Chris Cornell. RIP

I read this morning that Chris Cornell had passed away suddenly and it hit me in the stomach like a punch. His voice and work with Soundgarden was the soundtrack to my teenage years. BadMotorFinger, Superunknown, Down On The Upside, Fopp, Louder Than Love. 20 + years later and i still listen to them. Im listening to Hands All Over as i type this.

It sucks. What a waste. He was only 52. I know he had problems with heroin but no news has come through yet of the details of his passing. I hope this isn't the case here.

I'm actually heartbroken. The voice that got me and my friends into music is gone.

Soundgarden were the first big band i ever saw in Dublin. Sunstroke 95 in the RDS. Me, Moloney, Shacky, Graham and John. It was an eventful day. We got insulted by Jonathan Ross in Temple Bar ( We were wuffians apparently cos our reflections in a shop window ruined a take of his show ) and John disappeared before the show and we didnt see him until school that September. He got bored in the queue and went for a drink and got knocked down by a car and cos we had no phones and were selfish 16 year olds we went to the show anyway assuming we'd find him. Eek. He was grand btw, big burly rugby player and he did more damage to the car than it did to him. 

The concert though, wow. They were something else live. Jesus Christ Pose sounded primal. Ben Shepherd losing the plot on stage. The heat, the sweat, the crowd going wild. Our first time in a mosh pit, terrified but fucking loving it. Seeing Rob Zombie and John Tempesta from White Zombie watching from stage side. The entire place losing it during Spoonman and Rusty Cage. Standing back from the crowd and singing along to Drawing Flies. My first crowd surf. My wrists absolutely fucked from lifting people up to crowdsurf. Seeing my buddy Shacky going over the barrier and him in bits laughing as security dragged him away. Cornell and his ubiqitous skull t-shirt and twisted fork necklace. Stoic Kim Thayal giving it welly on lead guitar. The adrenaline rush of seeing your favourite band live. Music when you are 16 is the most important thing on earth. That voice. That insane voice. 

Shower in the dark day
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown

Great memories stuck in my head forever.

Thank you Chris Cornell.