It was late on the evening of May 18th, 2017, and for whatever reason, I just could not fall asleep. I reached for my phone and figured playing some mindless games would help knock me out, but first, I might as well check my Facebook feed; see if any night owls are up posting any worthwhile articles to read. And that's when I saw the news that Chris Cornell had died.
It's hard to express how I felt reading it. And it's taken me over 2 months to articulate it here in a blog post. I mean, I didn't know him personally. But I'd always been a fan of the various bands he'd been in through out the years, including his solo material. He wasn't my favorite musician, but he was up there. The sudden realization that he was gone hit me far harder than I thought it would. I suddenly started flashing to different periods and points in my life where I'd seen him live, and the people I was with for those shows, and the first time I heard certain songs through out his vibrant career and where I was in my life when I heard those songs. It hit me with a wave of emotions. And within 15 seconds, someone else on my Facebook feed posted something completely inappropriate along the lines of "well, I really didn't like his music anyways." This was 15 seconds after the news broke. Ah, the perils of modern social media. You get the best and the worst of people all at once.
True, I didn't know Chris Cornell personally, and it's always a funny thing when any celebrity is gone. But the more I thought about it, the more I started remembering how prominent his music was to so many different points in my life. That's why we mourn celebrities. Life is freakin' hard. They made a piece of art that touches us, usually at a time when we need it most. Music truly is soul medicine, and the reason we mourn these people is because we truly feel like we've lost a friend, someone that was there for us when we felt no one else was. I was able to express some of those feelings and share a few stories on the pop culture podcast I co-host with Tony Giles, TWO DUDES TALKING. But the beauty of having this blog is that I can not only expand on some of those thoughts, but I can include the music itself. I can embed, share and provide the soundtrack to these stories. I take small solace in the fact that the music will always remain. The episode is embedded below if you'd like to listen, but after that, there are a few tracks I specifically wanted to play for you.
"Before We Disappear"
The most recent track I picked up by Cornell was the title song he did for "The Promise," released earlier this year. When I searched that on iTunes, I was pleasantly surprised to discover "Higher Truth," his most recent solo album from late 2015. I listened to it once or twice, and enjoyed it, but as I do with most new albums, I like to let them sit and then come back to them later to truly appreciate them. A day or two after his passing, I was taking a walk around my neighborhood and had my iTunes on random play. This track came up, and it broke my heart. Considering his untimely passing, the lyrics to this one hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Time ain’t nothing if it ain’t fast. Taking everything that you ever had. And giving nothing in return, But a cold bed in a quiet earth. But there's a door in every cell, A pearl inside of every shell. How hard can it be, To share your love with me? How hard can it be, To rise with me each morning. How long when it feels like. We'll live forever I fear, That time will hide the years. Life ain’t nothing if it ain’t hard. It’ll show you who you truly are. Knock you down when you get too tall. Till you spun around in a free fall. But somewhere out there past the storm. Lies the shelter of your heart. So how hard can it be, To share your love with me? How hard can it be, To rise with me each morning. How long when it feels like. We live for ever I fear, Like we were never here. So hold on tightly my dear. I'm not one to waste my time, Searching for something lightning, Somewhere out there lies the stone Lies the shelter, Of your heart..."
"Outshined" (Live)
SOUNDGARDEN was a band that I always liked, but didn't fully appreciate until their reunion several years back. My vague memory was that I saw them in New York City for the "Superunknown" tour with the bands TAD and ELEVEN opening up. I recall TAD's set being the last time I attempted to partake in a mosh pit. At that time, I was really, really small and skinny. I sprouted a good foot or two after high school, so I was a fairly easy target back then. All I remember is every time I tried to mosh to TAD, I got my ass knocked down hard. So, after 3 rough drops to the ground, I decided this whole moshing thing wasn't for me. ELEVEN's set blew me away, and they'd play a part on Cornell's first solo album. (More on that in a bit.) Then SOUNDGARDEN came on, and... they were terrible! I think this was the band at it's highest point of friction. They seemed exhausted, as if the toils of super stardom had finally worn on them a bit, and you could sense a great deal of hostility between them on stage, especially with bassist Matt Shepard. So, that first live SOUNDGARDEN experience wasn't a great one.
