R.I.P CHRIS CORNELL.

When other people at school were raving about the Grunge scene in 1991-1992, i was less than interested: my listening habits consisted of mainstream Pop, some Dance, a bit of Indie, and from '92, Madness. I found the music and lyrics depressing, and the look of long hair, lumberjack shirts and scruffy jeans bored me. It wasn't until a few years after i had left school that i began to appreciate some of the music, and this was chiefly because of one band whose videos were constantly on MTV: Soundgarden. A much heavier and more metal-influced band than most of their contemporaries, their 1994 album Superunknown had become their biggest success yet, and the videos for its singles were how i heard about them, particularly "Spoonman" and the psychedelic metal classic "Black Hole Sun". They split up a few years later, but i gradually got to hear a few more of their songs over the years. Singer Chris Cornell had forged a solo career, and also fronted Audioslave, a band formed with a singer-less Rage Against The Machine after Zack De La Rocha quit. They had a couple of hits and released three albums before knocking it on the head, and after that Cornells' most successful song was "You Know My Name", the theme song for the James Bond film Casino Royale, which was a big hit worldwide.

It was a shock to hear on the morning of Wednesday 18th May 2017 that Chris Cornell had died at the age of 52, just hours after a reformed Soundgarden gig. Even more saddening was the later news that he had taken his own life, having hanged himself. It was well known that he had suffered with anxiety, depression, and agrophobia throughout his life, in addition to various drink and drug problems, although he had conquered those. A reminder that those with mental health problems may seem ok on the surface, but suffer in silence.

I'm not going to claim i was a massive fan of his music, but Soundgardens' Superknown and its singles were and are some of my favourite music, and remind me of my late teens. "Black Hole Sun" is up there with the best of the rock classics. Chris had a great voice, one of the finest in rock music, and was one of a kind who stood out amongst his contemporaries. Gone too soon.