CHRIS CORNELL ON SOUNDGARDEN BREAKING UP DURING THEIR PRIME: “WE NEVER SUCKED”
In a new interview with StarTribune.com, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell discussed the band’s 1997 breakup. He attributed it to there being too many people involved in Soundgarden’s career, “We broke down communicatively, because we had all these other people peripherally involved in the band,” he said. “Decisions were made that we didn’t all agree on, or even know about. That created tension.”
Cornell also discussed the band ending their initial run by going out on top, “I actually think we went out on a creative high. There was a certain amount of relief when we did stop playing together that we didn’t mess things up creatively. We never sucked.”
Your right , Soundgarden NEVER EVER SUCKED, honestly speaking, how many rock bands today can say they created at least 4 good solid albums full of creative hard rocking grunge-punk sounding music with some heavy dark lyrics ?? Soundgardens best work will always be :
1) Screaming Life ( 1987 )
2) Bad Motorfinger ( 1991 )
3) Superunknown ( 1994 )
4) Down On The Upside ( 1996 )
Plus Chris Cornells time in Audioslave and Matt Camerons time in Pearl Jam?? This band will ALWAYS BE ONE OF THE BEST AND ORIGINAL CREATORS of a sub-genre of mainstream rock music, that became a big time deal in the 1990s. They broke up only because the music industry was changing and peoples taste in pop culture faded from grunge to pop / rock / rap, so after all this time, its good to know SOUNDGARDEN BACK FOR GOOD , and keeping their grunge roots true to this day. THEY WILL NEVER SUCK, ONLY ROCK ON
Well, YOU DO NOW.
@Grungecaster 1: How is Louder Than Love not there? That album is incredible
Dude, Andrei why exactly do they suck?
JT
its funny you mention that, I always get Screaming Life and Louder Than Love mixed up , which album came first? Because I know they also did Ultra Mega ok from SST records before signing to Sub Pop before moving to A&M records thing way back in the early 90s, just before Nirvana and Pearl Jam became succesful in the grunge market . But anyways, Soundgarden has never been a failure. They just need to keep their grunge roots alive and well in their music. Dont overplay the radio singles into something meaningless like the Foo Fighters or the Smashing Pumpkins
I love’em to death, they wrote Superunknwon, one of the greatest albums ever released, but they disappointed me totally with King Animal.
Grungecaster 1, What do you mean “grunge roots”? They’ll do whatever the fuck they want (hopefully). That’s what artistic integrity is about (at least in the simplest terms). Not the same thing as “keeping their grunge roots alive”… grunge is just a word used to market and capitalize on a wave of music that came from a certain place at a certain time, and w/ bands that all sounded COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, who maybe only had in common that they we’re doing whatever the fuck they wanted. So saying “they just need to keep their grunge roots alive” really has no meaning. And if it does, it means that they have to stay angry and heavy and like they were in their earlier days, which may not be them doing whatever the fuck they want. Get it?
Awesome answer here:
Cornell gave a surprisingly frank answer when asked about those concerns.
“Clearly, I’m not going to be able to sing this way forever,” he said. “I think people get too hung up on singers and their range, sort of like they’d expect Michael Jordan to get out on a basketball court and play like he once did. It’s physically impossible.”
That rare bit of humility didn’t last long, though:?“I’ll probably never retire. I’ll just adapt, and do what I have to do to keep the music interesting.”
I wouldn’t say SG sucks now just because they made one album that’s far from the rest of their work. It’s tough making a great album after a long layoff. Does a great “reunion album” (or whatever you want to call it) even exist? I can’t think of any band that was able to pull it off, but it doesn’t mean SG is done, or that they suck.
I can think of one band that pulled it off. Soundgarden.
Oh, and Alice in Chains. Both bands just as strong as they ever were.
