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A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond
Not yet published
Expected 9 Jun 26The memoir by co-founding member of Soundgarden and lead guitarist Kim Thayil about one of the 1990s’ signature rock bands
From Soundgarden’s humble beginnings manifesting grunge in Seattle's beer-soaked punk clubs to their revered status today as rock icons, the band’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. In A Screaming Life, founding member and guitar god Kim Thayil goes backstage to introduce the band that fearlessly pushed the boundaries of rock, invented a new genre, and amassed fervent fans from every corner of the world.
Thayil shares the story of how he and his Soundgarden bandmates—Hiro Yamamoto, Ben Shepherd, Matt Cameron, and Chris Cornell—facedthe triumphs and challenges on the road to their historic and influential rise. His storytelling channels the essence of Soundgarden’s era-defining sound—one that’s supercharged with raw creativity and unapologetic lyrics—and explores the ways that Soundgarden was shaped by the diverse backgrounds of its creators: Thayil's Indian heritage and founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto's Japanese background added unique dimensions to the band's identity, influencing not only their music but also their experiences in the industry.
For Soundgarden fans and ‘90s alternative rock enthusiasts, A Screaming Life not only gives behind-the-scenes access to one of the most revered bands, but it also demonstrates the power music and its creators have to transform culture.
From Soundgarden’s humble beginnings manifesting grunge in Seattle's beer-soaked punk clubs to their revered status today as rock icons, the band’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. In A Screaming Life, founding member and guitar god Kim Thayil goes backstage to introduce the band that fearlessly pushed the boundaries of rock, invented a new genre, and amassed fervent fans from every corner of the world.
Thayil shares the story of how he and his Soundgarden bandmates—Hiro Yamamoto, Ben Shepherd, Matt Cameron, and Chris Cornell—facedthe triumphs and challenges on the road to their historic and influential rise. His storytelling channels the essence of Soundgarden’s era-defining sound—one that’s supercharged with raw creativity and unapologetic lyrics—and explores the ways that Soundgarden was shaped by the diverse backgrounds of its creators: Thayil's Indian heritage and founding bassist Hiro Yamamoto's Japanese background added unique dimensions to the band's identity, influencing not only their music but also their experiences in the industry.
For Soundgarden fans and ‘90s alternative rock enthusiasts, A Screaming Life not only gives behind-the-scenes access to one of the most revered bands, but it also demonstrates the power music and its creators have to transform culture.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication June 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
i was so beyond excited when this book was first announced that all i could think about was crossing my fingers for an arc. i don’t know how many times i checked netgalley to see if it was there yet. when it finally did pop up in the search results, and i was approved, i may or may not have teared up a bit. as a total nineties kid, grunge chick i could not wait to dive into some authentic, official, behind-the-scenes stories & moments from one of my favorite people from one of my favorite bands—grunge or otherwise.
… which is quite likely why i didn’t take into consideration how deeply emotional it would be to read so much about chris.
obviously, this is kim’s story, not chris’s. kim’s life, his background, his experience as the son of immigrants, and his foray into learning guitar, figuring out the next chapter of his life, and taking action that led to one of the most influential bands of the last several decades. kim always has something interesting, insightful, and/or funny to say in interviews from various documentaries, appearances, etc., both early in his career as well as more recent ones. ergo, i wasn’t surprised to learn he was a philosophy major in college. i think that background fed a lot into how this book was written, and it helped the way the information was presented make more sense.
the best way i can describe it is very matter-of-fact. again, watching kim in interviews, that’s very much his personality. he’s not going to sugarcoat things, but he’s also not going to disclose the private lives of those around him, including, to a large point, his own. i read a lot of fiction as well, so the best way i can explain this point is to say the forming of soundgarden and the trajectory of their career, the highs, lows, and in-betweens, is by far the A-story. the things going on around kim during that time, ie his romantic relationships, the friends he made or had reconnected with from his upbringing outside chicago, is the B-story. this is the perfect book for fans of soundgarden, of the members of the band, of their music. if you’re looking for gossip or insight into anything much more than that, then one, this book isn’t where you’ll find that, and two, rock stars or not, they still deserve their privacy. kim is under no obligation to divulge anything he or the people he writes about aren’t comfortable with, and i have so much respect for him for staying true to that. i see the same kind of balance in similar bands, pearl jam for instance, who want to be a part of their community and make the world a better place, but prefer to keep their personal lives as under-the-radar as is possible for them. i firmly believe that plays a large role in a lot of the bands that have stayed together (or successfully reunited) as long as these two have.
