# Vocalist Chris Cornell is Dead?! Soundgarden, Audioslave **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2017, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909 "2017-05-18T09:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/41 "2017-05-19T01:15:35Z")
[quote=“The\_Tooth, post:13, topic:786909”] Not true! Give this fellow a listen. [/QUOTE] If you want to hear the spirit of Chris Cornell… you will be VERY hard pressed to tell this guy (Johnny Strong) and Chris apart. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHKYA-DSmc) ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/42 "2017-05-19T02:22:54Z")
So sad to hear that this morning. I loved Soundgarden and particularly Badmotorfinger so much when it came out, but my favourite Chris Cornell album was probably Temple of the Dog. Rest in peace, Chris. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/43 "2017-05-19T02:50:38Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Oh FUCK no. First Scott Weiland and now Chris Cornell? Where is my youth going? 🤗 Feel the same. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/44 "2017-05-19T02:53:28Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Because it’s 2017, not 1994. > > The deaths of Michael Hutchence and Layne Staley were barely blips on the radar when they happened. Dying young is only a great career move when it happens at the peak of your popularity. I haven’t checked annual album/ ticket sales, yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still riding the wave to peak popularity. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/45 "2017-05-19T03:17:57Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I haven’t checked annual album/ ticket sales, yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was still riding the wave to peak popularity. [Wikipedia sez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Animal#Commercial_performance) that _King Animal_ has sold 235,000 copies over four years – very impressive, but nowhere near the salad days of _Down on the Upside_ (platinum), _Badmotorfinger_ (double platinum), and _Superunknown_ (5x platinum). Unless you were making a sly reference to [this song?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbYxEXM2cE) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/46 "2017-05-19T12:27:18Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > That was my thought as well, but the reason he was found dead in the first place was because his wife asked security to find him. If your wife is there, why hide in a corner and do that? Wouldn’t you want her to do it? . Maybe if he brought the subject up, she refused, saying it was gross, weird, and dangerous. That’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/47 "2017-05-19T12:37:02Z")
RIP Chris Cornell. I can’t say that Soundgarden was one of my favorite groups but I did like a few of their songs like Blackhole Sun and Outshined. Like any good Gen-Xer I was into grunge for a few years, but most of it was just too dark for me and I kinda moved on to other tastes by the late 1990s. But I loved then and still do love Eddie Vedder’s (Pearl Jam) voice and I appreciate Nirvana’s lyrics and musical range. Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains were probably my favorites from that era. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/48 "2017-05-19T12:42:00Z")
I’d appreciate avoiding speculation at this point. If he was doing auto-erotic asphyxiation and it went bad, that will come out. Also: can we please avoid “no, listen to _this_ guy; he’s as good as Chris Cornell,” in a thread mourning the loss of CC? Just stop. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/49 "2017-05-19T13:43:36Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Maybe if he brought the subject up, she refused, saying it was gross, weird, and dangerous. > > That’s possible. Possible, yes. Probable? Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/50 "2017-05-19T14:21:28Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > If you want to hear the spirit of Chris Cornell… you will be VERY hard pressed to tell this guy (Johnny Strong) and Chris apart. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHKYA-DSmc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHKYA-DSmc) “The spirit of Chris Cornell”? I wouldn’t put it so flamboyantly, but I think Ian Thornley has a similarly powerful set of pipes. Lots of people hear Big Wreck and ask “Is that Soundgarden?” It’s not. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/51 "2017-05-19T14:32:07Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Maybe if he brought the subject up, she refused, saying it was gross, weird, and dangerous. > > That’s possible. Why the fuck would some you “default” to this deviant behavior as the cause of his death? Cornell clearly had a troubled past with alcohol and likely was suffering from depression, something that is all too common with musicians. Please stop tainting his death with wild, unfounded and IMO ridiculous speculation. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/52 "2017-05-19T15:01:58Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > “The spirit of Chris Cornell”? I wouldn’t put it so flamboyantly, but I think Ian Thornley has a similarly powerful set of pipes. Lots of people hear Big Wreck and ask “Is that Soundgarden?” It’s not. We are mourning the loss of Chris Cornell, not pulling out a vocal measuring stick. Yes, I know other vocalists can do cool gymnastics. I get that Rob Halford and Steve Perry, both known for their techniques, were replaced (at least temporarily in Halford’s case) with YouTube cover singers. So am I surprised that other singers fit in the same category as Chris Cornell? Nah, of course not - look at Seattle’s own Geoff Tate, formally of Queensryrche. But was Cornell the standout guy who was That Voice? Oh, hell yes. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/53 "2017-05-19T20:29:21Z")
