Chris Cornell Interview
The Cursed
Posts: 10
Chris gave an interview in a greek radio station which will be broadcasted this Wednesday 29/11 at 14:00-16:00 (greek time).
If you wanna listen to it go to the station's website:
http://www.rockfm.gr/homepage.asp and click on the "live radio" tag
The team of the radio station is trying to persuade him for an acoustic show at late December...let's keep our fingers crossed!!That would be a good
christmas present...
If you wanna listen to it go to the station's website:
http://www.rockfm.gr/homepage.asp and click on the "live radio" tag
The team of the radio station is trying to persuade him for an acoustic show at late December...let's keep our fingers crossed!!That would be a good
christmas present...
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I looked that up after you mentioned it... it's gotta be one of the funniest interviews I've seen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3fLdfSr7gA
CC: Are you saying you don't like it?
Interviewer: I like it, but it's so constantly loud, it's loud all over-
CC: I know, can you believe it?
Interviewer: .......
CC: ............
Interviewer: Yeah....
CC: .....yeah....
Interviewer: ....
LOL!
Lol, that was hilarious. I think there's nothing more ridiculous than an interviewer not preparing for an interview, the best he could come up with was a jimi hendrix/seattle connection!
I'll post everything he said tomorrow...it was a good,calm and quite long (45') interview :-)
Slaves and Bulldozers...
dun dun DAH NAHHHH nah nah nah NAHHHHHHHHHHHH..
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
thanks, I wish someone had recorded it...
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Q: Chris, how are you man?
C: Excellent, thank you!
Q: First, everything is all right? We heard that you had an accident with your motorbike and the helmet saved you, is it true or not?
C: It’s true, I’m ok, I didn’t get hurt.
Q: I wish fast recovery my friend
C: Just bruises, fortunately I didn’t break any bones or anything.
Q: I have to admit that it’s my honor to speak with somebody with such a talented voice, somebody I admire a lot. I wanna welcome you in Rock FM and I wanna ask you: did you expect that kind of success when you first started? Like 1983-1984,when was that?
C: I didn’t think that my band, Soundgarden, or my style of songwriting was going to be popular internationally, no. What was on the radio in the U.S.A. in ’84 was British new wave mostly, or things like Billy Joel. So I didn’t think that I would necessarily sell more records than independent bands.
But then I started to see early on that we could change that, because new people were coming into the industry and to radio. Young people. They were starting to be interested in something new, something besides heavy metal, something besides normal commercial rock music, they wanted it, and that was us.
Q: Why did Soundgarden have bigger success after they split up?
C: About 2 years after we broke up that happened, it was great because you never know. I felt like the records we made were timeless, but it’s up to the audience to decide. And 2 years after we split up we were getting just as much airplay as we ever had and to this day, still.
Q: Of course you had a superb success in ’94 with “Superunknown” and you got some awards as well, if I remember well, they were 2 awards about it.
C: That’s right, it’s probably 15 times we were nominated.
Q: Before I’m going to ask you about Audioslave can you tell me some reasons why Soundgarden for instance, they split up?
C: Well, we’ve been a band for 14 years. Our last record “Down that Side” we produced it, we mixed it, and we had a great time. We didn’t get in a fight or anything, we all loved each other very much and loved our music, and we wanted to stop before it became something where maybe we didn’t get along, or maybe we didn’t wanna go on tour.14 years is a long time for a band.
Q: Well, a lot of things are existing for more than 14 years!
C: But you see a band like Judas Priest who they get their singer back or you see a band like Iron Maiden who they’ve sort of always been together with different personnel changes, they come back and they’re playing the same songs they played when I was 12 years old! And we didn’t wanna be a band fooling around playing songs from 1994 for the rest of our lives. I make new music, I’ve made 4 records in 5 years.
Q: Do you feel that there is more enthusiasm and chemistry in your new band “Audioslave”?
C: It’s just different. It’s different people. Music is different, you know, music is much more stripped-down (…) and very eclectic. So I don’t compare it to bands (…)
Q: Sometimes when you are a pro some people they say you might lose the flame, the free spirit of real pure rock n’ roll. Just because you’re a professional, what’s your opinion?
C: Yeah, I think that that happens to a lot of people, and I always wondered why, because I would have favorite bands putting out records and somehow I would stop liking them. But that’s part of the reason why I make my own records, why Audioslave are keeping it fresh and doing anything I want to musically, because rock music to me is rock music. (…) There’s fast aggressive, angry rock, but there’s also the Beatles, there’s millions of records for rock music and I like all of them!
Q: We talk about the music of today, I read somewhere that P.Townshend of “The Who” plus Bob Dylan, they said that the rock n’ roll music of today is going to a dead end and we just produce rubbish. Do you agree?
C: No, I don’t agree. I think there always was and there always will be a lot of rubbish. But there are a lot of great rock bands, tons of bands now, all the young people making great rock records. Bands like “Jet” for example, they make great records, they’re very young and they’re rocking as anybody.
