what if a god was one of us?

by theresa owen, tonight, march 18 2008

For nearly 20 years Chris Cornell has been one of the hottest babes in rock music. And one of the coolest. This is besides the fact that he wrote some of the best rock songs with his bands, Soundgarden, Audioslave and, more recently, in his solo career.

I remember my girlfriends and I whimpering in disbelief in 1991 when we watched him in Soundgarden's video, Jesus Christ Pose. With that bare torso, long flowing hair and almighty voice, Cornell embodied the sexy part of grunge. He was almost too beautiful to be true.

We whimpered again, in 2002, when we watched the Cochise video, which was the first single off the self-titled Audioslave album. This time he'd teamed up with members of Rage Against the Machine, sans lead singer Zack de La Rocha.

The combination of Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine came at a time when alternative rock music was going through a boring slump. Grunge had moved from cutting-edge music to adult contemporary versions of Nickelback's This Is How You Remind Me.

With Audioslave, it was not only the fantastical musicianship, but also the immense sex appeal of the group. Big rockers with tattoos and Cornell looking intense in a white vest and short hair.

The most recent whimper came last year, when he sang the Bond theme song (You Know My Name) to "Casino Royale". Blond highlights [um, what? - webmaster] and a tan looked surprisingly good on the former grunge kid.

"Initially, I didn't want to do the song," he told me from his home in Paris, France. Okay, I'm really trying to be nonchalant here, but having to interview Chris Cornell is kinda overwhelming. All I wanted to do was scream: "Oh my god, you're so cool and you've given me some of the best music in my life!"

Think Temple of the Dog when he paired up with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder on Hunger Strike. Two of the most powerful voices ever. He also featured on the Alice in Chains' track Right Turn. On that song Cornell comes in at the end, counteracting the lead vocalist, Layne Stayley's dark voice with his high-pitched screams. To this day, that moment in the song gives me goose bumps.

Anyway, back to the interview.

But Chris, how can you refuse to do a James Bond song?

"Well, I don't really watch the films any more. I've always believed Sean Connery is the only Bond and I certainly wasn't into Pierce Brosnan. But when I found out they were changing their approach to the Bond films and making it more like British indie gangster films, I agreed. I am a fan of that genre and also a fan of Daniel Craig . I was excited to be a part of it.

"They never gave me parameters to create the song, which made it easier and harder. They were giving me enough rope to hang myself if I never got it right."

Well, you're Chris Cornell, so of course you got it right. You even got Michael Jackson's Billie Jean right. You turned it into an incredibly dark blues ode. Jackson has never sounded so menacing.

"I initially wanted to do an acoustic version of a popular song which I could perform in the middle of the set. It was kinda tongue-in-cheek in the beginning. But when I read the lyrics I realised it was a heavy blues romance and I ended up changing it a lot."

Does this mean you're a Michael Jackson fan?

"Back then you were either a Prince fan or a Jackson fan. I was a Prince fan."

Mental squeak, because I was a Prince fan, too. Gosh! If only he knew how much we have in common …

Three minutes left, gotta keep it together.

Um, so what are you planning for your South African fans?

"A little bit of everything that I've done throughout my career," he replies.

I hear his young children playing in the background and it's a reality check. This man actually isn't the God of Rock. He has settled into his second marriage with his wife and two young children. He has bought an apartment in Paris and a house in Los Angeles so that he can have his family close to him when he is touring or recording.

"We're still debating taking the kids, because it's a long flight and I'm only here for a few days," he admits.

Please shoosh about your family, because Gods of Rock aren't supposed to be sensible dads and stuff.

Oh look, the 15 minutes are up. Thank you very much for your time, Chris. Goodbye.

Needless to say, I went home and listened to "Badmotorfinger" very loudly to restore my belief in him as God of Rock.

Reprinted from Tonight. Originally available as a feature online here.

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007