It wasn't until I moved to LA back in 2009 and shortly after that, that they got back together and went on tour. My friend Marc Pilvinsky bought tickets and invited me to the show. I figured, why the hell not? THE MARS VOLTA opened the show. They came out to a wall of feedback and the singer announced, "for the next 45 minutes, you are either with the Mars Volta, or you are part of the problem!" That next 45 minutes was agonizing, but as they exited the stage, Marc turned to me and said, "I guess I'm a part of the problem."
Their set became irrelevant as soon as SOUNDGARDEN took the stage. This version of the band was vibrant, revitalized, and jawdroppingly amazing. The complexities of the song structures, the way Cornell's voice sounded filling up that stadium.... just exceptional. It was during their hit single "Outshined" that it dawned on me. It was just so heavy and monstrous. Cornell's voice cutting through the crowd like a hot knife through butter, and Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters several feet in front of us in general admission on the ground floor headbanging, that I understood their true power. It must've been like what it was like to see BLACK SABBATH in their prime. And after this show, I went back and listened to all their albums again with a new found appreciation.
"Preaching The End Of The World"
While I fell in love with SOUNDGARDEN during that incredible show at the Forum in 2011, it was really Chris Cornell's first solo album "Euphoria Mourning" where I fell in love with him as a musician. The album came out in 1999 and he was backed by the band ELEVEN, both on the actual recording and as his live band for the tour that followed. ELEVEN had just released their 4th album "Avantgardedog," which to this day is still one of my personal all-time faves. And then, "Euphoria Mourning" feels like a sequel to that record, both in spirit and tone. I strongly recommend you get both and listen to them back to back.
Cornell played The Beacon Theater in New York City on November 14th, 1999 and I went with my friend Christine. This performance was so solid, so special and incredibly intimate that it completely made up for that previous SOUNDGARDEN show I'd seen several years earlier. He played all my favorite tracks: "Can't Change Me," "Flutter Girl," "MoonChild," "Pillow Of Your Bones." He also did an acoustic version of "Fell On Black Days," which he dedicated to a fan up front in a SOUNDGARDEN shirt, citing that "this guy's got great taste." In fact, he brought him up on stage to show off his SOUNDGARDEN shirt before launching into the song.
He did the same again when he noticed someone in the audience wearing an ELEVEN t-shirt. He pulled the kid up and asked his name. "Felix!" he replied. And then Felix asked if he could show his respects to Cornell's backing band by giving them all hugs, which he did. And right after, he jumped back into the crowd. Cornell, stood there for a minute just looking into the crowd where Felix had landed and finally said into the mic, "Hey Felix.... where's my hug?" He jumped back on stage and the two embraced in front of the enthusiastic cheering crowd. Still to this day, this solo Cornell show is among my top 10, possible top 5 shows of all time. Here's my fave track off that first solo record, and one of the most beautiful songs of his discography, "Preaching The End Of The World."
Audioslave "Exploder"
We need to take a moment to acknowledge one of the weirdest rock n' roll pairings ever - the band RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE with Cornell on lead vocals under the moniker of AUDIOSLAVE. I wasn't as big a fan of this band as I was the other stuff, but when I first heard that these guys were going to make music together, my brain couldn't possibly comprehend what it would sound like. Ironically enough, it's exactly as you'd imagine. Chris Cornell's voice over killer RAGE riffs. The first two songs I heard via that glorious mysterious place known as Napster were "Cochise" and "We Got The Whip." But the track that rocked my socks off when the debut album finally came out was "Exploder." Can't explain it. I just think it rocks.
Audioslave "Killing In The Name Of" (Live Cover)
By the way, did you know Cornell had something like a 7 octave vocal range? Proving that he could literally do anything, I stumbled upon this AUDIOSLAVE performance where he sang on a "cover" of "Killing In The Name Of."
"Black Hole Sun" (Acoustic)
Sometimes, my favorite stuff from Cornell is when it's stripped down to just him. He often did acoustic tours. He'd play songs from all his bands and solo albums. He'd also break out covers like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" or Prince's "Nothing Compares To You." For a great collection, check out his album "Songbook," which is one of his solo acoustic sets. When it comes to SOUNDGARDEN, while I love so many songs, I think "Black Hole Sun" is arguably their masterpiece, and the song they'll mostly be known for. Here's one of my favorite live versions of it with just Cornell, solo and on an acoustic guitar.