Q: How did you meet Tom Morello and the rest? I mean they were searching for a singer probably, I’m sure that somebody with Chris Cornell’s voice probably has a lot of prepositions. Why did you choose those guys?
C: I saw them play in 1996, and I just imagined those 3 guys in the band, playing, singing would be a great idea. And it turned out to be true.
Q: Mainly RATM except of playing hard or heavy funk music they actually where a political band. Do you see similarities in Audioslave, because the ¾ are RATM.
C: You know, really Audioslave never had anything to do with “Rage” from the beginning. I don’t think that the other 3 guys were really interested in being a political band anymore. I think they wanted to write music form their opinion (…), the 3 of them. I wasn’t gonna be a political singer and they wanted to start a band so…It was really simple, just writing new songs.
Q: Somebody who might say there must be a special reason why you chose to play in Plaza in Cuba and to be the 1st American band who plays in a communist country and especially a place where they’re protesting against American politics.
C: But it’s music bro. It’s the thing. We didn’t go there as anything but a band to play for fans. And that’s why it’s the best thing to do. Because they don’t get rock music. They don’t get to see all of the bands that you get to see or I get to see. They don’t get to see anybody. And I definitely wanna be able to play for everyone. Anyone that’s a fan that wants to hear. That was the reason why we did it.
And when we were there, politics was never an issue. We were speaking with radio djs, we were speaking with students of music college, we were doing interviews with people about the music and we were going to the museum of Afro-Cuban music and the history of Cuban music. Politics has nothing to do with it. And the people could see us as of musicians not as American diplomats.
But I think that that’s where you see that music can transcend stupid politics. It really is a shame that since before I was born they still haven’t managed to work out politically between Cuba and the U.S.A. and the block had a way to end it all and the people that suffer are the Cuban people. And we were able to find a way to actually go and play there.
And it was good for the people and also that’s a proof that it’s possible. We were allowed to go, we were allowed to film it, we were allowed to release a DVD of us performing in Cuba and show the rest of the world, especially the rest of the U.S.A. what Cubans are about to a degree. There’re just people like anybody else and they’re rock fans like anybody else.
Q: Absolutely right! In a track, “Wide Awake” Tom Morello says that it’s absolutely a political song.
C: I think maybe in his mind he can perceive it as political. But really, I’m not sure that I would call it political. Maybe I would call it a protest song (…)
Q: Why we’re talking about “Original Fire” or “ Revelations”? My mind for “Revelations” goes to John’s Apocalypse in the Bible. It has nothing to do with that probably, huh?
C: No, not really… (Laughs)
Q: So, what is it about?
C: “Revelations” is more personal. “Original Fire “ has nothing to do with anything you said at all. That’s just Seattle music scene.
Q: I feel in some ways that people who succeed in music, they’re blessed because they can live from their profession. And I find them except of being very lucky, very privileged. Do you agree?
C: Very much, I agree. For me, I’m very lucky. Music is my favorite thing to do. It would be a hobby if I had a different job, I would still play music. So to be able to play music and live, I’m incredibly blessed.
Q: You’re coming out of the Seattle scene that a lot of things were happening that time. I’m wondering, were you scared of, or did you regret things you’ve done and you wish you could change it or be something else?
C: Not at all! I can’t imagine one thing that I would really wanna change. Whatever I did, good or bad, got me to where I am now and I’m proud to be of a scene like that and to have grown up with other bands and other musicians that are still relevant now.
Continues to next post...
Q: If I ask you to name me an all-star super rock band who would be the best player for you? (guitar player, bass player etc..)
C: I don’t think I am the kind of person that sees music in 1 dimension, and decide this is the best way for me. I think the best way for me is always to find something I’ve never done before, and that could be with Audioslave, it could be alone, it could be with musicians that I haven’t even met yet. It depends on the music.
Q: Usually, to the most of us, I mean in my case the song of Led Zeppelin “Immigrant” made me share everything about music in music. Is there a song that moved you in the same way and made you become involved in music?
C: I think I discovered Led Zeppelin pretty late. I think “ The Beatles” really where the band that changed my life. They got me, sort of, wanting to be involved. But also understanding it, understanding what it can be.
The Beatles could do anything they wanted. Any music that they loved or inspired by, they incorporated into their songs. You have someone like Paul McCartney who would write and sing a song like “ Yesterday” or “Blackbird” but he could also write and sing “Helter Skelter”, you know, beautifully arranged samba songs like “ Eleanor Rigby” and then turn around and do probably the most aggressive rock song that had been recorded at that time which was “ Helter Skelter”. And to me that’s what I learnt, that rock music is. It’s anything you want. At anytime that you want it. And that’s true influence.
I don’t think that being influenced by a band, that you sound like them. I think being influenced by a band means that you’re influenced by the spirit of what they do and then you make it your own.
I think a lot of people who are influenced for example by Van Halen, they took the wrong things! Eddie Van Halen was a very inventive guitar player and he’s a genius. And rather than to be influenced by them and decide “ I will invent my own method of playing guitar or writing music”, people just try to sound like Eddie Van Halen and play guitar like that. That’s not true influence. That’s just copy. A monkey can do that!
