Oh boy, are you guys ready for some seriously nostalgic and potentially depressing news? 🤯 Because Kim Thayil, the legendary lead guitarist of SOUNDGARDEN, just launched his new memoir, “A Screaming Life: Into The Superunknown With Soundgarden And Beyond”, and I’m not sure if I should be excited or concerned for my emotional well-being. 😂 On June 11, 2026, Thayil had a chat with Krist Novoselic, the iconic bassist of NIRVANA, at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Washington, and you can watch the whole thing below. Because, you know, who doesn’t love a good conversation about the dark side of the grunge scene? 🤔
So, Thayil’s book apparently talks about how heroin basically ruined the Seattle grunge scene, resulting in the deaths of some pretty big names like Layne Staley and Mike Starr from ALICE IN CHAINS, Kurt Cobain from NIRVANA, and Andrew Wood from MOTHER LOVE BONE. I mean, it’s not like we didn’t already know that, but still… 🤦♂️ Thayil’s all like, “Hey, people made their own choices, and it’s not like the bands or the scene were encouraging them to be reckless.” Yeah, sure, because that’s exactly what I want to hear when I’m reading about my favorite bands – that they were all just a bunch of risk-takers who happened to die young. 🙄
The book and the conversation
Thayil explains that he had to constantly tell people that SOUNDGARDEN didn’t have a “drug culture” and that the scene wasn’t all about reinforcing reckless behavior. Because, you know, it’s not like the media or the public would ever sensationalize or misrepresent the facts. 🙄 He also mentions how hard it was for him to deal with the aftermath of losing friends like Andy and Kurt, and how people would look at him suspiciously just because he had long hair and played in a Seattle band. I mean, who can relate, right? 😂
Thayil also talks about how Chris Cornell’s death was a real wake-up call for him, and how it made him realize that the whole “Seattle sound” thing was more than just a bunch of guys playing music – it was a community, a family. And, of course, who can forget the part where Cornell’s autopsy report showed that he had a bunch of prescription drugs in his system, but they didn’t contribute to his death? Yeah, because that’s not a confusing and disturbing detail at all. 🤔
New music and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Anyway, enough about the depressing stuff. SOUNDGARDEN is actually working on a new album with previously unreleased recordings they made with Cornell before his death. Because, you know, what’s a better way to honor someone’s memory than by releasing some unfinished music? 🤷♂️ Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd are all collaborating with producer Terry Date, who worked on some of their earlier albums, so maybe this thing won’t be a total disaster. 🤞
Oh, and did I mention that SOUNDGARDEN was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025? Yeah, because that’s not something that would have happened 20 years ago or anything. 🙄 The surviving members even performed at the event with some guest vocalists, because who needs Chris Cornell when you have Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile, right? 😂 Mike McCready from PEARL JAM and Jerry Cantrell from ALICE IN CHAINS even made appearances, because why not? 🤷♂️
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? I’m not really sure, but I think it’s something like… be careful what you wish for, because you might just get a bunch of middle-aged men playing music and talking about the good old days. 🤣 Or maybe it’s just that the grunge scene was a wild and crazy time, and we should all just be grateful that we’re still alive to talk about it. 🙏 Either way, I’m gonna go listen to some SOUNDGARDEN and contemplate the meaning of life. 🤘🏻💀
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
