I am no expert on whatever behind the scenes drama was playing out, but from where I sit it seems fairly clear that the anti-depressant Ativan is the primary culprit. He appeared to have taken more than he should have that night, and the published/known side effect of "suicidal thoughts" reared it's ugly head. Of course there is always more to the picture than meets eye.... but I blame the pharmaceuticals.
Oh well. Still remember how striking it was when a friend asked me what's the deal with Chris when I just read his tweet from Detroit a day before. Been playing Badmotorfinger a week ago and currently on my 3rd day of "Audioslave Demos" that I retrieved a year ago from an old torrent which was inactive for like 7 years. Was totally worth it because even though it's mp3, the sound is the most clear of all the fan remastered versions (the versions basically rehashing/re-lossy-ing what Audioslavelatino and Rod Hernandez did back in the day). P.S. What's funny, a friend of mine (who plays drums and tries to sing as well) gathered some musicians to perform a cover gig "Grunge Party" this Sunday, where all 4 main bands music will be played. You know who will be in the front row wearing Badmotorfinger t-shirt singing along to Chris' songs Been a long time since I was super excited about some local gig. Wonder if there will be anyone else besides me familiar with other bands other than Nirvana RIP Chris.
Maybe @vinyldad62, thread title could be amended for posting every anniverary. Just a suggestion. Perhaps, contact Gorts. Beautiful live in-studio performance "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart" ("nearly" - though we don't forget) R.I.P.
Going to revisit his Songbook album today, that album always brings back fond memories of the couple of shows from those acoustic tours I saw and to me was just another reason why Chris was/is/will always be one of the all-time greats
A Sad Loss for sure. One of the Top Rock Voices from the ‘90s-IMO. I do not play Soundgarden often anymore(maybe a case of too much music that I had bought since that time, and really need to be in the mood to want to hear Grunge Music, and only liked a Few Music Artists from that Genre, as I am mostly a Fan of UK Music Artists from the ‘90s), but really should revisit his Solo Album, ‘Euphoria Morning’, as loved that Album and played the CD often the year it was released.
I get what your feeling, as that was how I felt when Jeff Buckley died from drowning in 1997, as I felt connected to him through his brief Music Career. Although, I do not cry, I felt a little depressed over his death, and did not have the same sadness again until the deaths of Bowie and Prince, but Jeff Buckley was just getting started, and we can only speculate how much Great Music he would have provided us, if he was still alive today.
I didn't get into Buckley until a few years ago after reading something about him. I decided to give his album a fresh listen since I hadn't heard anything from him in about 15 years or so. Mojo Pin......wow. IMO one of the greatest songs to open an album. Ever. Buckley is definitely one of the biggest tragedies in music. Like you said, he was only in the beginning of his career. Sky was the limit. It would be like Cornell dying at some point between Ultramega OK and Louder than Love. The world wouldn't have truly known what it lost. Hopefully there's some Buckley covers in Cornell's vault.... amongst other things. Once Cornell started doing a lot of covers years ago, I wondered if he was going to enter a phase like Rod Stewart, Michael McDonald, etc at some point. It would've been amazing.
Although, I am not much into Led Zeppelin, Jeff Buckley loved their Music(a friend with him on the bank of the River was putting a Led Zeppelin Song on the Boombox, when Buckley disappeared under water when his friend turned back around and noticed he was gone), and I recall a quote where Robert Plant said Buckley had the Voice of an Oversexed Angel. Here is a short interview when Plant was asked about Buckley:
Oh man... that morning was a shock. Because it came so late. When you would expect people to be in an emotionally safe place. Goes to show how wrong one can be....
To use a line from Woody Allen.... We're all hanging by a thread. Ive always been fascinated by this aspect of life.....how minor and/or spontaneous decisions can monumentally impact your life, or in some cases....end it. To use an example of another musician....Buddy Holly. The desire to fly that night instead of riding that hellish bus ended four lives and potentially altered the course of music. I think my interest in this is due to a tragedy in my youth. In 1982, my best friend in second grade would bounce back and forth between his parents who had separated. He usually stayed at his dad's house on weekends. On this particular weekend, he was at his mom's while his older brother stayed with his dad. On Sunday, she was supposed to take him there in the morning but instead she wanted to drop him off in the afternoon after she shopped for groceries. They were both killed in a car accident that afternoon. My mom drove by that accident on the way home and freaked out the next day when she found out it was Shane and his mom. To this day, I think of him anytime I drive through Keyes(small town in CA) and see the spot where it happened.
Love his sensibility and taste. Great lyricist. When I heard Louder Than Love when it came out I said these guys I have been waiting for. They love Sabbath. So much material, so many cool songs. It’s a bummer his wife, reminds me of Ty Cobbs kid, or Courtney Love. Or an old Twighlight Zone with the greedy shallow relatives. Makes me wonder the affect upon the dead person while they were alive. Rock on Chris
I think the marriage was circling the drain and it took him back to the implosion of his first marriage. **** was said during that last phone call and unfortunately he momentarily snapped. It's a travesty that she is in charge of his archives and will be making all the decisions. I don't believe we're ever going to get that final album that Kim, Ben, and Matt want to finish.
No fan of big pharma.....but Ativan is not an anti-depressant. Discovered soundgarden in Grad School, so unique at the time.
Yes. Ativan is a benzodiazepine- which is an anxiolytic used to treat anxiety. It's a central nervous system depressant which, combined with other CNS depressants like alcohol, can have a major deleterious effect on brain function, respiration, etc.. Antidepressants can have their own set of adverse effects. The suicidal thought process is thought to work as such: a person in deep depression often doesn't have the energy or drive to carry through with suicidal ideation. Once an antidepressant is started, the person's condition may improve where they are able to carry out the suicidal thoughts before they continue to improve where the thoughts could be alleviated. I may be a pharmacist, but I'm not an advocate for widespread use of pharmaceuticals.
I finally found the hard drive with the rest of my Hollywood Forever photos from the morning of May 26, 2017 (the day his grave was first unveiled). Here are a few more taken on that morning. Posting them not to be morbid but rather as a memorial to Chris.