Q: I know that you composed Bond’s title song. Was it a challenge for you?
C: The thing that made it less of a challenge, made it easier, was to watch the film. Because it’s so different than any of the Bond films and there’s a lot of emotional depth to it. The acting is unlike any other James Bond movie, Daniel Craig is a fantastic actor. So I just kind of, relate to the character and relate to the story personally, and that made the lyrics eventually pretty easy.
I think, had it been the last Bond film, or one of the last 10, it would’ve been much more difficult, because it’s not a lot to grab on to, emotionally. There’s not a lot of emotional context to the character, a guy sort of invisible. Whereas this James Bond he is. It’s the 1st book where “James Bond” appears, and probably becomes James Bond.(…)Because we’re watching a movie about a character, we know who he is, but in the film the character doesn’t know who he is. He hasn’t become James Bond yet. Which is kind of interesting. And then the music and the verse happened; I didn’t spend a lot of time sitting down. I just waited (…) From that point on, I played the song for the composer of the score. It’s just a score for the James Bond film.
Q: You know something? For a band that exists for just few years, I’m talking about Audioslave, songs like “ I am The Highway” or “Like A Stone”, they become anthems in just minimum of time. Are you listening often to your records, new or older?
C: No I don’t. I kind of, move on… (Laughs). I don’t listen to my music a lot. My daughter, Toni, she’s 2 years old, about the time she was 1, she was listening to Audioslave all the time and the most I heard it is because she would ask “Out Of Exile”, or from the new record wants to hear me and she dances to it and listens to the music. And I listen to it more that way than any other way, with my daughter. She loves it. She recognizes my voice (…) When I first did the Bond music I recorded it in my apartment and I hadn’t sung yet, and I was playing her the song with no singing and she said “ daddy, daddy!”. She knew it was me playing guitar (…) So it was pretty incredible. The children, they’re adorable…
Q: Would you advise your daughter to be a musician?
C: Whatever the children want to be, whatever they’ve a passion for…they’re very smart, they’re very aware children and they’re Joe Belly fans and they love music. If they have that passion for music, and talent for music I would support them(…)
It’s a little bit frightening when you think of all the famous musicians and their children coming out and maybe getting attention for the wrong reasons. But I’ve also seen it with Jeff Buckley whose father is also famous, Tim Buckley, and Jeff was a friend of mine and he was much more talented than his own father. And he was very passionate about music and I don’t think anything he did had anything to do with his father’s music.
So, I know it’s possible that my children can be musicians or songwriters or do whatever they want and be great at it and not to have to worry about “ why my father did this…”Whatever they want, whatever they have a passion for, I will support them.
Q: When are we going to see you live here in Athens? I know you have a special relationship, everybody knows it, because of Vicky, I know you love our country.
C: Should be very soon, sometime early in 2007 (!!!). We’re working on doing something now. Just come and play some acoustic shows there, because we live in Paris, so it’s very close really. And we’re working on something now, for like come and play, ‘cause I very much love to (…) I’m very excited.
To me it’s like, anywhere else I’ve never been where I know there are fans I wanna go play.
Actually Vicky and I, were looking for an apartment to buy in Athens and I think it’s important for my children because they’re Greek, they’re learning to speak Greek, my 2 year old speaks Greek as much as anybody. I’m learning Greek from her, really…because I’m slow. (Laughs) She’s very smart.
I want them to be around that culture, so I think at some point, we’ll live there part time and then I’ll be performing a lot. It’s a good energy I feel for the children and for me. Whenever I’ve been to Athens it’s especially very different. It couldn’t be more different where I grew up. And it’s very positive. People are very warm and very aware (…)
Q: You know something? You move me to ask you if you speak any Greek.You probably do so…
C: Just very, very few words…
Q: Like?
C: 1st word I learnt was “mpampa” (daddy), 2nd word probably was “mamaka” (mommy) (Laughs) and then “efharisto” (thank you) over and over again and learnt it from my father in low. My mother in low and father in low they speak almost all the Greek to my children.
Q: I want you to promise me that when you come in Athens, you’re gonna come over here and talk live on this show!
C: Oh, absolutely! I’d love to do a live radio. It’s my favorite thing. Because it’s real, you say things, people hear you. It’s like, you talk to people personally, I love it…So, I’ll do that for sure. That is my promise.
Q: All right.
C: Ok, great…
Q: It was my honor talking with you Chris.
C: Thank you, thank you very much. We’ll see you soon, bye bye
Q: Bye.
It was a great read.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
LOL!!! Hilarius!!
His face, an the silence for a couple seconds...
PJ Come Back to BRASIL!
o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o
"I will feel alive as long as I am free"
o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o..o°••°o
http://youtube.com/watch?v=c3fLdfSr7gA
hahahha funny shit.. that interviewer is a jackass.. thanks for the heads up never seen that one!
08/02/07 - LOLLA!!!
08/02/07 - LOLLA!!!
By the way, I think it's "father-in-law" instead of "in low"