Pingfah: you’d really call King Animal a “great” album? Don’t fool yourself. I’m not a SG hater; in fact I’ll be seeing them live twice this week, but I’m not in denial about KA. As for AIC, they never officially disbanded, did they? Therefore, there was no “reunion album.” My question wasn’t “can a band be great after a break-up?” .. it was “does a great reunion album exist?” Obviously, bands can be great after getting back together. Look at was SP did with Oceania. Zeitgeist was only OK, there were only a couple good Teargarden songs released, but Oceania is right up there with the best work of Billy’s career. It sometimes takes a few years to really get back to what you do best, and I think SG will achieve this on their next album.
Oceania is one of Pumpkins best albums, I agree.
You are nitpicking about AIC, it’s a comeback album at the very least, whatever anyway, it’s fucking great.
And no I am not in denial about King Animal, I think it’s a wonderful album, mature and modern without losing track of what the band are all about. People can have different views to you without being in denial you know, don’t be so arrogant.
If you don’t like King Animal then it must just be over your head. Sure it’s not better than Badmotorfinger or Superunknown or the classics, it’s certainly better than anything the bands from the 90′s, 2000′s, 2010′s are currently putting out! Unless you you’re more of a Nickelback or Chevelle kinda person, in which case country music is probably your next stop.
“Oh, and Alice in Chains. Both bands just as strong as they ever were.”
Are you sure about that? AIC now is as good as ‘Facelift’ and ‘Dirt’-era AIC? In other words, you can take or leave LAYNE FREAKIN’ STALEY in your AIC music – you enjoy it just as much?
To each their own, but to me, that’s crazy talk.
“Well, YOU DO NOW.”
Oh Andrei, Andrei… must you? For the love of Pete…
A little update flying in over the Reuter’s wire: with the exception of a trolling element on this site, yourself included dick, you look and you listen and the response has been overwhelmingly POSITIVE to “King Animal”. Granted, it may not seem so on this fucking site as the trolls are particularly vocal and stubborn, like a railroad spike lodged up your bunghole. But Andrei, MOST people are loving or enjoying “King Animal”, that’s right. They are. You don’t know very much, so enough from you already…
@ Rob Pollard
Yeah, i’m sure, that’s why I said it :p
BGWTB is a haunting album, some really beautiful stuff on there, although to be fair I don’t really see them as being the same band anymore. Layne was a big part of what they were, and now he isn’t, but they are something different now, something different that I like just as much.
@ Pingfah
OK, fair enough. I personally see them as too much Jerry know, who I like, but have never really liked that much solo. I agree with you that they are a (much) different band now, which you like & I don’t. Thx for the response.
In my opinion, AIC is still a great band. Is it the same w/o Layne? Not even close, but it’s my opinion that Cantrell was the brains behind the sound and songwriting, and I love that he’s continuing his AIC musical journey.
Here’s my take on King Animal. Every album has stronger songs and weaker songs. I’d take the 5 weakest songs on any other Soundgarden album before the top 5 on KA. It’s not because KA is “over my head” .. the songs just aren’t as good as SG’s past albums. Period. Am I saying the album sucks? No way. Just my opinion, but it’s no better than average to me.
I sucked my thumb once to tune out the monsters in my head that keep trying to eat my brains out of my skull.
@versus: well said… you nailed it. KA is mediocre. Is it better than most crap that newer bands are putting out these days? Of course, but Soundgarden shouldn’t be measured by those standards. To me, they are measured by their own legacy which is phenomenal. By that token, KA doesn’t cut the mustard.
SG has always been the real deal. now they can do anything they want or break/stop when they want. that is how its done people. you get to a point where the industry doesn’t really own you anymore. you own it and the fans own it.
Lets just enjoy that grunge is back with AIC and SG and PJ. We lost Kurt and Layne…but we still got Jerry Chris and Eddy, so lets rejoice in anti nickelbackness and be a happy grunge/altnation report community!
First guy said soild 4 records – I don’t think so dude – more like every fucking record they ever put out is badass – that dude left out ultramega OK – (are you serious) and Louder than Love – and King Animal is badass…Soundgarden always makes music that fits the time of todays music or creates a new vibe of musical creativity..
So glad Vicky “LET” Chris do this! Lets all rejoice that we even get ANY SOundgarden. I love them all and dig every single chord from back in the day to now. Thank you Chris for doing what you do best, I am in SG Heaven!
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