one thing i did love to find out, though, was the amicable split of soundgarden in the late nineties. as kim points out, a lot of the tabloids and media comments tried to make it into some big drama. in reality, they all remained friends. while chris did move out of seattle and get busy with audioslave, the other three members often saw each other, hung out with mutual friends, and even did some side projects together.
there are also some fun tidbits about johnny cash, elton john, and other big players in the rock and roll world. it was fun for me to hear more about subpop, as well as how much true respect the grunge bands have for people like jack endino—one of my favorite grunge co-creators, so to speak. i was surprised to learn that bruce pavitt of subpop also grew up in kim’s neighborhood in illinois, and that they were friends as kids. there are just a lot of cool, interesting connections like that with no other explanation than divine intervention. we’re so lucky to have gotten to experience the invention/discovery of a whole new style of music; so new, in fact, that major record labels had absolutely no idea what to do with.
sometimes the media plays up rivalries between bands in similar genres. often times those rivalries are not, in fact, actually happening. sometimes they are. reading about the true, supportive seattle grunge scene in the nineties from someone who was right in the center of it, confirmed how close these bands were to each other no matter who was more popular, successful, etc., makes the nostalgia that much more special. listening to soundgarden’s music even takes on a new meaning now, now that i understand how some of the recordings of certain songs happened, the frustrations of working with certain producers and the genuine ease with others.
kim doesn’t glaze over what happened to chris; obviously he has too much love and respect for his friend and bandmate to do that. he also doesn’t go into too much detail about his own grieving process, and i don’t think he should be expected to from anyone. it’s not an easy thing to deal with, and no amount of times reliving it make it any easier the next. kim does talk about the day it happened, and it was not easy to read due to the empathetic, emotional side of hearing someone’s first-hand experience over losing someone so close to them.
i often wonder how the people in the actual lives of celebrities feel when they suffer the loss of one of their famous loved one. tens of thousands of people are mourning the loss as well, but none of us actually knew them. i can see it might be flattering, but maybe a bit insulting as well? kim talks about that on a lesser scale, about how fans have this perceived relationship with their favorite bands, the members of that band, despite never having met any of them. if they do get the chance to meet, kim says it can be awkward to not really know how each individual fan perceives him in their head. i am 140% guilty of that, that kind of half-day-dream, half-connection through their music, that makes you feel like you do understand them, or at the very least, can relate.
there were, admittedly, some parts of this book that were a bit more stimulating than others, but it didn’t drag on or anything. i just got excited when reading about certain eras of soundgarden’s history, which i know is much more of a personal preference than anything else. one of the most difficult parts prior to the loss of chris was when soundgarden, on tour in europe, found out about kurt cobain’s death. the whole story of that, again hearing it from someone who knew him, was in the scene with him, felt the loss more deeply than even kurt or nirvana’s biggest fans, was absolutely gutting. yet, almost cathartic in a way? i hope it was for kim, too, to write about it.
to end on a less depressing note, i got a good laugh at the story of how kim “rescued” matt cameron from an aggressively persistent evangelist prior to matt joining the band. i’m not sure if that interaction—as they of course already knew each other—is what directly led to matt joining soundgarden, but i like the idea of a persistent evangelist helping form one of the best bands ever, in my totally unbiased opinion. i wonder if that person ever realized that.
thank you to netgalley, the publisher, adem tepedelen, and of course, kim thayil for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. i’m still stuck in “a screaming life” in my head over having gotten to read it early. if you’re a fan of soundgarden, i highly recommend picking it up.
… which is quite likely why i didn’t take into consideration how deeply emotional it would be to read so much about chris.
obviously, this is kim’s story, not chris’s. kim’s life, his background, his experience as the son of immigrants, and his foray into learning guitar, figuring out the next chapter of his life, and taking action that led to one of the most influential bands of the last several decades. kim always has something interesting, insightful, and/or funny to say in interviews from various documentaries, appearances, etc., both early in his career as well as more recent ones. ergo, i wasn’t surprised to learn he was a philosophy major in college. i think that background fed a lot into how this book was written, and it helped the way the information was presented make more sense.
