Interview with Chris Cornell 29/6/2007

Interview with Chris Cornell

Δεν ήθελα να ρωτήσω για το νέο του δίσκο ,δεν ήθελα να ρωτήσω για τους Audioslave ,δεν ήθελα να ρωτήσω αν του αρέσουν οι θάλασσες της Ελλάδας και αποφάσισε να έρθει να εγκατασταθεί εδώ. Το μόνο που με ενδιέφερε ουσιαστικά ήταν τι έμπνευση και ερεθίσματα μπορεί να είχε ,όταν τότε στο Seattle αποφάσισε να παρατήσει τη μαγειρική –ήταν sous chef σε εστιατόριο – και να αρχίσει να γρατζουνάει κιθάρες και κατ’ επέκταση να αλλάξει δια παντός τις μουσικές μας κοσμοθεωρίες .Αφού συμβιβάστηκα με μια μέση λύση και χωρίς ιδιαίτερη ψυχραιμία -δεδομένου ολικού τρέμουλου φωνή τε και σώματι - προ μίας εβδομάδας έκανα μια συνέντευξη με τον Chris Cornell...Συστάσεις Ελπίζω να μην τις χρειάζεστε αλλά έτσι για την ιστορία ,πρόκειται για τη φωνή των Soundgarden ,Temple oft he dog και Audioslave –φωνή που έχει κατακτήσει τη δωδέκατη θέση στην έρευνα του MTV «22 greatest voices in music» αφήνοντας πίσω τους DavidBowie,StevenTyler και BruceSpringsteen. Ηγετική φυσιογνωμία επί εποχών grunge κυριαρχίας του πλανήτη, φιλαράκι του Vedder και του Wood. Με τη διάλυση των Soundgarden το 1996 και αφού εξέδωσε έναν σόλο δίσκο το 1999 με τίτλο “Euphoria Morning” ίδρυσε ένα super-group ,μαζί με μέλη από τους Rageagainstthemachine,τους Audioslave –μπάντα που αποτέλεσε το πρώτο αμερικάνικο συγκρότημα που έπαιξε στην US -embargoed Κούβα, ωστόσο διαλύθηκε προ κάποιων μηνών. Στις αρχές του Ιουνίου κυκλοφόρησε το δεύτερο σόλο άλμπουμ του με τίτλο “Carryon”. Αυτήν τη χρονιά επένδυσε μουσικά την τελευταία ταινία του James Bond «Casino Royale» και υποθέτω ότι αφού έκλεισε από μουσικό-δημιουργικής απόψεως για φέτος, μπορεί να μετακομίσει με την ησυχία του στην Ελλάδα μαζί με την ελληνικής καταγωγής σύζυγο του και τα παιδάκια τους.

Μετά από ένα μικρής διάρκειας μπερδεματάκι όσον αφορά το δωμάτιο του ξενοδοχείου του ,εκείνος σήκωσε το τηλέφωνο πολύ χαλαρά- γι’ αυτόν φυσιολογικό, για μένα ικανό να προξενήσει μόνιμες εγκεφαλικές βλάβες- και με καλημέρισε παίρνοντας ως απάντηση κάτι απροσδιόριστα ψελλίσματα του τύπου “Hiiiii..AmItalkingtoChrisCornell? . Κάπου εκεί άρχισα να ανακτώ επαφή με το περιβάλλον και να απολαμβάνω τη στιγμή και την όρεξη του για κουβεντούλα ..Ιδού τι μπόρεσα να εκμαιεύσω από το «τυπάκι» με την επαναστατική διάθεση, το ατημέλητο στυλ –τότε- και την διαπεραστική φωνή που θα στοιχειώνει πλέον το μαγνητοφωνάκι μου..

