I Am The Highway || Chris Cornell

Los Angeles California, November 26 2004

"Alright Chris, thank you so much for allowing me to do this interview with you," Alison Kovac from Metal Edge magazine says once she presses the button on her tape recorder.

"You're welcome,"

"We just have a few questions to ask you so um... the new Audioslave record that you're currently working on. You've said that it's quite different from your debut so would you say it's more of a representation of the band now, or are you just trying to re-invent yourselves?"

"Uh, well... with our first record, we were a new band y'know so everyone is going to compare that first effort to the previous bands that we were all in before... like 'oh it's just the guy from Soundgarden with Rage Against The Machine' which is what a lot of people compared us to. I wouldn't say we're trying to re-invent ourselves, I mean it's still me just a lot has changed between the recording of that first record and now so... it is different in the sense that I think we've definitely come into our own as a band, it definitely feels more like an Audioslave record,"

"Would you say it's more of a mainstream sounding record?" Alison asks and moves the recorder closer to Chris.

"Um, well no... I mean it's hard rock influenced yes... and we all still take inspiration from those bands in the 70's like Aerosmith, Sabbath, Zeppelin y'know... but I wouldn't say it's a mainstream sound... but then again people are going to call it whatever they want... trying to put us into a specific box but... I'd like to think it just sounds like us," Chris chuckles.

"Now, you've released the single from the new record 'Be Yourself' which is the video you're shooting today here and seems to be a lot more positive than what you would normally write or release... was there any contributing factor that made you have a different outlook?" Alison asks.

"Uh, no, there wasn't like one specific thing just... the birth of my daughter, getting sober... different events y'know. The 'Be Yourself' part came from a lot of things that I've gone through in my life and a lot of different changes and all the different tragedies and all the horrendously stupid mistakes I've made in my personal life, and wanting to be able to make up for those things and wanting to be able to not be ashamed, all that stuff.  That's the one thing about getting older that's better, and this song kinda says it so simply, to a degree that 10 years ago I would've been embarrassed to put it in a song 'cause it is so simple. But there it is."

"Alright... and your wife, Andrea, she's still just as much a part of the business right?" Alison glances over at me for a moment then back to Chris.

"Of course. She's uh... one tough cookie you could say. She put's up with a lot and I don't know where I'd be without her. I don't know how she does it sometimes but she's amazing," Chris beams glancing over at me while lean over Vada to adjust her black cargo pants and her little Metallica band t-shirt, my dark curls falling down around us and Vada reaches up to play with some of my curls twirling them around her fingers.

"Ok, peanut, you're all set," I say and pat her on her cute little butt and she laughs.

"Daddy? Will-will you come play with me?" Vada asks in her cutest little voice as she runs away from me and runs up to him, her dark little curls bouncing, holding out her little stuffed grey and white baby bunny that is permanently attached to her at all times.

"Oh peanut, I can't right now, I thought you were playing with Xavier," Chris kneels down to her pulling her close as she still holds out her bunny.

"No Zay went with his mommy... I want you to play," She says in her tiny voice, her big blue eyes looking up at Chris.

"Awe... is this little Vada? Hi Vada," Alison kneels down and smiles at her sweetly

"Hi," Vada says shyly as Chris and Alison chuckle.

"I like your little bunny," Alison says.

"Thank you, his name is Tony," She says as Chris smiles at her.

"Well nice to meet you Tony,"

"He doesn't like carrots though," She says.

"Oh, no? What does he like?" Alison says.

"Pssgettii," She giggles.

"Pssgettii... oh spaghetti, ok," Alison chuckles and Vada laughs.

"Ok, peanut, go see mommy and once I'm done here we'll play ok?" Chris chuckles sweetly as he rubs her little belly making her laugh.

"Ok, daddy," She giggles and Chris places a huge kiss on her little chubby cheek and she squeals in laughter which makes me laugh. She then pulls away from him and runs back over to me.

"My god she's adorable," Alison says as they stand back up.

"Yep, she's my little peanut," Chris smiles.

"How old is she?"

"She just turned 4 in October," Chris grins, his eyes instantly lighting up when he talks about Vada.

"Is it hard juggling family and touring? I mean since Andrea is still managing the band right?" Alison asks.

"Yea, like I said... Andi's amazing at what she does, for me, the band and my daughter. It's not as hard as you would think, I mean... we are trying to figure out schooling for Vada and stuff since she should be starting Kindergarten soon but we're thinking we might have a tutor with us when we've got to go on the road and do press and stuff. I know Andi wants her to go to a normal school and try and have a normal school life which I think is a great idea too, but we'll see," Chris says as he glances over at Vada and I as she stands with me at the buffet table while I make her a little sandwich.

"I know you've written songs for your wife, so does that same sort of inspiration happen with your daughter as well?"

"Of course, I mean I take inspiration from all sorts of things but definitely lots of songs and ideas are inspired my daughter,"

"Did she inspire the song 'Dandelion' on the new record?" Alison asks.

"Uh huh... It's an amazing thing to see just how differently the world is seen by her. As we grow up and realize what the world is really like, we tend to forget just how at one time we all had this innocent way of seeing things,"

***

A/N:  Alright guys hello! I thought I would write a new part for you all as suddenly I had some inspiration for this story to continue. Now the updates may still be slow on this as I am currently still working on Blood & Fire, but don't worry I'm still writing. There will be some huge time skips but I have an idea in mind about how I want this story to end so, If you have made it this far, thank you! If you haven't read the updated chapters : Jersey Boy, Where Do We Go From Here? Boiling Heat, Summer Stench and I know I'm Headed For The Bottom, I basically just added in the Kenny Hickey parts to coincide with Blood & Fire.

Thank you all so much!

love, templeoftheslavegarden