Soundgarden's Thayil On Idea Of Playing Without Chris Cornell

Michael Angulia | 11-18-2019

Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil addressed the idea of the surviving band members reforming and performing without late frontman Chris Cornell.

Thayil was asked about the possibility during a SiriusXM interview and responded, "Reasonably, you've got a big part missing. So, I think in terms of the Soundgarden catalog, that's still gonna be active as best as it can be. In terms of unreleased recordings, live material, I'm still gonna attend to that; that's my gig. I love that. Let's make records.

"I do not see, given the commitments that other bandmembers have, given our sentiments and love for Chris, I do not see us reconfiguring a tour or anything, as other bands have done in the past, without him.

"This is really complicated, but I've known Chris since I was a kid, basically, we grew up together, our early 20s. You want to honor the work and legacy you did. Is it best to regard it with dignity and let it rest? Do you want to honor it by celebrating the music and work that he's done?

"This has been difficult for a lot of people in the family and the band, and I think our conclusion was that. I understand people are complicated, and experience and life is a bag of tricks, but I don't know. I think we reached a conclusion that we thought was correct.

But then again, 20, 30 years ago, we didn't think the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was anything, but certainly, looking back, it's an important part of our legacy, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is, to acknowledge that, and now it's important."

Check out the full interview below: