Saying goodbye as an angel says hello to heaven

“I never wanted
To write these words down for you…”
– Say Hello to Heaven.

 There is no good time for bad news. Waking up to the knowledge that Chris Cornell has passed away leaves a hole in my stomach the size of the world. I saw Soundgarden live two weeks ago and that evening is a testament to not only a better time in music, but to a piece of my soul.

I often say that Pearl Jam brought me to the side of rock when I was a kid, and that’s true… the album Ten got through to me when I was listening to hip hop and tapped into the deepest of me to show me that although I may enjoy hip hop and other genres, rock defines me. But that’s a misleading bit of fact I’ve said for a long time… now that I sit here trying to process something that makes no sense, I realize that it was the track “Hunger Strike” that gave that first blow to finding myself through rock music.

It was late and I saw the video on MTV. I asked who this was and I learned about Eddie and his band first than I did Chris and his band, which I suspect was the case for many people… but I also learned about Temple of the Dog. When I was 12, the albums I listened to nonstop were Temple of the Dog and Ten. Temple of the Dog is a ten song album that started off as a tribute to Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone and has since become one of my favorite albums. It is beautiful and showcases a group of highly talented musicians performing emotional alchemy to create something as a tribute to their fallen friend.

“Cry, if you want to cry/If it helps you see/If it clears your eyes/Hate, if you want to hate/If it keeps you safe/If it makes you brave.”
– My Wave.

Somehow, today every fan of Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, and Chris Cornell have to find a way to do the same. That’s because music has a way of helping people bond like no other medium. With movies and literature, you have to pay attention to process your emotions and in large part, it is an individual experience. With music, you can break down as bad as your body can take and still turn the volume up to let the words and the music break through. With a song, you can sing it in chorus from the crowd and share profound moments of bliss as one stranger who can bond with other strangers to become musical friends thanks to words set to music. I mention Temple of the Dog because it was a side project that brought both Pearl Jam and Soundgarden to the forefront of rock. People cite Nevermind as a game changer album, and it very well was… but so was Temple of the Dog’s ST debut album.

Of course people know Black Hole Sun and why shouldn’t they? It’s a magnificent song. But if that’s the extent of your knowledge of Soundgarden, you’re missing out. You’re missing out big time.

While Nirvana managed to define a feeling, Pearl Jam allowed us to feel a wider range of emotions. Meanwhile, Soundgarden was putting out the loudest possible music, but doing it in a way unlike any other band from the 90’s since. People often say Soundgarden has a lot of Led Zeppelin in it, but that may be due to Chris’s vocals more than anything. Soundgarden was another beast altogether and that’s because Soundgarden is one of those bands that can be imitated but never equaled, where the sum of its parts are so much more than its individual components. Simply put, Soundgarden needs Kim, Ben, Matt, and Chris to happen. These are musicians who play with weird time signatures, weird tunings, weird song progressions, and never stopped pushing themselves. Nothing was intentional in how they played, it just happened… which makes it even more amazing.

After 1997’s Down on the Upside, Soundgarden broke up. It took 13 years for them to get back together and 15 to release a new album, and boy what an album King Animal was. These were late 40’s rockers taking musical chances and pushing each other to the limit, showing that not only did they enjoy playing together, they enjoyed elevating each other to the next level. Matt Cameron’s drumming in Pearl Jam may be amazing, but he shall forever be the drummer for Soundgarden. Both Kim Thayil and Ben Shephard are amazing musicians and Ben even released a solo album that is surprisingly beautiful, but they shall always be the guitarist and bassist for Soundgarden. Then there’s Chris, lead singer for Temple of the Dog (which is basically Pearl Jam with him in lead vocals), solo artist with several beautiful tracks released, but he shall always be the lead singer of Soundgarden.

People ask why Soundgarden wasn’t as big as Pearl Jam or Nirvana even though they were huge and the short answer is that their music wasn’t as immediately relatable or accessible as the other two bands. While Nirvana released Nevermind and Pearl Jam released Ten, Soundgarden released Badmotorfinger, one hell of an album that was to a large degree eclipsed by the other two. The music on it is heavy, obscure, and weird in the best possible way. Then they hit big with Superunknown which was also eclipsed to a certain degree by Kurt’s Death. But they never cared. Their focus was not fame. They were making music that they were proud of and that would endure. They were more focused on history rather than fame.

As a writer, I include the artists I love in all my work. It is my tribute to them and my thank you for all they’ve given to me in my life. In literary contests, I use a pseudonym to submit the work… it’s a name I’ve been using for over 20 years and something a lot of people might know as a bit of trivia for me. It includes the three singers that have had the deepest impact in my life.

Eddie James Cornell

Today I am forced to say goodbye to another piece of me and accept that the only guarantee in life is that we will die… and that this fact isn’t a good or bad thing, it’s just life. What we leave behind is up to us and the people that inspire us and that we inspire. Chris left a deep mark in me with his music, his lyrics, his vocals, and his legacy. I am torn to hear he has passed but I’m honored to have lived to witness this bit of history where he reached down and pulled the crowd up, where we were able to visit the Superunknown, and where a Black Hole Sun is not the end of the world, but a beautiful thing that shines from within us all who dare to dream and dare to be ourselves to the end. 

Peace, love, and maki rolls.

Audible inspiration: Queens of the Stoneage

If you need the definition of Swag, look no further than Queens of the Stoneage. Equal parts stoner rock, punk rock, blues and psychedelia, Queens pulls no punches when they rock out with their socks out, equally comfortable talking about cocaine as they are about vampires, time or counterfeits. They have a unique groove that is all thanks to its leader and single constant member, Joshua Homme.

As if style wasn’t enough to get you by these days, talent and a live show that will trump anything you’ve ever seen, Queens of the Stoneage is an excellent display of a band’s band that is also accessible to the public in both content and music. Wildly innovative, Josh Homme is one of rock’s current greatest guitarists belting out funky riffs and grooves that will make you want to write as much as you will want to shake your rumpshaker.

Queens is at times silly, at times dark and at all times awesome, consistently putting out albums that rival for album of the year and with the highest points in their catalogue for Songs of the Deaf and their recent Like Clockwork. Given the moniker the Ginger Elvis, Josh Homme sings with a croon all his own juxtaposing smooth vocals with dark lyrics and gritty music. If you haven’t checked them out, dive right in. The water is fine... and dark... and inviting.

Cheers,

JD

Audible inspiration: Nine Inch Nails

Dark music does tend to stir the soul and Trent Reznor has spent over two decades bringing the dark to my ears pushing through the flesh of my soul with his Nine Inch Nails. Consistently thought provoking, industrial music grew to what it once became riding on the shoulders of its proverbial Prince of Darkness.

From melancholy, to anger, to sex and the exploration of the darkest corners of our soul, Nine Inch Nails has allowed me to delve deep into my shadow. From Pretty Hate Machine to Hesitation Marks and all the halos in between, this music inspires me to embrace my rage, explore my sexuality and accept that some parts of me would gladly pummel someone if I gave it free rein and that darkness is a part of us.

There are so many dark masterpieces to enjoy that it’s no wonder I’m feeding off extensively off Nine Inch Nails for the sequel to Only Human. Although my first book was dark, the second will be quite darker. Maybe it’s a case of Empire Strikes Back syndrome, although the reasoning behind it is that I need to go as deep and dark as I can in the story, because that’s where Nathaniel and company need to go. As humans, some people think we’re capable of living in the light constantly and that we are supposed to shut out the darkness. I am of another school of thought.

I propose understanding our dark tendencies to always be aware of what stirs inside to be mindful and have a chance at control. All pure light is impossible when it comes to humans because even the purest light casts a shadow. So here’s to our darkness.

JD

Music to write to: Lowercase noises

Andy Othling makes music you can lose yourself in and to be honest, really inspires me to try and sing. If there’s any takeaway from this brief description, take away that... that to me, I would love to write lyrics and sing with this guy playing live. Imagine one guy, with a laptop and a pedal board that is worth more than a decent down payment for a car, creating worlds of music with just those tools... that’s what you get with Lowercase Noises.

Tracks are often slow and swell to gigantic proportions to the point where I’ve found myself vocalizing in the car because I don’t want to hold back. It’s music to close your eyes to and find your inner vessel and travel through your imagination. For me it’s beautiful noise made by the soul... a vast blank canvas just begging to be written over.

I came across Andy by way of Twitter and when I listened to a sample, I wrote and asked where I should start. Although he didn’t reply, that could be due to my message getting lost in the avalanche of communications he may be receiving or because it should definitely be up to the listener to decide what they listen to and share. It’s like someone asking me what to read of what I’ve written... a question that just posting it that way baffles me because although I’m only starting to publish, I’ve been writing consistently on several blogs and even participated in some competitions for years. The fact remains I felt compelled to listen to the albums Blake, Vivian and Marshall in that order, three albums dedicated to his three kids. Although I’m probably going to buy and listen to most of his music, I think these choices were excellent as a starting point because anytime someone dedicates something they do to someone they love, it’s not just their name that’s being put on the line, it’s the name of those you love, and although you can risk your reputation, you’d never do that to a loved one.

The results were fantastic, each set of songs has its personality and throughout I was amazed that what I was listening to was Andy going at this solo... and you don’t have to believe it... you can check his youtube channel to see how he constructs these wonderful soundscapes. He recently did a promotion where you could have downloaded all his music for free and he just wanted to share his music with as many people as possible... I paid for each album and will pay for all other music I listen from him, because it’s worth the price of admission.

I also paid for the music because Andy gave up a well paying job to pursue his passion: making music. his journey has had ups and downs, trials, tribulations, self discovery, exploration and connection... and that's where his music became something special to me, even though I've only recently come into contact with it. This is music made by his own standards, by his own rules, following his own inner compass. It is not made to please any exec, it's not meant to sell a gazillion dollars... its intent is to express, to inspire and to connect. 

He is an independent artist... and guess what? So am I. So are a lot of people. I didn't have to jump through hoops to publish Only Human... I just had to write it, be true to my vision and story and put it out there. No compromise, no half assing, just my heart and soul put into my story and telling as many people as I can of my first published book. Listening to Andy's music and reading his story, I'm more determined than ever to pursue my vision of what I want to write although I'm still fearful of that step he took... one that could very well shape the rest of my life. Then again, I read how he wasn't happy with his job and how he didn't want to continue settling, something I can most certainly identify with... and I feel inspired. 

I share this with you, not just because he asked people to. I do it because I’m just honored to have you on this site, regardless whether you bought my book, have read my short stories or have enjoyed other posts on this blog or any other blog I might have written on. I have a commitment to connecting and just knowing these letters swam through someone’s retinas, well what else could I ask for?

So cheers dear friends, by all means, keep connecting. If you like what you read, refer the blog or give Only Human to someone as a digital gift. If you like what you hear of Andy or any of the other artists I post on here, share. And if you like what you live, smile.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD