first song that got me into him, but I didn't know he was the producer was "Rain" by Missy Elliot. But that was what attracted me to his style. It's very psychedelic and different than anyone in hip-hop or rock or anything.

Your work with Soundgarden made a huge impact on the grunge scene. What impact do you think Scream will make?

Hopefully in the big picture, it will stand as an example of someone that is not afraid to mix things up and boldly try different styles of music and throw themselves into it wholeheartedly. This album stands as example of that. It's not me doing what I do comfortably to a different backdrop. This is me forging in a new direction and doing different things to a different musical backdrop. There's no corner of this album where you hear me being repetitive or hear any aspect of something being reminiscent of previous things. It's all new, and I hope it'll stand as an example of that. It is possible to throw yourself completely into something new and have a great experience with it.

There have been a lot of '90s rock bands that have gotten back together over the years. You've that Soundgarden isn't going to reunite, but would you ever want to work with any of your other old bands again? Or is it solo from here on out?

Not in the sense of looking at it career-wise. Not in the sense of having a band that creates consecutive albums.

What's up with the whole Trent Reznor Twitter feud? What made you respond when he criticized you?

I actually don't know what he said, and I've never made a response to it.

Really? A Twitter post you wrote seemed to hit back at him?

Nuh uh. That's the beauty of it, huh?

Do you think you've been subject to a lot of weird rumors throughout your career?

Yeah, I think that's kind of normal. It's always existed. I've had friends in the past who have given me a counting of the past six months of how many times they've been called and told that there was a Soundgarden reunion show and what the date is, and can they get tickets. It happens all the time. It's pretty typical.

Your career has been pretty expansive. Looking back, what are you most proud of?

I dunno. I look at it as one long creatively successful endeavor. If I took a snap shot of it, it's me forging ahead creatively -- not looking back that much and not allowing myself to get too comfortable or get in a position where I think I'm repeating myself. That's what feels right to me, always doing something fresh, and I feel like I've done that successfully. I feel like I've done it through adversity, and I've always found an audience in doing it. There's no one period that I'm most proud of. I think that as a whole, I'm most proud of the fact that I've done as much as I have and I've always found an audience for it.



	q&a with chris cornell by uTurf's daily grind, april 2008
	Think you know Chris Cornell? Think again! You've heard his work with Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Audioslave, but with his latest effort Scream, Chris unleashes a sound like you've never heard from him before -- thanks to a full-album collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland. How the heck did these two polar opposite music legends meet up? And what are the chances of seeing Chris play with any of his old bands again? Find out now! We never thought we'd see a collaboration between Chris Cornell and Timbaland. How did you guys hook up? I was looking for somebody to do some remixes, mainly of my version of the Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean" 'cause it was sort of a controversial moment of my last album. So I was asking around and Timbaland's name came up as someone who was interested in working in rock. He didn't want to do remixes, but he was a fan of mine and was interested in doing new material. A light bulb went off in my head and I said, "Well, why don't we make a whole album? And he said, "I'd love that." [I liked the idea because] I would be able to make an entire album that doesn't sound like anything else I've ever done, work in ways that I never had before, and make a commitment to a collaboration with someone I don't know. That's sort of the point of being a solo artist, as opposed to being a component of a band: if I have the creative freedom as a solo artist, why aren't I using that? What are some favorite tracks of his that he's produced, besides your own? The first song that got me into him, but I didn't know he was the producer was "Rain" by Missy Elliot. But that was what attracted me to his style. It's very psychedelic and different than anyone in hip-hop or rock or anything. Your work with Soundgarden made a huge impact on the grunge scene. What impact do you think Scream will make? Hopefully in the big picture, it will stand as an example of someone that is not afraid to mix things up and boldly try different styles of music and throw themselves into it wholeheartedly. This album stands as example of that. It's not me doing what I do comfortably to a different backdrop. This is me forging in a new direction and doing different things to a different musical backdrop. There's no corner of this album where you hear me being repetitive or hear any aspect of something being reminiscent of previous things. It's all new, and I hope it'll stand as an example of that. It is possible to throw yourself completely into something new and have a great experience with it. There have been a lot of '90s rock bands that have gotten back together over the years. You've that Soundgarden isn't going to reunite, but would you ever want to work with any of your other old bands again? Or is it solo from here on out? Not in the sense of looking at it career-wise. Not in the sense of having a band that creates consecutive albums. What's up with the whole Trent Reznor Twitter feud? What made you respond when he criticized you? I actually don't know what he said, and I've never made a response to it. Really? A Twitter post you wrote seemed to hit back at him? Nuh uh. That's the beauty of it, huh? Do you think you've been subject to a lot of weird rumors throughout your career? Yeah, I think that's kind of normal. It's always existed. I've had friends in the past who have given me a counting of the past six months of how many times they've been called and told that there was a Soundgarden reunion show and what the date is, and can they get tickets. It happens all the time. It's pretty typical. Your career has been pretty expansive. Looking back, what are you most proud of? I dunno. I look at it as one long creatively successful endeavor. If I took a snap shot of it, it's me forging ahead creatively -- not looking back that much and not allowing myself to get too comfortable or get in a position where I think I'm repeating myself. That's what feels right to me, always doing something fresh, and I feel like I've done that successfully. I feel like I've done it through adversity, and I've always found an audience in doing it. There's no one period that I'm most proud of. I think that as a whole, I'm most proud of the fact that I've done as much as I have and I've always found an audience for it. Reprinted from uturf- originally available as an online feature here
	Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2009

by uTurf's daily grind, april 2008