the best way i can describe it is very matter-of-fact. again, watching kim in interviews, that’s very much his personality. he’s not going to sugarcoat things, but he’s also not going to disclose the private lives of those around him, including, to a large point, his own. i read a lot of fiction as well, so the best way i can explain this point is to say the forming of soundgarden and the trajectory of their career, the highs, lows, and in-betweens, is by far the A-story. the things going on around kim during that time, ie his romantic relationships, the friends he made or had reconnected with from his upbringing outside chicago, is the B-story. this is the perfect book for fans of soundgarden, of the members of the band, of their music. if you’re looking for gossip or insight into anything much more than that, then one, this book isn’t where you’ll find that, and two, rock stars or not, they still deserve their privacy. kim is under no obligation to divulge anything he or the people he writes about aren’t comfortable with, and i have so much respect for him for staying true to that. i see the same kind of balance in similar bands, pearl jam for instance, who want to be a part of their community and make the world a better place, but prefer to keep their personal lives as under-the-radar as is possible for them. i firmly believe that plays a large role in a lot of the bands that have stayed together (or successfully reunited) as long as these two have.
one thing i did love to find out, though, was the amicable split of soundgarden in the late nineties. as kim points out, a lot of the tabloids and media comments tried to make it into some big drama. in reality, they all remained friends. while chris did move out of seattle and get busy with audioslave, the other three members often saw each other, hung out with mutual friends, and even did some side projects together.
there are also some fun tidbits about johnny cash, elton john, and other big players in the rock and roll world. it was fun for me to hear more about subpop, as well as how much true respect the grunge bands have for people like jack endino—one of my favorite grunge co-creators, so to speak. i was surprised to learn that bruce pavitt of subpop also grew up in kim’s neighborhood in illinois, and that they were friends as kids. there are just a lot of cool, interesting connections like that with no other explanation than divine intervention. we’re so lucky to have gotten to experience the invention/discovery of a whole new style of music; so new, in fact, that major record labels had absolutely no idea what to do with.
sometimes the media plays up rivalries between bands in similar genres. often times those rivalries are not, in fact, actually happening. sometimes they are. reading about the true, supportive seattle grunge scene in the nineties from someone who was right in the center of it, confirmed how close these bands were to each other no matter who was more popular, successful, etc., makes the nostalgia that much more special. listening to soundgarden’s music even takes on a new meaning now, now that i understand how some of the recordings of certain songs happened, the frustrations of working with certain producers and the genuine ease with others.
kim doesn’t glaze over what happened to chris; obviously he has too much love and respect for his friend and bandmate to do that. he also doesn’t go into too much detail about his own grieving process, and i don’t think he should be expected to from anyone. it’s not an easy thing to deal with, and no amount of times reliving it make it any easier the next. kim does talk about the day it happened, and it was not easy to read due to the empathetic, emotional side of hearing someone’s first-hand experience over losing someone so close to them.
i often wonder how the people in the actual lives of celebrities feel when they suffer the loss of one of their famous loved one. tens of thousands of people are mourning the loss as well, but none of us actually knew them. i can see it might be flattering, but maybe a bit insulting as well? kim talks about that on a lesser scale, about how fans have this perceived relationship with their favorite bands, the members of that band, despite never having met any of them. if they do get the chance to meet, kim says it can be awkward to not really know how each individual fan perceives him in their head. i am 140% guilty of that, that kind of half-day-dream, half-connection through their music, that makes you feel like you do understand them, or at the very least, can relate.
there were, admittedly, some parts of this book that were a bit more stimulating than others, but it didn’t drag on or anything. i just got excited when reading about certain eras of soundgarden’s history, which i know is much more of a personal preference than anything else. one of the most difficult parts prior to the loss of chris was when soundgarden, on tour in europe, found out about kurt cobain’s death. the whole story of that, again hearing it from someone who knew him, was in the scene with him, felt the loss more deeply than even kurt or nirvana’s biggest fans, was absolutely gutting. yet, almost cathartic in a way? i hope it was for kim, too, to write about it.
to end on a less depressing note, i got a good laugh at the story of how kim “rescued” matt cameron from an aggressively persistent evangelist prior to matt joining the band. i’m not sure if that interaction—as they of course already knew each other—is what directly led to matt joining soundgarden, but i like the idea of a persistent evangelist helping form one of the best bands ever, in my totally unbiased opinion. i wonder if that person ever realized that.
thank you to netgalley, the publisher, adem tepedelen, and of course, kim thayil for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. i’m still stuck in “a screaming life” in my head over having gotten to read it early. if you’re a fan of soundgarden, i highly recommend picking it up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy of a memoir by a musician who has seen and experienced much, from small club to huge arenas, from humble beginnings to Hall of Fames, a man who has learned much, lost many, and has lived to share his tale.
