Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Declares War on Pop
Sunday, July 1, 2012 at 9:51AM
From The Sun in the UK:
Singer Chris Cornell predicts the time is ripe for alternative rock to triumph again and eradicate the vacuous chart dross targeted at kids and “morons”.
“I’ve always believed that rock music benefits from an obstacle,” says the Seattle native.
“The worst rock is made when everybody loves rock, like in the late Eighties. That’s the only time hard rock has been the biggest-selling genre of music — and it was mostly cr*p.
“The Seattle scene was the antithesis of that. Soundgarden was very instrumental in creating that shift.
“We were one of the first bands to be held up and looked at, where the engines of commercial rock thought, ‘This is the future. This band or bands like it can be selling millions of records’.
“A big reason grunge became so big so fast is because people were so sick of what was out there.
“It’s the same thing now. You have a better chance of a very healthy and vital rock scene coming out today because there’s something to react against.
“Contemporary pop music couldn’t be any worse than it is now."
Reader Comments (9)
“Contemporary pop music couldn’t be any worse than it is now."
Famous last words. Not sneering at a Soundgarden reboot... Been looking forward to it since 1997. But things could always be worse. Maybe he's just mad cuz the record he did with Timbaland did so abysmally bad...?
What about that terrible pop album he did a few years back? He's one to talk!
He'd have a much better case if it weren't for this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pcWbnQDMD0
What a load of crap. Take a look at local music scenes with thousands of bands that have been 'declaring war on pop" for years and not getting ANY of the attention or exposure they so rightfully deserve. That battle's been going on for a long time man, the troops have been out in the killing fields for longer than you can care to remember.
Pop music has been forever, so you'll never totally get rid of it. The only difference is that now it's ubiquitous. Omnipresent. So in reality, it shouldn't be eliminated...just put back in it's proper place. A music revolution in some city should take care of that.
Just another guy saying how his band meant more than the others! BLAHBLAHBLAH..... Music always seems to go in cycles anyhow,from rock to pop to country,it eventually gets back to the genre you listen to the most. And when it does return to "Rock"......Soundgarden will be nowhere to be heard,for it wll be the younger kids that lead the charge!
So Cornell is going to shelve his "Scream" album he made with acclaimed pop & hip-hop producer Timbaland?
I Hope he at least intends to apologize for being just as much of the problem at least once before.
Um, Chris Cornell didn't "declare war on pop" - just bad music, whatever the genre. You people should learn to read...LOL!!!
He's clear about the fact that he hates shit music, what he doesn't mention is what he plans to do to help this"war on pop and morons" will he find rockin bands and produce them, maybe help get their name out? It looks more like he's gonna sit on his rich old ass and bitch about kids these days... BTW I never saw Part of Me before it was posted here. I'd never laughed and puked at the same time either