Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
So how hard can it be (how hard) / To share your love with me? / How hard can it be / To rise with me each morning / How long it feels like / We will live forever / But I fear / That time can hide the years / Like we were never here / So hold on tightly my dear
Before we disappear / Before we disappear
I wouldn’t exactly call Chris Cornell a good friend. The last time I saw him was at the old A&M, now Hansen, studios. I walked in and we had a rare laugh. Chris had been telling producer Brendan O’Brien he didn’t know me. Upon my entry with a laugh he called out, “Oh shit, Sidel—I do know you!” and gave me a big hug and a smile.
The weeks prior to that encounter I was doing double duty. While putting together my Idelic Hour playlist, I was combing through old singles looking for ideas for Chris’ upcoming album of covers. One or two of the song ideas I sent along to Brendan got cut, and most of the records I sent only made it onto that month’s episodes.
At “A&M” we sat and listened to Chris’s covers and I blabbed about obscure soul producers, my love for Jerry Ragavoy, and lyrical themes like “I’d rather have a cheatin’ man than no man at all.” That hour at A&M I was very “idelic.” The encounter will likely pop into my head when I hear Soundgarden for quite some time to come.
As for Chris, what can I say? He was reserved. I met him around twenty some odd years ago through Johnny and Linda Ramone. As I recall they decided we should go for a late lunch at Gladstones in Malibu. It was a weekend and there was a horrible long wait for a table—that was until the hostess laid eyes on Cornell. Before we knew it we were at a table with a flock of waitresses attending to our every need. I lost count of how many refills of ice tea we were offered. I’ve never seen so many different waitresses fussing over pouring ice teas. I remember my wife commented…
“Who the fuck is this guy?!”
He was like a dark, lonely knight from Middle Age folklore. Quiet, tall, and handsome. No man in the room could stand a chance. Cornell looked cooler and had more talent, more sex appeal, and the dude could fucking sing.
He was a stone cold rock star who appeared to have it all. Nothing seemed to phase this guy. Well, except for life. So sad, so tragic.
Well, “let’s…let’s just not get lost.”
The Idelic Hit of the Week: Big Thief – Mythological Beauty
