05.22.05
Every single time I hear Audioslave playing on the radio, I think, "Gee, I liked this band a lot better when it was called Soundgarden."
But I meant it in that "Sure, I like Alias. But I liked it a hell of a lot better when it was called La Femme Nikita." way. Like the first thing is ripping off the second thing.
Imagine my amusement when I found out that Chris Cornell is actually the lead singer of Audioslave.
I mean, it only makes sense.
And speaking of the Seattle Sound, a lot of people have posited that Kurt Cobain offing himself was the best thing that ever happened to Courtney Love. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.
I also submit that it was probably the best thing that every happened to Dave Grohl, as well.
With that shotgun blast, Kurt Cobain became a martyr of the harsh life of the melancholy artist, and Nirvana was permanently launched into the realm of the Unforgettable Musician/Band* (Jim Morrison and The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and The Beatles, etc.).
What that boils down to is that no one will ever forget Kurt Cobain, or Nirvana. They are now an important part of the history of rock and roll, considered forerunners of the Seattle grunge scene, and their music will resonate through all music of the pensive hard rock genre.
And since the music will be played in perpetuity, it will collect royalties in perpetuity.
That aside, Dave Grohl starting Foo Fighters after Nirvana ended was the definitely the greatest outcome of this whole sordid mess.
Foo Fighters also filled a musical niche that was lacking, and 11 years later, they are more popular than ever.
There's a huge clamor for their new album, and their tour promises to be great.
Hell, Dave was even tapped to play drums on the latest nin album.
He's got the wits, talent, and fortitude to stick around for a long time, with FF or without. Who knows where he'd be today if only...
*I like Nirvana, and I'm not trying to offend anyone that thinks Kurt Cobain could have never been half the musician that Jim Morrison was, and so on. I'm just making a point. They were the right sound at the right time, and they filled a void that incidentally happened to make them important and memorable. They were a genre and a footnote in the history in music.
What's in your head?