"Black Hole Sun" (Vocals Only Track)
And while we're talking about "Black Hole Sun," you really should listen to this version I found with just the isolated vocal track. It's chilling to hear just how beautiful, raw and emotional his voice was. Truly unique, and completely unlike any of the other singers or bands that came out of Seattle or the grunge scene, proving that he truly was a one of a kind. His vocals kick in on the :19 second mark.
Soundgarden "Hands All Over"
If you're looking to get into some SOUNDGARDEN, the best starting point is "Superunknown." From start to finish, I think that's their masterpiece, but then you can dig into the rest of their discography. One of my favorite grooves from this era of music has to be "Hands All Over" from the album "Louder Than Love." Crank it and bang your head. This is also the only video that features Jason Everman on bass, the former guitarist for NIRVANA during their Bleach tour, who later on became a war hero. Yet another amazing side story from someone embedded in the Seattle music scene.
Soundgarden "Live To Rise" (Theme Song to THE AVENGERS)
Even after reunited for their first tour back in 2010, it took a while for SOUNDGARDEN to put together "King Animal," their sixth studio album which came out in November of 2012. Before that, the first new track to appear was the theme song for THE AVENGERS "Live To Rise." It sounds more in line with Cornell's solo material than a proper SOUNDGARDEN song, but it doesn't matter. Lyrically, tonely, it's really a beautiful song that has new meaning in light of his untimely passing. And I'll always let THE AVENGERS end credits roll so I can hear it again.
Chris Cornell "I Will Always Love You" (Cover)
I mentioned how Cornell would do acoustic covers live earlier? Now it's time to share some incredible ones. The day after Whitney Houston passed away, Cornell broke out this cover of "I Will Always Love You," originally a Dolly Parton tune, but made famous by Houston in the movie THE BODYGUARD. Seriously, Cornell could sing anything and make it his own. A fitting tribute.
Chris Cornell and his daughter Toni sing "Redemption Song"
Cornell's daughter Toni also seems to have inherited that incredible voice from her father. If you're not already emotional watching and listening to these videos at this point, this may be the pair of clips that breaks you. Here's Cornell and his daughter performing a duet of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." Just beautiful.
"Hunger Strike" Live
And while watching the above video, I stumbled upon this one, with Chris's kids (much, much younger here) bum-rushing the stage during a performance of "Hunger Strike." He ends up singing it directly to his daughter Toni.
"Hunger Strike" Studio Jam
And while we're on the song "Hunger Strike," we should talk about it's significance. It was recorded as a TEMPLE OF THE DOG track, a band consisting of members of PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN that was formed as a way to honor and mourn singer Andrew Wood, Cornell's roommate and the singer of MOTHER LOVE BONE, which featured Stone Gossard and Jeff Amend in their pre-PEARL JAM days. Eddie Vedder had just moved to Seattle to audition for PEARL JAM and Cornell took an immediate liking to him. In later years, Vedder often referred to Chris as the big brother he never had. His first in studio performance is on "Hunger Strike." The video is a classic.
But just to show how great Cornell was under any conditions, there's something beautiful, raw and intimate about this in studio "jam" as it's labeled of Cornell performing the song with a handful of musicians. Seriously, that voice.... unmatched.
It's hard to believe he's gone. It's been said in countless articles and posts already, but Eddie Vedder is the last remaining great singer of that sub-genre of music that exploded in the early 90's starting with NIRVANA.
Cornell was the last one I expected to take his own life at 52 years old. The details of his death are still a bit murky. He had no legitimate reason for doing what he did. He struggled with depression and drug addiction his entire life, and it was rumored that he recently relapsed. He took two Ativan pills on the night he took his own life, a side-effect being "suicidal thoughts." Much like with Cobain, I'd like to think they weren't fully aware of what they were doing, because intentionally leaving children behind is something I could never imagine a parent willingly doing. We all have our demons, and sometimes while under the influence, they defeat us.
Whatever the case, I've been listening to and celebrating Cornell's music and life, and will continue to do so. The music, that voice... it'll live on forever.
R.I.P. Chris Cornell.
And thank you.
