A Screaming Life – Kim Thayil – Book Review
by Killian Laher

Nine years ago, Soundgarden came to an abrupt end with the tragic passing of Chris Cornell.  Guitarist Kim Thayil was a constant in the band, and he has written his account of the band and his own life.  An unusual figure in music as a non-white musician in the white-dominated underground US rock scene in the 1980s, Thayil is candid about his own shortcomings and illuminating about the life of the band.

After a less-than-comfortable upbringing, he played in various bands before forming Soundgarden with Cornell and Hiro Yamamoto.  He documents their rise through various albums, lineup changes and tensions, particularly around their commercial peak.  Kim Thayil reveals that in the late 1990s, it was Chris Cornell who left the band, as opposed to the story that was put out at the time of it being a mutual decision.  Initially, Thayil had appeared equally lost and relieved at this point.  He doesn’t hold back regarding resentment toward various figures, including former manager (and Cornell’s ex-wife) Susan Silver.

There’s a weariness to his writing that occasionally leaves you yearning for more detail on individual songs, though he provides insight into 2012’s King Animal album.  The suicide of Chris Cornell hangs over the book, and Kim Thayil is still clearly upset by the loss of his bandmate, and goes into detail about the circumstances. Nevertheless, this is not a depressing read, but an engaging one for fans of nineties alternative rock.