SPILL BOOK REVIEW: KIM THAYIL – A SCREAMING LIFE: INTO THE SUPERUNKNOWN WITH SOUNDGARDEN AND BEYOND

KIM THAYIL – A SCREAMING LIFE: INTO THE SUPERUNKNOWN WITH SOUNDGARDEN AND BEYOND

WILLIAM MORROW

BOOK REVIEW BY GERROD HARRIS

Little has been written about the ascent, songwriting, and legacy of perhaps the greatest band to emerge from the grunge and alternative rock wave of the ‘90s, Soundgarden. Less so from an insider perspective, that is, until earlier this year when founding member and lead guitarist, Kim Thayil released his autobiography, A Screaming Life: Into The Superunknown With Soundgarden And Beyond.

In many ways, A Screaming Life is a conventional memoir that follows Thayil from his formative years to the present. In this journey, he touches upon first picking up the guitar and playing in early bands, to his friendship with original Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto and meeting Chris Cornell. Where A Screaming Life shines is Thayil’s voice as a writer. He writes with a candor that feels conversational, which not only makes the book a quick read that you will not want to put down, but also makes his words feel incredibly authentic to his recollections and experiences. There are even moments where he is critical of the shift in sound as Soundgarden navigated the Seattle underground on their way to making their major label debut. It is in such criticisms and questioning where Thayil shines a subtle light upon his own artistic values, often favouring sonic abrasions found in hardcore and noise or art rock projects.

A Screaming Life, while covering a range of chapters within Thayil’s life, focuses largely on his music. Some of the highlights within the book come from explorations of lesser-known narratives, like the early days of Soundgarden when they were simply a power trio with Cornell singing lead vocals from behind the drum set – and Thayil’s initial apprehensions to Cornell stepping into the lead singer role full time. He also spends some time walking through each record and some of the subsequent tours and discusses his post-Soundgarden projects while also providing an in-depth look at the culminating factors that led to the band’s initial breakup. While each Soundgarden album is covered, much of these chapters feel a touch brief at times; Thayil often gives more than what was already largely known but leaves a lot to be imagined at times. There is an episodic nature to A Screaming Life that aids in the development and pacing of the book, but it left me longing for so much more regarding the writing and recording of some of Soundgarden’s most pivotal work. Still, A Screaming Life is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Throughout the book, Thayil refers to himself as the guardian of the Soundgarden legacy, which has put him at the head of the band’s many remastered releases and retrospective projects, including 2010’s Telephantasm and 2014’s Echo Of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across The Path. In this regard, A Screaming Life feels like the start of a new era of Thayil engaging with the legacy of Soundgarden beyond the music. As such, A Screaming Life: Into The Superunknown With Soundgarden And Beyond is a must read that provides a rare and unfiltered look at Soundgarden from the perspective of one of the key architects behind their sound.

ISBN-10: 1770417133
ISBN-13:‎ 978-1778525872

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