When news of David Bowie's death spread, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell tweeted a video of himself singing the Ziggy Stardust track "Lady Stardust" and wrote that "140 characters will not suffice" when it came to honoring one of his musical influences. Here, he parses the significance of an artist who showed him that it's OK to change.
David Bowie was an inspiration. As a songwriter, he had this intense vitality throughout his entire career. He made aging as a recording artist seem totally doable in a vital way.
I remember seeing the Ziggy Stardust album everywhere when I was a kid. People used to have all their vinyl in their living rooms, like part of the decor. You would see Let It Be and the faces of the Beatles everywhere, in a corner. At some point, I'd seen Ziggy enough that it piqued my interest, so I probably stole it from somebody.
Listening to that record was a bit like going to college, like the Beatles. The songwriting is incredible. I didn't know anything about him, and it was a bit past when that album was a moment in pop culture, but I didn't care. I was interested in the songs and loved every single song on the album.
12-01-2016 - Vidéo Chris Cornell /
