Chris Cornell: Jimi Hendrix Wouldn't Get On The Radio Today

Chris Cornell, frontman for the reunited Soundgarden, spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about the state of radio in 2011. And he's not too thrilled with what's on the airwaves.

"Think about Jimi Hendrix's 'Smash Hits'. This is an album by Jimi Hendrix and it's even called 'Smash Hits'", he said. "But if it came out today it wouldn't be played on the radio. That's weird to me. It's odd that an album that came out in 1967 would be too strange for radio play in 2011."

Elsewhere in the interview, he credited The Beatles for helping give him an independent musical spirit.

"Even at age nine, they had a big impression on me, and later on my writing, without me realizing it", he said.

"The Beatles did whatever they wanted. This is a band that did 'Helter Skelter', 'Yesterday' and 'Penny Lane'. No one said, 'Hey, they can't do that!'"

Thanks for the report to Bryan Wawzenek, Gibson.com.

Comments

[Pagan_Poetry]

Hiring Timbaland, however, should get one on the radio but in some cases...
Jokes aside, he's right and that's not a good thing. The radio used to promote music that was supposed to be good and heard and now it's become an advertising strategy to get people to buy albums from specific labels. Hey if this label's using autotune and making music about the club, we can do that too and make money as well. It's disgusting and only 5% of the music on the radio deserves to be there. Music isn't dead. You just have to look for it now because, as Cornell said, it's "too weird" (that's putting it loosely) to be on there (aka too much hard work is put into the songs. We need easy marketing gimmicks)

[colm c]

Thats why he wrote scream...

[HaistaPaska92]

Well, duh. The 'mainstream'' radio stations would not play it but the ones leaning more into rock would

[Eifler121]

HaistaPaska92 wrote:

Well, duh. The 'mainstream'' radio stations would not play it but the ones leaning more into rock would

Yeah, it fits real well next to Korn, Godsmack, Saving Abel, and Nickelback.

[12jfrey]

Eifler121 wrote:

HaistaPaska92 wrote:

Well, duh. The 'mainstream'' radio stations would not play it but the ones leaning more into rock would
Yeah, it fits real well next to Korn, Godsmack, Saving Abel, and Nickelback.

You mean korn Godsmack and Nickelback won't fit real well next to Hendrix

[b_flo]

It's true. Just think of the great guitarists of today...Satriani, Vai, etc... They're great at what they do, but being a solo artist, in that genre, would not get airplay. I think Lenny Kravitz and Prince would be the 'hybrid' Hendrix of today....the sound, the look, the music, the live performance.

[bladerunner110]

b_flo wrote:

It's true. Just think of the great guitarists of today...Satriani, Vai, etc... They're great at what they do, but being a solo artist, in that genre, would not get airplay. I think Lenny Kravitz and Prince would be the 'hybrid' Hendrix of today....the sound, the look, the music, the live performance.

Actually the Summer Song by Satriani gets played a LOT on rock radio stations in most states.

And to be fair, if Hendrix never released an album... music wouldn't be quite where it is now (unless someone else decided to go ape-shit on a distortion or wah-pedal) ... so I think if he only just released something it would get played. If it was innovative in the 60s, logic would dictate it would be innovative now had he never released anything to innovate with in the 60s.

This whole "artists back then wouldn't get airplay now" argument is rather childish and ultimately invalid.

[bladerunner110]

^ Oh and I also remember the Extremist getting played on the radio throughout the 90s. A lot. A whole lot. Too much.

[bladerunner110]

To be fair, though.. music (and radio) was ALWAYS about the image and money... it was (and is) all about marketing what's popular. *shrug* That's never going to change.

[hmcguire]

3 words: Valleys of Neptune

[kurtshapedbox]

colm c wrote:

Thats why he wrote scream...

You're so ****ing clever.

[ToolCreedence]

It always amazes me what will and will not get played on the radio. I find it odd Tool is played on many mainstream rock stations.

