Kim Thayil Remembers Cofounding Soundgarden and Late Friend Chris Cornell

When Kim Thayil, founding member of the famed rock ‘n’ roll band Soundgarden was young, he thought he might be a scientist like his dad. Or maybe he’d grow up to be a baseball player. Later, he wanted to be a comic book or science fiction writer. Though music had a profound impact on him, it wasn’t always the professional priority. As an infant, Thayil would spontaneously laugh or cry during songs on the radio, perplexing his parents. But it was only when he got older that he began to care about making music as an ambition. On the playground, Thayil had a knack for rhymes. It became a bit of a sport between him and his friends, changing lines in television theme songs or popular tunes. A curious, though somewhat underperforming honors student, Thayil got his first guitar at 15 years old. He’d had fantasies of being famous like the Beatles, though it wasn’t very serious. But life works in mysterious ways. About a decade later, Thayil would find himself in Seattle, Washington, set to cofound one of the most important bands of the 20thcentury.