CHRIS CORNELL Talks About LIVE EARTH

Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN vocalist Chris Cornell. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Glam-Metal.com: Chris, let's begin this interview by discussing your recent performance at Live Earth in Hamburg, Germany on July 7th. As an artist, why was it important for you to perform at this event and to make the public aware of the environmental issues that are surrounding us as a nation?

Cornell: I think it was an event that was a little bit unique. If you do an event that is in a sense trying to draw attention to a particular cause then ultimately kind of kind gain funds for example to create some sort of type of relief, people I think have a sense of powerless. They are sort of feeling like whatever support they give is ultimately out of their hands, once they give it. They just have to trust that something good comes of it. When it comes to climate change, really people do have control. Anything that anybody does and decisions that they make that are anti-global warming and pro-environment, immediately sort of register as that positive effect. That makes it sort of unique. The other thing really to lend support to any events as this for me is really easy to do. I am always out performing. I am always somewhere. Playing music is what I do. It is not like I am a musician, whose is being asked to come and be an architect for a special cause. I am just being asked to do what I am going to be doing that night, anyway. Only it would be somewhere else. It is an easy thing to do.

Glam-Metal.com: It is great, too, as an artist I think that people will listen to you and your support of Live Earth and all of the environmental issues concerning the world more than a person who is not in the public's eye as an artist.

Cornell: I agree with you. I think that sometimes that helps. Even if it is not listening to my opinion. It is a scenario where people will actually tune in because they are fans. When they see, every artist they can think of that is going to draw a certain amount of people showing up at the same time between the bands, it really becomes a massive sort of global move. It is not just musicians either. I have been really impressed with Leonardo Decaprio because of his own sort of self-education on the issues. His ability, I think he is a guy, whose works appeals to very, very young people all the through to old people who are fans of movies he has been in. For him to be able to come out and be as well educated as he is on the subject is very interesting to me and it is also pretty rare. Usually, when an actor or musician gets involved in a particular cause they don't know that much about it, or their views aren't necessarily helpful because it is not what they do. But he obviously has spent a lot of time and is even dedicated to it. He has things to say about it, and he has the information that people need to know. It is pretty impressive.

Read the entire interview at www.glam-metal.com.