When my first son was born, the very first piece of music that I started playing for him was my favorite Soundgarden song, Searching With My Good Eye Closed. So my kids are brainwashed with Chris's music, and they also will be very upset at this news.
I had never heard of Soundgarden back in 1992 when I went with my brother Peter to see Guns N Roses in concert at a huge outdoor venue between Phoenix and Tucson. We were blown away by the opening band, Soundgarden. So much so that I went out the next day and bought their latest album and never looked back.
Just two weeks ago my family flew to Jacksonville, Florida to see Soundgarden live in concert at the Rockville Festival. Chris seemed angry that night, three times during different songs he ranted at the crowd about their albums being available free. I assumed he was upset at how artists no longer make much money off of albums due to everyone stealing their stuff via file sharing. But now I wonder if he wasn't feeling healthy--if that somehow contributed to the anger that seemed to pervade that show.
I don't recall tearing up at any of the other major deaths over the past few years, no matter how much I liked the artist, but this one devastates me. Chris was working on a new Soundgarden album, which we will now not get to hear, and they were talking about doing another Temple of the Dog album as well. At 52, he should have had so much more to create.
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I read that this morning - very sad! Someone I grew up with as well. And scary when someone you own age dies. He had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and it's effects on his body might have caught up with him. Shame we won't get to hear that music now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex. I can't even do my work properly this morning.
DeleteThis is too bad. I lived in Portland as Grunge took off and Soundgarden was so central to the movement. In fact I have a friend who traveled with them doing their lighting and such. So young, too.
ReplyDeleteHe's just a tad older than me. Makes me feel like I could go at any time!
DeleteSaddened. Listened to this for first time and enjoyed. Losses always so hard.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosalind.
DeleteYeap, really took me back. Soundgarden was the music of my youth, going to art college and discovering them, Nirvana, MotherLoveBone, Soul Asylum, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. But it was Soundgarden that had by far the most profound effect on me, not least because of Chris's incredible vocal talents. Can't really think of any singer that compares to him in vocal range. So desperately sad. Absolutely gutted. :(
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. And I saw Alice in Chains live just before Layne Staley died. I'd think maybe I need to stop going to these shows, except I have seen Pearl jam twice and Eddie's still alive.
DeleteSo good you have been able to hear such great music live! I feel I was able to enjoy a lot of good concerts considering financial hardships. (A friend of Randy's plays keyboards for Pearl Jam, btw.)
DeleteOh, and I did hear that he committed suicide, so guess the anger he exhibited a couple of wks ago was some ongoing angst. How sad.
DeleteWell, I'm reading now that though he committed suicide, it may not have been intentional, i.e. that he took too many of the prescription pills he uses and a side effect of them is suicidal thoughts and depression. His wife had called him and his voice sounded slurry and he said he might have taken an extra pill or two. Very sad.
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