Interview - Kim Thayil on His Memoir, Soundgarden Stories + Grief

Kim Thayil discussed his new memoir, shared some stories from Soundgarden's career and why he feels "self-critical" in an exclusive chat with Loudwire.

We spoke with the guitarist ahead of the release of his brand new book A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown With Soundgarden and Beyond, which is available today (June 9). In the memoir, Thayil reflects on his ethnic upbringing, the origins of the Seattle grunge scene, Soundgarden's journey to success, grieving the loss of Chris Cornell and much more.

Since we already received a detailed account of grunge from the rocker several years ago for our 30 Years of Grunge documentary series on YouTube, we wanted to dig a little deeper into the later years of Soundgarden during this recent conversation (you can dig into Thayil's early years in a separate interview with Loudwire Nights).

Harper Collins

Thayil shared how the band's dynamic shifted after they found success, what the quieter years were like between their 1997 breakup and 2010 reunion, how they eventually got in the studio to work on 2012's King Animal and what it was like revisiting Cornell's death in the book's final chapters.

"I thought this was really strange, but certainly talking about these things with [co-author] Adem Tepedelen — who I've come to trust and consider a good friend — I mean it was difficult. And you think, Okay, I got that out. And then I read one of the original drafts and [it] still affects me," the guitarist admitted.

"Then we make these revisions and I read a second draft and again, it affects me. I'm thinking, Well this is ridiculous. I thought I got it out. I already said it and now it's written down and I've read it, I'm reading it. And it still impacts me, as recently as a couple of months ago when I was reading the final revision."

Jim Dyson, Getty Images

To hear more of Thayil's honest perspectives, watch the full interview below.