It’s still impossible for me to listen to Soundgarden without feeling just that little bit down. There was a period after Chris Cornell died that I couldn’t hear them at all, but slowly that subsided and I was able to get back into them and have them pop up in my headphones without going, “Ugh, no, goddamn it, why?” and turning it off.
Anyway. They were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently, and the videos are starting to appear one by one from their performance. But this one, with Taylor Momsen from the Pretty Reckless up front (and Mike McCready lending a hand on second guitar), is the one I keep replaying. And I can’t articulate why, exactly. But it has that edge and rawness and that thing that made them so different from every band that came before or after.
It’s this little glimpse into what was and what could’ve remained had things been different. And it’s a badass tribute to a band that scorched the earth the second they planted their feet.
I got to see Deep Sea Diver in St. Paul in 2023, and one of the things that surprised me was just how goddamn loud they were live. And good, of course. Obviously they were good, or I wouldn’t still be listening to them and posting this now.
This is one of those videos I keep going back to, especially on rainy days like today. And one of these days, I’ll need to figure out how to tune and keep one of those little accordian-type-things going while I’m playing.
I will forever be in awe of how McCartney recorded this alone in his living room.
(Correction: This song was recorded solo at Abbey Road. He recorded the rest of the album at home. But the point stands that he’s the only musician on this thing.)
