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Audioslave ponders perils of success
09/13/2006 7:21 AM, Reuters
Dean Goodman
The hard-rock band Audioslave arose
from the ashes of two chart-topping groups that broke up at the
peak of their success -- Soundgarden and Rage Against the
Machine.
So now that Audioslave has just issued its third album in
four years amid reviews that suggest the group is finally
delivering on its promise, it must be time to call it a day?
"Yeah, exactly," singer Chris Cornell says with a laugh.
"Everything's going great, and now that we know for sure we can
make several more great records, somebody's gotta leave.
"It could be any one of us," he adds. "And also at this age
... unexpected death can happen, too."
Of course he's being facetious, though it would be a pity
if the 42-year-old Seattle native were to walk in front of a
bus now that he's newly sober and enjoying domestic bliss in
Paris with a new wife and their baby son.
The former Soundgarden vocalist says Audioslave has been
dogged by break-up rumors ever since he joined forces in 2001
with Rage guitarist Tom Morello, bass player Tim Commerford and
drummer Brad Wilk. The "super group" combination, after all,
seemed so irresistible, yet so combustible.
The rumor mill went into overdrive recently when Audioslave
said no tour was planned to coincide with the release of its
new album, "Revelations" (Epic/Interscope), which came out this
week. Instead, Cornell said he would co-write and perform the
theme song for the new James Bond movie "Casino Royale." He
begins work on a second solo album in October.
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Meanwhile, Cornell has been promoting "Revelations" by
himself on the European TV and radio circuit, performing a
timely version of "Wide Awake," a new song that takes the Bush
administration to task for its slow response to Hurricane
Katrina. He says he misses his bandmates when they are apart
for too long, and he looks forward to reconnecting on tour next
year.
"I think the biggest problem with people surviving in a
band and getting along and appreciating each other is ... that
for the most part musicians aren't the kind of people who
concentrate or worry about what the other guy thinks," he says.
When problems arise in Audioslave, they are dealt with
immediately, he says, because the members have learned plenty
from their previous bands.
Rage Against the Machine, fronted by singer Zack de la
Rocha, emerged as one of the most political bands of the 1990s,
with Harvard-educated Morello espousing Marxist theories and
decrying the perils of capitalism and censorship.
Soundgarden, meanwhile, was one of the leading lights of
the Seattle rock scene. The heavy guitar riffs of Kim Thayil
recalled the thunderous sound of British metal pioneers Black
Sabbath. Soundgarden broke up in 1997, Rage in 2000 when de la
Rocha quit, citing internal dissent.
Audioslave issued its self-titled debut in 2002, complete
with Cornell's trademark shrieks and Morello's penchant for
guitar-playing gimmickry. But the effort was judged a little
too earnest or muddled. Last year's "Out of Exile" drew better
reviews and opened at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts.
Cornell underwent a transformation between albums. He was a
raging drunk when he formed Audioslave, to the consternation of
his bandmates. But he cleaned up his act, albeit without a
recognized program like Alcoholics Anonymous. "I just chose a
different lifestyle," he says.
At least, he did not have to complete the ninth step --
making amends -- which might have involved dealing with his
ex-wife, Susan Silver, who also managed Soundgarden. Their 2004
divorce triggered bitter litigation. Just recently, Cornell
sued his former divorce lawyer and accountant, claiming they
negligently allowed Silver to co-own his musical works rather
than share in the royalties.
ANXIETY GALORE
On a happier front, Cornell married a publicist and now
lives in the City of Lights with their son, Chris, Jr. Life
must be good, because he's the only one smiling in the
"Revelations" CD booklet. "I was probably hammered," he jokes.
But the conversation soon turns serious. The word "anxiety"
is mentioned a half-dozen times. With domestic stability, comes
"a tremendous amount of anxiety when you have something to
lose," and then there's "the anxiety of the state of world
politics and U.S. foreign policy hanging over your head."
He expects his solo album will explore some of those
themes. He shared some of his worries in "Wide Awake," which
finds the country's leadership "guilty of a crime, of sleeping
at a time, when you should have been wide awake."
He says he preferred writing a song about Hurricane Katrina
than joining the New Orleans celebrity trail blazed by
publicity-savvy stars like Sean Penn.
"I'd probably be a liability anyway. Somebody would have to
come and rescue me," he says with a laugh.
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