Another Rocker Gone

So this am I awoke to the news that Chris Cornell was dead.  He was the founder of the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden.  He was 52.  Wifey and I have been on a tear recently, to see music acts before they die, but we figured bands like The Who, whose players are in their 70s, and Paul McCartney, a PRE Baby Boomer, were ripe subjects.  Cornell was much younger.

In my typical fashion, I was late to know and appreciate Grunge.  I grew up on LI, close to the birth city of Punk and New Age, and I ignored it all until it was 10 years old.  When I was a teen, I was convinced that, to be any good, a band had to have been around awhile, and so I dug acts that were more my sister's vintage (she's 13 years older than I) than mine.

I think I first appreciated Grunge in the early aughts. D2 would wake up for school, reluctantly, and turn on VH1 while she got ready.  I developed an annoying habit (to her) of standing next to her bed watching the channel.  It played a lot of grunge, including a song by Cornell and Soundgarden I really dug -- Blackhole Sun.  D2 would emerge from the bathroom to find me standing there, watching.  A few young teen girl facial expressions of disgust later, I would leave.

But to this day, I associate Soundgarden with D2.  She was a cooler kid than I was -- getting into music of her day as it came out, rather than years later.  She's still the family source for any info on Hip Hop, which she and her boyfriend Jonathan enjoy.  Every once in awhile, I'll pick up a Hip Hop expression, and surprise her with it.  When she told me years ago about Kendrick Lamar, I replied "West Coast -- represent!"  Even though she's now 25, I still excel at making D2 roll her eyes...

Anyway, Cornell died after a concert in Detroit, apparently.  No cause of death has been reported yet, but in his honor, I've been playing Soundgarden and Audioslave in his memory.

And Wifey and I are set to see Hall and Oates (Tears for Fears opening act), U2, and Paul McCartney all within a 30 day spread, beginning next month.  I'm glad we are.

Who knows when they will, contrary to Buddy Holly's hope, fade away?