I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Album: # 335
Album Title: Superunknown
Artist: Soundgarden
Genre: Hard Rock, Grunge, Heavy Metal, Stoner Rock
Recorded: Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington
Released: March, 1994
My age at release: 28
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Like Suicide (Acoustic) from the Deluxe version
However, it was their third album, 1991's Badmotorfinger, that made me a huge fan. After finishing my bartending shift at 1 a.m. at a restaurant in London, Ontario. I would strap on my roller blades, pop my portable CD player into my fanny pack and blast Badmotorfinger through my headphones, skating the empty streets. Typical 90s stuff.
Soundgarden were originally called The Shemps which played mainly cover songs in and around the Seattle, Washington, area. In 1984, bassist Hiro Yamamoto left the band and was replaced by Kim Thyil. Drummer Chris Cornell moved from behind his kit and took over vocal duties. They took the name Soundgarden from a wind- channeling pipe sculpture called a Sound Garden in nearby Magnusson Park.
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| Technics SLP7 Portable CD player ($600 in 1985) |
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| A Sound Garden in Magnusson Park, Seattle |
Eventually, Yamamoto returned and Thyil moved to guitar. Drummer Matt Cameron joined in 1986. Yamamoto departed for good in 1989 and the final line-up was formed with Cornell, Thyil, Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd.
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| (l-r) Shepherd, Cornell, Thyil & Cameron in 1990 |
Badmotorfinger was a critical and commercial success. The singles Rusty Cage and Outshined got radio play and the videos were in regular rotation on Much Music and MTV. The third single, Jesus Christ Pose, was banned on MTV because of controversial lyrics that were perceived as anti-Christian. However, the perception was preposterous. Even a cursory examination of the lyrics reveals the song is a criticism of public figures (celebrities, politicians) exploiting religion for their own purposes.
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| Jesus Christ Pose single release |
If Badmotorfinger was a hand grenade, Superunknown was an atomic bomb that blasted Soundgarden into the popular music stratosphere. My first taste was the single Spoonman, which was released about a month before the full album. There was a rumour in my social circle that the song was based on a London, Ontario, character named William "Snake" Pulley. Pulley was a local celebrity in the 80s and 90s who rode around town on a hyper-extended front wheeled “chopper” motorcycle. Moreso, he sported 4,000 tattoos covering 90 percent of his body, and was sometimes spotted at music festivals playing the spoons. These days, tattoos are fairly commonplace and there are even well-known musicians with face tattoos. However, in the 80s, he was an oddity. I met him on several occasions as a teen and he was soft-spoken, approachable and pleasant -- the opposite of what one might expect from his menacing appearance.
The Spoonman rumours proved untrue. In reality, the song was about Seattle native and street performer Artis The Spoonman, who busked at local markets and fairs in the west coast city.
Superunknown went on to sell nine million copies worldwide and introduced Soundgarden to a mainstream audience. The band released one more record, Down On The Upside in 1996 before taking a hiatus until 2010 when they reunited for a new album, King Animal, and a tour. They visited my hometown in July, 2011, and I finally got a chance to see them with my brother.
On May 18, 2017, after a performance by Soundgarden at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, Chris Cornell was found dead in his hotel room – suicide by hanging, according to the medical examiner. However, his wife, Vicky, believed the drug Ativan, which he was taking, may have contributed to his death. The band cancelled the remainder of their tour and, with the exception of a tribute concert in January, 2019, have never performed together publicly since.
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| William "Snake" Pulley |
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| Artis The Spoonman performing in Seattle |
I remain a loyal fan of both Soundgarden and Cornell's other projects, including the supergroup Audioslave, which he formed in 2001 with three members of Rage Against The Machine.
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| Ticket Stub from the Audioslave concert I attended, Thanksgiving Weekend, 2005 |
If it wasn't for the pins in my toes from a recent major foot surgery, I would have slapped on my roller blades and cued up Badmotorfinger and Superunknown on Spotify for a cruise around the streets. Rest In Power, Chris. Thanks for helping me get into the best shape of my life. I need to do it again.
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