While it may strike you as weird to have a blog item on BangShift today about the passing of a rock and roll guy, allow us moment of self-indulgence to explain why. For starters, Chris Cornell has died at age 52. At the time of us writing this we have no details as to how or as to what the potential causes are. It was sudden and seemingly out of the blue. Cornell did struggle with drug addiction for most of his life so it would not be a shocking but more of a sad revelation if that’s what got him. But I digress.
I can’t say that the Chris Cornell’s passing hit me unreasonably hard. It is not something I have plumbed the depths of my soul over but I did wince. Cornell’s powerful voice is a central part in one of the most fun memories any gearhead has. The first time you drive away from your house in your own car after getting your driver’s license. In my case it was August of 1998 (had to be 16 1/2 in Massachusetts to take the test) and after I got the State Trooper issuing the test to sign off on my permit, making it a license, I hot footed home with my mom. We were not home for 30 seconds before I had grabbed “my” keys and headed for my car.
The 1984 Monte Carlo bathed in classic Ford Acapulco blue and wearing Cragar S/S wheels with white letter tires may as well have been a Lamborghini or a steak to a guy who had been trapped on a desert island for years. That was salvation on wheels and when I hopped in and fired the car up, the junky AudioVox stereo had been preloaded with Soundgarden. Burden In My Hand was the song and I played it as loud and as hard as those 6x9s would drive it. As I cruised up the street I can only imagine what my mom was thinking. She was probably in a panic. She was probably right to be that way.
So while I was just another of the millions of kids listening to Chris Cornell’s work, having his voice as the signature on a memory I love stumbling back to in my brain makes his death land a little closer than it otherwise would have. Music and cars will always be tied together. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s leveled the pedal in his car when a Soundgarden or Audioslave tune hit the radio or the CD player, right?
Black Days….. RIP
Let’s not forget Temple of the Dog. With hits like “Hunger Strike” and “Say Hello To Heaven”, in my opinion it was one of his greatest collaborations.
It was 1991. I was 19. Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger in the pullout Kenwood cassette deck blaring through the Jensen 6x9s in my ’78 Malibu. Memories that will never leave me. “Rusty Cage” still gets me going everytime I listen to it.
R.I.P. Chris
Favorite of mine is “Black Hole Sun”. Couldn’t image doing a show then no tomorrow.
RIP
I think this list is incomplete without mentioning \”Showing Me How to Live\”. The video pays homage to the first \”Gone in 60 Seconds\”, and an awesome Challenger R/T. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVXIK1xCRpY
The Show Me How to Live video was inspired by Vanishing Point.
I’m live in the greater Seattle area and the local rock stations have been playing every Chris Cornell song ever as a tribute. Sad thing is we all are going to die someday? Just don’t commit suicide! A friend killed himself just a month ago and I’m left with why he did it?
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited this website before but after going through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely happy I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!
For me it was Like A Stone in my 96 S10 through a pair of 10\” JLs lol. Rip Chris.
If I was doing the stuck on the desert island thing and I could have just one Chris Cornell tune to play in my Willys CJ2A it’d be this one, has to be played at 11, as Nigel Tufnel would say……….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnzgdBAKyJo
I’m glad to find someone else who likes this song. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one.
Superunknown , one of my favorite album of all time . Remember listening to it on hot summer nights riding in my Mustang, good memories .
1990, the copper coloured Olds Toronado with the blue block 350 front wheel drive and red velour couches inside. Rolling with the windows open and the hi-fi on loud, playing Louder Than Love, the Soundgarden debut cd. Played that Louder than necessary so everybody would know how feckin’ cool I am.
Sad day for music fans
ya his music is a soundtrack to part of my journey too …Black Hole Sun the summer I got kicked to the curb by my Ex wife , I had two little girls 9 and 3 all I had to my name was my ’70 Chevelle some clothes a pair o cowboy boots …driving up Hwy 35 into Halliburton to my boss’s cottage alone . . Black Hole Sun played on the radio to this day whenever I hear it it takes me back , the girls are grown one is married one is an Aircraft mechanic I’m remarried with a 13yr old son so it worked out …Sad to hear the news I truly hope if he was troubled that he has found peace His song helped me find mine . ..RIP brother .
Well-written article and so relatable, Brian Lohnes, thank you. I too have had similar experiences with his music through many years, and so many of them centered around cars. I will miss him and his beautiful voice.
I HATE WHEN SUICIDE’S ARE REFERRED TO AS PASSES. PASSES TOM BRADY PASSES A CAR PASSES A BUTT PASSES WHY NOT CALL IT INTENTIONAL PASSING THIS IS NO WAY OUT!…. YOU YOURSELF PUT YOURSELF IN GET IT INTENTIONAL PASSING THIS SUBJECT SHOULD NOT BE AVOIDED BY ANYONE OR ANYTHING SUCH AS THE MEDIA DOES LIKE MORK AND NOW CRISS TELL IT LIKE IT IS YOU CANT HELP PEOPLE BY AVOIDING THINGS AND YOU CANT TEACH PEOPLE THIS WAY EITHER SO HERE A MUST KNOW LESSON ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH LIVE LOVE AND FIGHT FOR THE LIFE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH AND NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE ANY! INTENTIONALLY SELF PASS YOU WON’T LIKE WHERE YOU END UP!
The correct image for this post would have been the entire band of Audioslave in a white 70 Challenger for the Show Me How To Live video, honoring Vanishing Point. I made my own car chase movie as a college project. I had/have a white \’67 Camaro RS/SS we used in the movie and inserted the footage from the end of vanishing point for the finale.
Though I have many car memories involving Soundgarden and Audioslave, more me would be my 1978 Aerocoupe Caprice. I would come home on the weekends from college and blare the first Audislave album as loud as I could. My voice would be hoarse by the time I arrived home. Warm summer nights playing \”Getaway car,\” and in particular, \”Cochise\” and \”Gasoline.\” To this day it\’s still one of my favorite cruising albums.