1. So ,it’s your first time performing in front of the greek audience . How do you feel about that?

Ah…It’s great. I wanted to play a show or shows in Greece for years ,to be honest ,and it’s really hard to get the different bands I’m into ,on a tour for that long or just to ,you know ,come to Europe and play more than just a usual few shows, spend some time off to struggle. Since I met my wife Vicky ,it was the first time I started coming to Greece and I really fell in love with it .So since then , I’m trying to put together a tour where I can play some shows in Greece and I was gonna actually start doing quality shows by myself and play in Greece but this offered a first full show which I think is probably the best way to come and play there for the first time .And actually playing in Athens ,playing for a lot of people, I think it’s gonna be really fun. I don’t really know what to expect, I don’t know what the greek audience is like but from what I hear it’s great . I think the greek culture sort of understands how good singing and singing from the heart it’s a sort of motivated singing and not every culture gets that . They take it differently but the emotion in song is something that not every country and every culture gets as well .So I’m curious ,you know …I feel like it will be really an exciting connection with the audience because that is the most fun for me .Really not just to be onstage singing a song .That’s more important than anything ,that’s more important than any kind of a show .Stage ,moves or aggression or anything that happens live ,I think the most important thing for me is just to connect emotionally ,so I can get in the songs and sing and I feel Greece is a country where people really understand that.

2.Which was your inspiration and you decided to put out a solo album again after 1999?

In a way, it’s just another record for me . Every record that I record whatever band I was in or whenever, it was something. I was taking really seriously and treated the same way. This one was very important to me, every single song .I’ve written many many songs ,you know, for different bands and at different times but it’s still different to me necessarily to write a song for Audioslave or for Soundgarden than to write a song just for Chris Cornell .The only difference , I suppose ,is that there’s a sort of an image of a band that I have to keep in mind when writing a song .Writing a song that’s just my own song ,I don’t want to think about anything in terms of images ,I want to think what I want to sing and what I want to say , but it’s not that difficult to go from the one to the other .I mean, I spent years of my life writing songs by myself for Soundgarden in a baseline ,just day after day ,working on songs ,it’s still kind of the same thing (laughs) .

3.I guess you are sick of answering questions related to the past, although as I’m really interested in the grunge era, I’d like to know some feelings or memories of that period, maybe about the “Singles” movie or your friendship with bands like Mother Love Bone or Pearl Jam ?

Hm…you know, this is past and it’s sort of a scene that it was constantly changing .It was really a true organic scene . The real Seattle scene it was before anyone else was there. It was before anyone outside Seattle really knew that there were a few bands, making indie records, like two or three and that was it . It started off before Mother Love Bone ,before Pearl Jam, there were Malfunkshun ,Green River ,Soundgarden and they were just playing in small places in front of fifty people And certainly after a period of time like four years of self-being ,Soundgarden started to realize so many bands for there. Green River put out and became Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone that of course ended and became Pearl Jam .

These are people that were in different bands ,they go much further back once the scene was kind of real…Once the scene became an international success, there were bands touring .It wasn’t really a scene anymore .No one was there, everyone was on tour ,everyone was in the studio or traveling and everyone left and then they played a show when they get home but that was it (laughs).We kind of changed! There was a period of like two years that I was pretty crazy ,everyone was making records and making records and I remember that being kind of stressful, more than anything .It was also exciting ,though we weren’t really sort of sitting around and busking the glory of being the guys in the bands that certainly were such an international success .We were working ,writing songs ,making records, touring ,but it was pretty chaotic.

4. If I had the time I would ask more about that period of time, although I have to ask some more things .So, how did you realize that the whole Audioslave thing couldn’t work out anymore?

I guess…things get in a way...I think when you’re in a band, you get in the way of making records and touring and all the things may come ,it’s unnecessarily negative. You know ,I didn’t want to be in a band after Soundgarden ,that’s the bad …It’s no point in it ,there’s no point in the negativity .With Soundgarden, we were all very young and we did all the things that young bands do and we really got along very well. So did with Audioslave , but I hadn’t the patience in a term to work out agreements and everything being democratic and have any band meetings and disagreeing about everything and have to try to work it out and all these to work on another rock song .For me ,it’s not worth it ,if that’s happening. I’d rather just work on my own.

5. What are you listening to, this period of time? Any new bands you really like?

Ah...It’s sort of existing a big kind of indie scene, or young bands and singers that reminds me a lot of the early ‘80s post-punk Canada independent scene ,but nowadays there are bands like Arcade Fire and bands like the Arctic Monkeys ,from different parts of the world . Bands like Modest Mouse ,bands kind of nerdy and rock music played by guys that wear glasses (laughs) . A sort of ,you know, different fashion ,that’s kind of coming back and that reminds me more of the early ‘80s bands, like The Cure and that kind of thing. Although I think the bands are really good and the songs are good and I like the people who can sing again. It still sounds like older music to me in a different way ,but it’s fun!

Thanks a lot!

Κάλλια Κακαλέτρη