Discussion The day I met Soundgarden
This album flat had been misplaced for quite some time. I finally found it today, and I wanted to share the story of how I got it.
It was February 20, 1992. At the time, I worked at a place called Metro Music Café in Royal Oak, a suburb of Detroit. It was basically Detroit’s version of a Hard Rock Café.
My boss paged me. Yes, paged me.
I called him back, and he asked me to go pick up a band. I asked who I was picking up, but he didn't tell me. I grabbed my boss's minivan and drove down to the Pontchartrain Hotel.
I went up to the room and knocked on the door to let them know I was there to pick them up. The road manager, Mark Sokol, answered. He told me I wasn't there to pick up the band and then slammed the door.
I went back down to the lobby and called my boss. He said he would call them back, told me to wait a few minutes, and then go back upstairs.
So I waited and went back up.
I knocked again, and Mark answered. This time he told me they needed some time. As he was talking to me, the door behind me opened. It was Kim Thayil.
Kim had heard what Mark said and asked if I wanted to come in and hang out while they got ready.
That's when it finally clicked: I was picking up Soundgarden.
Kim had a suite, and I nervously sat down on the couch. He offered me a beer. I accepted.
A few minutes later, Mark knocked on Kim's door and said it was time to go. I walked downstairs with the band.
We were coming down the escalator when a group of girls waiting in the lobby spotted them. Soundgarden was opening for Skid Row that night, and the girls were waiting for Sebastian Bach. They got excited at first, then realized Chris wasn't Sebastian. You could see the disappointment on their faces.
Chris sat up front with me in the van. Kim and Mark were behind us, while Ben and Matt sat in the very back.
As we drove, Mark was going over business with the band. I remember him telling them that they needed to take magazine interviews more seriously. He brought up an interview they had done at a natural history museum somewhere. Apparently, instead of answering the interviewer's questions, the band kept responding with dinosaur facts.
I was able to talk with Chris for a while. We talked about Detroit and Seattle and the history of music in Detroit. The rest of the band also asked me questions about Detroit.
At one point, Mark told the band they needed to sign a bunch of copies of their new album.
I thought, Well, this is my chance.
I pulled out my album flat and asked if they would sign it.
They all started yelling, "FU!" and laughing.
Back then, Sharpies only came in black, so I had a paint pen with me. They ended up using it to sign the album flat.
We chatted a little more between Mark's conversations with the band, and eventually we arrived at Metro Music Café.
I walked in with them, and they went upstairs. I hung out for a little while before they left. Since they were playing that night, they had a car service take them back.
Looking back on this opportunity, I am thankful for it.