I left bookstores to work in music at a strange time, not just for me, but for music in general. There was a staleness to music, something that MTV wasn't hiding, a boring aspect and a lack of real feeling. Everything seemed clean, or at worse faux dirty. Production was polished so much that one wondered if the musicians even played anymore or was it all computers. Something I just assume now, but back then was still a question. I worked in a store that wasn't a chain, so we had an eclectic mix of music. Zines for sale, cassettes singles for local bands, and albums from all over. Some of the stuff we sold looked had packaging that looked like it was made in a Kinko's late at night, recorded in a men's room at a rest stop on the highway. Music was starting to change. A little bit of grunge was being added to the musical formula, and the band featured in this biography was at the heart of it. A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond by guitarist Kim Thayil with Adem Tepedelen is a biography of a master musician, his humble upbringings, his life in bands and rock, and a look at the scene that helped make him, and that he helped shaped in many ways.
Kim Thayil was born in Seattle, Washington, where he would make his reputation, but grew up in middle America. Thayil's parents were Indian immigrants who moved to Park Forest a suburb of Chicago, a place that unlike most of the USA seems to like diversity, and education. Kim found music not on the radio, but while visiting his relatives in India, where he heard the Beatles for the first time, and was changed almost instantly. Back home he began to investigate music, moving from the Beatles to Kiss, and acquiring a guitar, not a very good one, but one he taught himself how to play. After graduating Thayil felt lost, not sure of what the world had in store for him. So he did what so many others did, moved West with his friends, and landing back in Washington. Bands followed until one day on a lark he began to play with his best friend from home Hiro Yamamoto and Chris Cornell. Something clicked, songs were written, and a band was formed. Gradually the musicians changed, some left, some switched positions and Soundgarden began to get attention. But with attention comes problems, problems that nearly destroyed the band, and their guitarist.
A very well-written book about music, fame and trying to be true to oneself and the music on hears in their head. This is a very interesting book, and Thayil is brutally honest about himself, his mistakes, and the mistakes of others. Thayil discusses the problems that fame brings, the pressures and what one misses. Including what others in the band might be going through, or dealing with. There is plenty of discussion about gear, pedals, effects, guitar strings. How albums were produced, both good and bad. More importantly how songs were created, what they mean, and how they hold up today.
For a music memoir, there is no feuds, no great this guy was a jerk statements. That's rare. What is also rare is how honest the book is. And how personal and introspective the book gets. Again rare in memoirs, and very appreciated here. A really good book for fans, for fans of the genre and the Seattle sound and scene. Also for people who like to read books about interesting and deserving people, who have not let fame ruin them.
I left bookstores to work in music at a strange time, not just for me, but for music in general. There was a staleness to music, something that MTV wasn't hiding, a boring aspect and a lack of real feeling. Everything seemed clean, or at worse faux dirty. Production was polished so much that one wondered if the musicians even played anymore or was it all computers. Something I just assume now, but back then was still a question. I worked in a store that wasn't a chain, so we had an eclectic mix of music. Zines for sale, cassettes singles for local bands, and albums from all over. Some of the stuff we sold looked had packaging that looked like it was made in a Kinko's late at night, recorded in a men's room at a rest stop on the highway. Music was starting to change. A little bit of grunge was being added to the musical formula, and the band featured in this biography was at the heart of it. A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond by guitarist Kim Thayil with Adem Tepedelen is a biography of a master musician, his humble upbringings, his life in bands and rock, and a look at the scene that helped make him, and that he helped shaped in many ways.
Kim Thayil was born in Seattle, Washington, where he would make his reputation, but grew up in middle America. Thayil's parents were Indian immigrants who moved to Park Forest a suburb of Chicago, a place that unlike most of the USA seems to like diversity, and education. Kim found music not on the radio, but while visiting his relatives in India, where he heard the Beatles for the first time, and was changed almost instantly. Back home he began to investigate music, moving from the Beatles to Kiss, and acquiring a guitar, not a very good one, but one he taught himself how to play. After graduating Thayil felt lost, not sure of what the world had in store for him. So he did what so many others did, moved West with his friends, and landing back in Washington. Bands followed until one day on a lark he began to play with his best friend from home Hiro Yamamoto and Chris Cornell. Something clicked, songs were written, and a band was formed. Gradually the musicians changed, some left, some switched positions and Soundgarden began to get attention. But with attention comes problems, problems that nearly destroyed the band, and their guitarist.
