SOUNDGARDEN's KIM THAYIL Sets Record Straight: Seattle Rock Scene Of 1990s 'Didn't Have A Drug Culture'

On June 11, 2026, Kim Thayil, co-founding member and lead guitarist of SOUNDGARDEN, launched his new memoir, "A Screaming Life: Into The Superunknown With Soundgarden And Beyond", with a conversation with Krist Novoselic, co-founding member and bassist of NIRVANA, at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Washington. You can now watch the discussion below.

Speaking about the way heroin had blighted the Seattle grunge scene ever since its inception in the mid-1980s — resulting in the deaths of such stars as ALICE IN CHAINS members Layne Staley and Mike Starr, as well as NIRVANA's Kurt Cobain and MOTHER LOVE BONE's Andrew Wood — Thayil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " That is a point I make in the book a number of times, is that none of these bands had a drug culture and the scene didn't have a drug culture. There were individuals that had their own sense of self and their own sense of adventure. And I had to explain this many times to journalists, interviewers, and I made sure it was present in the book… I explained that the bands didn't have a drug culture. I was close friends with all these other guys, and they themselves were just as impacted and distraught, and in no way were they somehow reinforcing this risk."

He continued: "As I would tell people, you drive as fast as you want to, you climb a mountain if you want to climb it, and people make choices to make themselves feel good and to enjoy their lives, and a lot of them, a lot of the choices they make are risky, and that's part of being alive. And the impact of this constantly had me engaging with my family and friends and record labels and tours to say, 'Hey, this isn't us. This isn't even them. This is just a strange aberration with individuals that are living their own lives.' And that was so difficult for people to understand. So I'd meet adults, because I barely consider myself one now, and then I certainly didn't. And I'd have to kind of... They would look at me kind of odd or with suspicion or, 'Here's this guy with hair too long and doesn't look like he combs it and a beard, and he plays in one of these Seattle bands.' And it became very conspicuous after losing Andy and Kurt, and I think the belief was that Seattle was somehow embracing of and reinforcing the decisions that were made."

When SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell died in May 2017, an autopsy report showed that he had several prescription drugs in his system but they didn't contribute to his death. Toxicology tests showed the presence of barbiturates, caffeine and lorazepam, also known as Ativan, for relief of anxiety. The report also lists naloxone, an anti-opioid drug, and a decongestant. Cornell hanged himself in a hotel room after a concert in Detroit.

"A Screaming Life: Into The Superunknown With Soundgarden And Beyond" arrived on June 9, 2026 via HarperCollins imprint William Morrow.

SOUNDGARDEN is working on an album of previously unreleased recordings they made with Cornell before the singer's 2017 death. Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd are collaborating with producer Terry Date, who previously helmed SOUNDGARDEN's "Louder Than Love" (1989) and "Badmotorfinger" (1991) LPs.

In November 2025, SOUNDGARDEN joined the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category. The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction last year.

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and Shepherd were included in the induction, as was original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who was with SOUNDGARDEN from 1984 to 1989 and played on the band's first two EPs and first two albums.

SOUNDGARDEN's three surviving members performed during the event, alongside guest vocalists Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile in place of Cornell. The set also featured appearances by PEARL JAM's Mike McCready and ALICE IN CHAINS' Jerry Cantrell.

Video credit: Jason Tang