Oh man, I feel so bad and so old, not only the guys who had always been there like Bowie, Lemmy et. al. die away, but also those of my own generation… Often ridiculed today, grunge for me and millions of others opened the gates to music unheard before and was a perfect hybrid of alternative and classic rock, and Soundgarden were one of the towering bands of the genre. I saw them live once in 1992, on a dream bill with Faith No More, both opening for Guns’n’Roses at a big soccer stadium in Cologne, Germany. The sound was lousily mixed (also for Faith No More, it only got better when Guns’n’Roses appeared; the eternal fate for opening acts), but it was a revelation. I knew nothing of their music before that gig, but caught up soon. Yeah, could be because I’m an old fart, but \*Superunknown \*is one of the last great ROCK albums IMHO, a truely great statement. And few singers of his generation can hold a candle to his pipes (Faith No More’s Mike Patton of course CAN, so I saw two of the best singers of the time back then on the same bill). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/54 "2017-05-19T21:18:17Z")
His “You Know My Name” is my all-time-favorite James Bond song: [Chris Cornell - You Know My Name (Rock Version) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9jWxLonMHU). Quite a talented musician. May he rest in peace. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/55 "2017-05-20T00:08:39Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Holy shit. Ouch. I was just talking about him with my gf and I commented on how well he ages. A quote from one of his earlier songs comes to mind “I’m looking California and feeling Minnesota”. Indeed. Interestingly, this convo with my gf came about because we saw some advertisement for an upcoming hip-hop album from Chris Cornell. A _hip hop album_. I guess Chris _was_ battling demons. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/56 "2017-05-20T02:40:01Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > Why the fuck would some you “default” to this deviant behavior as the cause of his death? Cornell clearly had a troubled past with alcohol and likely was suffering from depression, something that is all too common with musicians. > > Please stop tainting his death with wild, unfounded and IMO ridiculous speculation. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I was under the impression that nothing sexual between consenting adults is considered “deviant” these days. To feel that any sexual act is perverted is to be a prude. The only exception is pedophilia. But I’m sorry someone you admire is dead. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/57 "2017-05-20T04:37:21Z")
Is it just me, or did anyone else want a T-Shirt with Chris as “Che Guevara”? Yeah. Just me. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/58 "2017-05-20T10:08:01Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Interestingly, this convo with my gf came about because we saw some advertisement for an upcoming hip-hop album from Chris Cornell. A _hip hop album_. I guess Chris _was_ battling demons. 🙂 No need to take shots. He worked with Timbaland years ago. I things the album was called Scream and it didn’t do well. Your joke doesn’t work unless you think the idea of singing hip hop is stupid. That’s a limited point of view on a number of levels. Come to think of it, you can’t believe folks like Roy Orbison. _Roy Orbison_. You have some homework to do. Or not, your call. Now can we get back to this thread? Chris Cornell’s wife has issued a statement the she doesn’t believe it was intentional suicide and that a drug for substance abuse I think, Ativan, played a rule. I have no clue about that stuff. That must be so hard to process. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/59 "2017-05-20T14:33:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > No need to take shots. He worked with Timbaland years ago. I things the album was called Scream and it didn’t do well. Ironically, while the “Scream” collaboration with Timbaland was not received well. He often played that song acoustically and it was exponentially improved as you can hear below. If the song had been released like this it might have been a hit. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6UjyhGGUIPw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgTChDMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCVxgownVWYd8yfrRg588fkgC-kBg "Chris Cornell - Scream Live Acoustic on a Denmark TV Show 3-5-09") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UjyhGGUIPw) ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909/60 "2017-05-20T16:39:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > No need to take shots. He worked with Timbaland years ago. I things the album was called Scream and it didn’t do well. > > Your joke doesn’t work unless you think the idea of singing hip hop is stupid. That’s a limited point of view on a number of levels. Come to think of it, you can’t believe folks like Roy Orbison. _Roy Orbison_. You have some homework to do. Or not, your call. > > Now can we get back to this thread? Chris Cornell’s wife has issued a statement the she doesn’t believe it was intentional suicide and that a drug for substance abuse I think, Ativan, played a rule. I have no clue about that stuff. That must be so hard to process. Ativan is some addictive shit. It is for anti-anxiety. Whenever I hear about an addict using stuff like Ativan long term I always wonder about the doc who prescribed it. IMHO, as a recovering alkie, if you are in recovery you shouldn’t use any addictive drugs unless there is absolutely no other choice. Like, ‘Ok we can give him some pain meds because his legs were cut off but he gets as little as possible for the shortest amount of time possible…’. Ativan, iirc, is used during detox but that ought to be a short period of time under a doc’s care. I got into Soundgarden around Louder than Love. My roommate, a drummer named Ben, brought it home. We saw them on that tour at a place called the Sunshine theater\*. Great show and I ended up singing ‘Big Dumb Sex’ all the time, which got some odd looks. I didn’t get all that into them but always liked the writing and his voice. I suspect, based on my own issues with drinking, that he may have relapsed. A pure guess and I could be totally wrong. And that guess isn’t meant to disparage Cornell in anyway, addiction is a bitch. It angers and saddens me when this sort of thing happens. Addiction just sucks and the even if my guess is wrong and he was clean, the root cause will still be his addiction. I hope, assuming my beliefs about the possibility of an afterlife are wrong, that he found some peace. Slee \*Saw some amazing bands at that place. From Bela Fleck the o Soundgarden. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocalist-chris-cornell-is-dead-soundgarden-audioslave/786909.md?page=4)