Chris Cornell

[Thumper]

Devastating news to find out Chris Cornell, (Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog) passed away suddenly last night after a performance in Detroit. Soundgarden was due to Columbus this weekend and headline one of the nights of he three day Rock on the Range festival. We did get to see him at a large club back a few years touring one of his solo albums. What a voice, what a presence. Rest in Peace my friend.

[Thumper]

Latest breaking news is that he hung himself in his hotel bathroom after the show in Detroit. This makes me so much sadder.

[SciFiFisher]

Latest breaking news is that he hung himself in his hotel bathroom after the show in Detroit. This makes me so much sadder.

There is a part of me that is gob smacked when I read these reports. To all appearances here is a musician who is at the peak of his career. He has success. He has money. In theory he has all the groupies he can bang.

And yet, he found life so unbearable or painful that he decided to end it all. I am gob smacked. Obviously, I don't know what may have been going on in his life. Maybe all the money was being garnished. Maybe the groupies just pointed and laughed. Maybe he had an incurable disease.

[Thumper]

Soundgarden had retired at the peak of their success. They pursued other interests and got back together in the last few years presumably for the fun of it. They missed working and playing together. In the midst of a successful tour, fans said the show last night was fantastic. Were coming to town to headline a big 3-day show. It seems it only takes a few moments of irrationality.

[vendic]

According to his website, he'll be performing on May 19th...

[Thumper]

Yes, they were headlining here tonight.

[Thumper]

The tributes rolling in from around the world are overwhelming. From Jimmy Page and Elton John, to Aerosomith and A Prairie Home Companion.

[Thumper]

I realize I bring this on myself, reading public comments, but maybe it gets me thinking. I suppose some people are just mean and insensitive. But maybe some just lack the tools or the filters to function sensibly or empathetically in a civilized society. We view a musical artist singing a tribute to Chris Cornell in the last few days. Someone has to give a negative comment about the performance. Someone has to criticize their obviously heartfelt sentiments. Someone lashes out at the disease of depression and chastises us for not understanding the issue. Someone immediately blames Chris himself for improperly managing his addictions and afflictions and improperly or recklessly self medicating. Someone lashes out at his wife basically accusing her of being responsible for his death or even "killing" him. Really, unless you're a close personal friend and confident of the family, you have no idea. And if you are a close personal friend and confident, you wouldn't be posting anything on a stupid public internet comment page. If you were and you did, the Cornells needed better friends.

I realize there are different stages of grief, or different ways to grieve, if grief is even the proper term. Do I grieve the death of Chris Cornell? I've never met him. Nobody I know has ever met him much less was a close personal friend. Metallica released a statement saying, "We forgive you, Chris." I thought that was strange. But maybe that was their way to deal with the senselessness of his passing. Dozens of commenters lashed out at Hetfield in particular for being self righteous, insensitive and whatnot, saying other hateful things. So you're upset at his comment, what good does it do to lash out at him? Who is it helping?

Then I thought about the term "self absorbed." Are we all self absorbed?" It makes sense, I guess. In order to understand something, maybe we have to relate it to how it affects us, what it means to us. I can see that, I know I've acted that way. Maybe when you're confused or distressed or worried, saying things that make other people confused or distressed or worried gives you some comfort. Is it the "bring them down to your level" phenomenon? Do some people just need to say or write or post things that are deliberately confrontational or irritating just to annoy, irritate, or trip someone else up because it makes them feel less isolated or vulnerable?

Then I wonder why the realization that Chris Cornell is no longer breathing, or will never write another song affects me so much. It affects others, obviously. We each handle these feelings in our own way. Why not try to support or at least accommodate others grappling with these feelings? Maybe we just don't know how. Maybe we're not trying.

[Thumper]

A person posting a tribute to Cornell said "if you have not already done it, find a copy of Euphoria Morning and listen to the entire thing." It's one of his solo albums. I think it's the first to be released after Soundgarden went on hiatus. So I dialed it up and have been listening the last couple days. It's very interesting. I hadn't heard it before and I'm not sure why. I sort of stopped following them/him when they broke up. Although I did get Mrs. T an Audioslave CD for Christmas a few years back. And I got The Kid the latest Soundgarden CD when they got back together because she liked the single that was released. Silly me she doesn't do Cd's. Kids these days only listen to music on their phones or vinyl.

So would I have ever listened to these songs if he hadn't just passed away? I doubt it. And is that fact influencing the way I hear it and think about it today? Probably. It's beautiful, different, familiar, and haunting. Why do we binge listen to our music artists right after they die? To make us feel good? To make us feel bad?

I feel bad for the ordinary Joes ( and Josephines) who posted that Cornell's music comforted and helped them through their darkest days. Yeah, music will do that. But what about now that he couldn't make it through his own. Does that cause them a loss of faith?

[Tarragon]

A person posting a tribute to Cornell said "if you have not already done it, find a copy of Euphoria Morning and listen to the entire thing." It's one of his solo albums. I think it's the first to be released after Soundgarden went on hiatus. So I dialed it up and have been listening the last couple days. It's very interesting. I hadn't heard it before and I'm not sure why. I sort of stopped following them/him when they broke up. Although I did get Mrs. T an Audioslave CD for Christmas a few years back. And I got The Kid the latest Soundgarden CD when they got back together because she liked the single that was released. Silly me she doesn't do Cd's. Kids these days only listen to music on their phones or vinyl.

So would I have ever listened to these songs if he hadn't just passed away? I doubt it. And is that fact influencing the way I hear it and think about it today? Probably. It's beautiful, different, familiar, and haunting. Why do we binge listen to our music artists right after they die? To make us feel good? To make us feel bad?

I feel bad for the ordinary Joes ( and Josephines) who posted that Cornell's music comforted and helped them through their darkest days. Yeah, music will do that. But what about now that he couldn't make it through his own. Does that cause them a loss of faith?

People process grief differently, and even the same people can process grief differently on different days. I think music is a shortcut to the limbic system and our emotional center. That a beat can get everyone dancing and singing in unison, like strings in sympathetic resonance, reminds us that we are not alone, that we are more alike than different. When it reminds us of the good times, we are happy, and if it reminds us of bad times, we can recall that we got through it.

Most people think (whether it's true or not), that artists feel things more deeply. Their art distills emotion into a form that is at once both permanent and ephemeral, universal and deeply personal. In this way, the artist is like a shaman directing us to the divine. And yet, we feel they risk more than us, that like Icarus, they may get too close, fly too high or delve too deep. Some may see this and conclude the doctor does not heal himself, belying that there is no truth in their art. Yet others see what happens when one goes too far, suggesting that the boundaries are real and human, which makes their art seem all the more sublime.

[SciFiFisher]

I have heard (and agree) that art, especially music, stands on it's own. The artist is in many ways merely a vessel for the art. The music Chris Cornell created will continue to comfort people long after he is gone.

I believe we binge listen to the music because we are trying to form that connection and try to understand the person who created the music. And find a special meaning for ourselves in it. Much like those who engage in spirit walks to understand death, dying, and the eternity of the spirit.

[squ1d]

Fell on black days, my favorite Soundgarden song. Saw them live in the 90s. Very sad.

[Thumper]

Searching With My Good Eye Closed.