Kim Thayil on Soundgarden – A Reunion is ‘Just Not Likely’
What's in a name? Soundgarden's former members have said that they might like to work together again, but without their late frontman, Chris Cornell, they won't use their band's name.
Drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd certainly raised the hopes for additional music in the aftermath of Cornell's passing, speaking at the Chris Cornell statue unveiling. “We’re just still taking our time and giving ourselves space to process everything. We would certainly love to try to continue to do something, figure out something to do together,” Cameron was quoted as saying, while Shepherd added, “On a personal level. We haven’t even gotten a chance to hang out, just us three, yet. We’re going through natural healing, then thinking about the natural next step.”
However, in a separate interview with the Seattle Times, guitarist Kim Thayil tempered expectations on any further collaborations, offering a notable addendum. “No, I don’t think that’s anything we’d give reasonable consideration to at this point,” Thayil said when asked about the possibility of recording under the Soundgarden moniker. “When I say ‘at this point,’ I mean perhaps ever [laughs].”
He went on to add, “I don’t know really what kind of thing is possible or what we would consider in the future. It’s likely nothing. The four of us were that. There were four of us and now there’s three of us, so it’s just not likely that there’s much to be pursued other than the catalog work at this point.”
Since Cornell's passing, Thayil took his time returning to music, but has been spending time on the road over this past year as part of the MC50 band, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees MC5. Cameron has also made appearances with MC50, though not a full-time member of the lineup.
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