Bears and Gophers

BADMOTORFINGER
10/8/1991

Soundgarden were weird, in the sense that they found a drummer and stuck with him. When the drummer is Matt Cameron, though, you can chalk it up more to luck than quirk. Bassists aren't traditionally as interchangeable, so of course Hiro Yamamoto left after Louder Than Love, citing extreme creative dissatisfaction. Ben Shepherd's arrival coincided with a sorely-needed growth spurt.

"Rusty Cage"--What, young Jenn wondered, am I listening to?

This is a precision attack. It's a recently-freed man hurtling through unadulterated fields, only I'm unsure how excited to feel--he might deserve to be imprisoned.

This is a hail storm during an earthquake. Five meteorologists found Jesus after his dad had lost him at the mall.

What, old Jenn wondered, am I listening to?

"Outshined"--The rakish video earned the guys some good-natured ribbing, what with Cornell all flowing locks and twitchy pecs. Looks aren't everything, so even the smirkers had to admit a good drag through the tar pit when they heard one.

"Slaves and Bulldozers"--Possibly the most grunge song ever recorded. This shit is a millstone wearing a millstone. Seven minutes of pre-life dedicated to tarring and feathering the self-involved judges of a lawless land.

"Jesus Christ Pose"--One fallen angel upbraiding his deluded peers. Savagery. "Slaves and Bulldozers" after six months of cardio and a light weight routine. An unblinking pummel-fest befits the blatant metaphor.

"Face Pollution"--Sure, treat your ADD with sizzurp, I can't imagine any unfortunate ramifications.

"Somewhere"--A friendly reminder to never drink light beer unless there's anything else drinkable in the fridge/cooler/ice-filled tub.

"Searching With My Good Eye Closed"--Another sloggin' slugger, this is a true group showcase. A bayonet to the windpipe is a hell of a motivational tool.

"Room A Thousand Miles Wide"--Per writer Kim Thayil, this song concerns "experience in general." And a tackle box full of prescription meds.

"Mind Riot"--After a time, alarms cease to feel alarming. Soundgarden maintain the deliberate ferocity of a coyote pack circling an active BBQ pit.

"Drawing Flies"--Nothing is good for us; everything is us, for good.

"Holy Water"--Luxuriates in lava dreams. We're none of us bone dry.

"New Damage"--"A new world order," Jesus, what a '90z lyric.

Chris Cornell vs. Guitar, fite! Oh shit, I won! You as well, so let's touch the trophy together on the count of three and suddenly find ourselves transported to a graveyard shrouded in blue-green fog where our only company is a fat guy and the wicked slug baby he's cradling.



In like a woolly mammoth, out like a chickadee, that's Badmotorfinger.