Much like they snubbed late Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley in April 2002 and Scott Weiland in December 2015 when they both passed away, Rolling Stone have snubbed Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell on their latest magazine cover.
Instead the cover story is on Radiohead, with frontman Thom Yorke making the cover. Cornell actually has one of the smallest blurbs on the cover, with stories on Democrat Senator Al Franken, U2’s Joshua Tree, Billy Joel, and the 10 Best TV Shows To Watch This Summer having larger text and more prominent cover spots.
Radiohead discussed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their Rolling Stone cover story.
Phil Selway: “It’s a bit like having the free bus pass in the UK when you reach a certain age. Blimey. Have we got to that point? God knows [if we’ll go]. We’d have to sit down and talk about it, but it’s probably not at the top of my list of things to do. But who knows? I don’t know.”
Jonny Greenwood: “I don’t care. Maybe it’s a cultural thing that I really don’t understand. I mean, from the outside it looks like … it’s quite a self-regarding profession anyway. And anything that heightens that just makes me feel even more uncomfortable.”
Ed O’Brien: “I don’t want to be rude about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because for a lot of people it means something, but culturally I don’t understand it. I think it might be a quintessential American thing. Brits are not very good at slapping ourselves on the back. It seems very show-biz and I’m not very show-biz. We haven’t even been asked. I don’t want to be rude. But if you ask me what I’d rather be doing that night, I’d rather be sitting at home in front of the fire or going to a gig. I realized years ago that I didn’t like award ceremonies. You walk in there and you feel self-conscious. It’s just really uncomfortable. Wherever there is media there seem to be a real level of bullshit. It just feels non-authentic to us.”
Thom Yorke: “It wouldn’t be the first place … don’t ask me things like that. I always put my foot in my mouth.”
Colin Greenwood: “I’d be grateful if we got in. Look at the other people that have been inducted. I don’t know if everyone else will go though. It might be me just doing bass versions of everything like, ‘Come on, you know this one!’ I’d have to play the bass part to ‘Creep’ five times.”
