Soundgarden was inducted into the Rock-&-Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Jim Carrey, who had hosted the 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL), where Soundgarden was the musical guest on his insistence, did the honours.
“Tonight, we make sure that Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd go down in history as one of the most majestic, powerful, and influential bands ever to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Long Live Chris Cornell and Long Live Soundgarden!” announced Carrey.
“Spank you kindly, spank you all,” the actor-comedian told the crowd.
“You might ask why would Soundgarden — the heaviest of rock & roll royalty — want Jim Carrey to induct them into the Hall of Fame? Is there some deep, cosmic connection between them, or was the ‘Spoonman’ not available?”
Carrey also disclosed that it was right after that SNL show that Chris Cornell gifted him his most prized possession – “Chris’s Fender Telecaster!” Carrey added, “When the Seattle music scene exploded, it resurrected rock & roll for me. When I heard Soundgarden for the first time, I wasn’t just excited. I wanted to put a flannel shirt on and run into the streets screaming, ‘My mother smoked during pregnancy!’”
Chris Cornell’s daughter, Lily Cornell, joined the stage after Carrey’s speech. Lily mentioned that, along with her dad, whom she was there to celebrate, she was also there to celebrate her mom, Chris’s ex-wife, Susan Silver, also Soundgarden’s manager.
“I am just really, really happy that he got to make music with his friends,” Lily commemorated. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I know how much purpose that gave him, and how much it’s meant to people who have heard that music. That’s what I’ll be holding in my heart tonight. Thank you all for honouring my dad and for recognising Soundgarden.”
Lily Cornell further went on to introduce the band members – while Carrey announced the guest names, and they both called for Soundgarden on stage.
Soundgarden Hall of Fame Induction : 2025
What followed were a couple of spectacular performances of our favorite Soundgaren numbers, The band played “Rusty Cage” with Taylor Momsen, followed by “Black Hole Sun” with Brandi Carlile.
After this, the band members walked over to the podium to deliver their speeches. Hira Yamamoto went first, thanking everyone along with his parents who went into prison camps, “just for being Japanese, during World War II”. “Let’s not add another story like this to our history,” mentioned Yamamoto, who went on to mention his gratefulness towards everyone present.
Next was Matt Cameron, who started with taking a huge list of names – thanking all the “countless bands and fellow musicians” they had the pleasure of interacting with in the 80s and 90s. “I love you, Chris,” was how he ended after thanking all the fans.
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Thayil added, “If one of us ever hesitated in sharing an idea, Chris would be the first to say, ‘Let’s just try it out and see.’ I miss him. I love him, and I love all my [Soundgarden] brothers.” Shepherd took the mic, the last one in line, only to “keep it short”. “Let’s go forward. There’s a lot of work to do. Love you all!” Shepherd ended.
Finally, Toni Cornell, Chris’s younger daughter closed the segment with “Fell on Black Days” featuring Nancy Wilson.
The Rock-&-Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony aired live on Disney+ on Saturday, November 8th. It will be available to stream on demand. The list of inductees for 2025 also include Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, and The White Stripes.