[eljono123]

He's entitled to his opnion. obviously radio is about marketing... i mean if the majority of people listened to jimi's type of music today, then yah it would be on the radio. But as it is, people like to talk shit about auto-tune and then run out and buy the freaking CDs .. whatever. Thats why God gave us the internet and satelites. no need to listen to the radio anymore

[GrungeHippie26]

12jfrey wrote:

Eifler121 wrote:

HaistaPaska92 wrote:

Well, duh. The 'mainstream'' radio stations would not play it but the ones leaning more into rock would
Yeah, it fits real well next to Korn, Godsmack, Saving Abel, and Nickelback.


You mean korn Godsmack and Nickelback won't fit real well next to Hendrix

Those bands suck

[GodzillaDeth]

i bet there is the next "jimi" out there, but he aint even on rock radio, hes just playing blues festivals

[Drg23]

There's also some recent interview (sometime before their first show in their first tour in 14 years) where he trashes mainstream pop radio too, basically saying that popular music on the radio today is 90% of the time about sex, clubs etc and I just KNOW some asswipe will say "OH BUT HE WROTE SCREAM DERP". if an album has poppy electronic sounds, that doesn't automatically mean it's about girls, clubs etc. (go read some lyrics off of Scream, some of them are way deeper than you think).
Also, could we get rid of Carry On-era Chris picture and put something awesome like a photo from their ongoing tour or something.

[bladerunner110]

GodzillaDeth wrote:

i bet there is the next "jimi" out there, but he aint even on rock radio, hes just playing blues festivals

Have you heard John Mayer rip up that guitar? Has Hendrix written all over it.

[Rattlehead2]

Yeah, and in 60's radio stations played only underground music. What the **** is he talking about, radio always was, is, and will be commercial, and Hendrix isn't too popular with today's teenagers, deal with it.

[rockfreak611]

bladerunner110 wrote:

GodzillaDeth wrote:

i bet there is the next "jimi" out there, but he aint even on rock radio, hes just playing blues festivals


Have you heard John Mayer rip up that guitar? Has Hendrix written all over it.

No no no. John Frusciante IS the reincarnation of Hendrix. The instant I heard the main riff to Snow, I thought, "Jimi could've written this." And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

[rd93]

GrungeHippie26 wrote:

12jfrey wrote:

Eifler121 wrote:

HaistaPaska92 wrote:

Well, duh. The 'mainstream'' radio stations would not play it but the ones leaning more into rock would
Yeah, it fits real well next to Korn, Godsmack, Saving Abel, and Nickelback.


You mean korn Godsmack and Nickelback won't fit real well next to Hendrix

Those bands suck

Watch out! Something just flew right over your head...

[CiReMaN]

eljono123 wrote:

He's entitled to his opnion. obviously radio is about marketing... i mean if the majority of people listened to jimi's type of music today, then yah it would be on the radio. But as it is, people like to talk shit about auto-tune and then run out and buy the freaking CDs .. whatever. Thats why God gave us the internet and satelites. no need to listen to the radio anymore

+1

[bladerunner110]

rockfreak611 wrote:

bladerunner110 wrote:

GodzillaDeth wrote:

i bet there is the next "jimi" out there, but he aint even on rock radio, hes just playing blues festivals


Have you heard John Mayer rip up that guitar? Has Hendrix written all over it.

No no no. John Frusciante IS the reincarnation of Hendrix. The instant I heard the main riff to Snow, I thought, "Jimi could've written this." And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

How can someone BE the reincarnation of somebody when they were born while the other was alive? The Frush man is good, but Hendrix he is not. Sorry to say, Mayer has a lot more soul than Frush. Ever listen to Mayer's cover of Axis: Bold as Love? It's great! The vocals may not be as polished but he plays from the heart.

And the song Snow sucks, btw. All of Frush's stuff has been boring as shit since Californication imo.

[FloydFan87]

I have to agree with Cornell on the radio thing. Great artists aren't being played nowadays. I don't really want to pick on a particular station (WHEB), but it's the same stuff every single day just in a different order.

Radio stations need to gain an identity and not be the right arm of the record industry.

[kings_of_leon]

you cant argue that he wrote scream as a result of this because it didnt get any noticeable radio play either. Some stations play great music but there pretty hard to come by and i agree that most of all mainstream music is garbage.