After receiving nominations in 2020 and 2023, Soundgarden's finally getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since their nominations all came after Chris Cornell's death, guitarist Kim Thayil spoke to Billboard about how he thought the singer would react to the news.
“He’s the one who convinced me how appreciative the fans and our peers and the Soundgarden community — that includes the people that we work with and work for us — would be about it,” Thayil admitted. “He realized how important that was, and he understood that would be important to us because it’s important to people who cared about us and helped us and supported us all along. That’s how I believe Chris would respond to this. I think he’d be very appreciative and thankful to all the people who have believed in him and believed in the work he did and the work that we all did, collectively.”
Thayil went on to say that although he, drummer Matt Cameron, bassist Ben Shepherd, and original bassist Hiro Yamamoto are “very happy” about the induction it wasn't always the case. “I kinda came from a subculture of rock that didn’t quite get what all the fuss is about,” the guitarist said. “Back in the ’80s, ’90s, when the Hall started, I probably was not alone in being part of a punk rock or indie metal scene that had an aversion to the idea. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around both a qualitative appraisal and a quantitative assessment.”
But Cornell changed his perspective after participating in the inductions of Heart, Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the 2010s before his death. “Chris lived the experience and said the enthusiasm of the fans was eye-opening for him, and understanding how important that was — and Matt seconded it,” Thayil explained. “In so many ways the fans got some kind of validation by having a band that was important to their heart and that they championed get (the honor). I know I felt that way about bands I believed in, whether the MC5 or The Ramones or KISS. Chris explained that to me, and that kind of changed things. Plus I heard this from the Nirvana guys, the Pearl Jam guys, other friends and other bands. So it really changed my perspective.”
Thayil also spoke about how difficult it will be to navigate the performance aspect of the induction without Cornell. “It’s a high bar, not just technically, but emotionally,” he said. “There has to be a reverence for the missing brother and founder, and there also has to be reverence for the legacy — both for Chris’ work and Chris’ creativity, as well as the regard and reverence we have for ourselves collectively and for each other. Some suggestions have come out; I’m not prepared to share that, but I’ll just say it’s a higher bar than the usual composite of guitarists and drummers or singers.”
The surviving members have reunited three times since Cornell's passing in 2017: they performed together during his tribute concert in 2019, with Brandi Carlile in 2021, and most recently with singer Shaina Shepherd for a benefit concert last December.
Soundgarden join The White Stripes, OutKast, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Bad Company, and Chubby Checker in the Rock Hall Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is set to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on November 8 and will stream live on Disney+.