A very well-written book about music, fame and trying to be true to oneself and the music on hears in their head. This is a very interesting book, and Thayil is brutally honest about himself, his mistakes, and the mistakes of others. Thayil discusses the problems that fame brings, the pressures and what one misses. Including what others in the band might be going through, or dealing with. There is plenty of discussion about gear, pedals, effects, guitar strings. How albums were produced, both good and bad. More importantly how songs were created, what they mean, and how they hold up today.
For a music memoir, there is no feuds, no great this guy was a jerk statements. That's rare. What is also rare is how honest the book is. And how personal and introspective the book gets. Again rare in memoirs, and very appreciated here. A really good book for fans, for fans of the genre and the Seattle sound and scene. Also for people who like to read books about interesting and deserving people, who have not let fame ruin them.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I decided to read this for a shallow reason: I always found the lead guitarist of Soundgarden very attractive- as the book cover photo attests (at least to me). I dabbled in some grunge artists in the 90s like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Faith No More, and yes- Soundgarden. I loved their hit song "Black Hole Sun" in particular. I knew next to nothing about the group other than its lead singer Chris Cornell tragically commit suicide several years ago. It's a tricky thing sometimes when you read about a band or musical artist you don't know much about. It can be an opportunity to learn a whole new thing about someone you're intrigued about. However, if the writing style doesn't connect with you or if the celebrity/artist is not forthcoming, it can be a dud. Luckily, the writing style was natural and free flowing and Kim was quite open and honest with his feelings in this book. I enjoyed learning about his Indian heritage and the careers of his parents, and his life trajectory through deciding about college and what to do with his life. I connected with some of the "Plan A and Plan B" arguments from the parents, since I also have a son who is determined to be an entertainer as his main profession. It was interesting reading about Soundgarden's origins and evolving roster of bandmates as they rode to fame. I also appreciated how although Kim touched a little on politics, there was never any nastiness or pointedness to turn off anyone. I really admired how after Soundgarden broke up, Kim was relentless in curating a lot of their work product that had never been released for future distribution. Kim was instrumental in creating a website so that fans could get merchandise and the legacy of Soundgarden would endure. Kim is definitely a charter member of Soundgarden and probably its standard bearer. I like him even more after reading this book!
Thank you to the publisher William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First off a huge Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy. For fans of grunge that grew up during this time will really appreciate the behind-the-scenes stories about songwriting, touring, and the relationships between bands in the Seattle scene. Even if you were not a hardcore Soundgarden fan you will enjoy this memoir because of its rich history lesson of the time. There was a lot to be learned about the Seatle scene that I really never knew. This memoir is different because its not just sex, drugs, and rock n roll like most of them. There was a lot to learn about Kim the person that I hadn't alread known. This should be required reading for any fan of grunge music or music history for that matter.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I saw Kim Thayil interview Geddy Lee a few years ago and I liked his style and made a note to learn more about him. Then, I promptly forgot about it.
I saw this on NetGalley, I remembered that note and requested it. I was so happy to be approved. I was even happier while I was reading.
You can’t ignore Chris Cornell in any book from someone In Soundgarden, but this book wasn’t about him and I really appreciated that. He was a huge part of Thayil’s story, but this is Kim’s book about Kim.
This was well written and fun to read. There was a lot here to learn and to enjoy. Kim has an interesting way of looking at things and his perspective brought a new way of looking at the Seattle scene.
I really recommend this book!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
I saw this on NetGalley, I remembered that note and requested it. I was so happy to be approved. I was even happier while I was reading.
You can’t ignore Chris Cornell in any book from someone In Soundgarden, but this book wasn’t about him and I really appreciated that. He was a huge part of Thayil’s story, but this is Kim’s book about Kim.
This was well written and fun to read. There was a lot here to learn and to enjoy. Kim has an interesting way of looking at things and his perspective brought a new way of looking at the Seattle scene.
I really recommend this book!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews