Sweet Sunshower

I wake up, open FB, and the first headline is something regarding Jimmy Page making a statement about Chris Cornell. I thought "who cares what Jimmy thinks of Chris.... wait." I panic, and dig deeper. I read the headline, and my heart sinks. All I can say is "wow." I am beyond disbelief, we lose rock stars all the time, but Chris meant something to me way beyond Bowie or Prince. Chris was the best voice of my generation. He spoke directly to the 18 year old Nago from Erie, PA.

I can't remember the first time I heard him. Probably the Singles movie soundtrack, maybe Temple of the Dog? What I do remember is how good Badmotorfinger is. Rusty Cage and Jesus Christ Pose are tattooed into my DNA. I heard Sabbath, I heard Zeppelin, I heard soul, and some controlled chaos with progressive timing.

I was early 20's or so when Soundgarden ruled the world. It was an awkward, yet rewarding time for me. I was pretty newly married, had kids and was already working for the company I have spent my entire adult life with. My inner circle was small (not much has changed there), but we all took care of each other for the most part. There was a huge portion of me that wished I could have been a part of my generation, but obligations made me take a back seat to scenes and parties. Soundgarden was a bridge for me. I loved their approach, their style, and their vocals. In a post thrash mainstream, Soundgarden was Metal in a sea of bullshit.

My son Mocha may not remember this, but his favorite song, from the time he could recite it, was Rusty Cage. He would sing that joker all the dayum time. Angie and I were proud of what we had created, even then.

Angie was the first person to text me today about Chris. I'm not surprised. We had that connection in our past life together. I knew she was probably hurting over this one too... And there it is, It really hurts. The next person was my old friend Bedo. Yeah, he feels exactly the same, and told me to get writing. I was not sure if I could. I am not sure if I am doing it any justice.

A voice silenced. One of the purest voices I've ever heard. One of my favorite voices, period. I am glad I had the chance to hear you perform. RIP.

Looking California, feeling Minnesota,

Nago