During a recent interview with the Dallas Observer, SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil appeared to be taking a slight jab at SMASHING PUMPKINS mainman Billy Corgan by saying that SOUNDGARDEN isn't the kind of band that is "led by one guy who does all the writing." Asked if he and his bandmates were worried the fans might have moved on when SOUNDGARDEN released the "King Animal" album in 2012, Thayil said: "We recorded 'King Animal' in 2011 and we felt confident in our fan base. We knew that from the support we got for our previous releases. "We released 'Telephantasm', which was a retrospective album, a greatest-hits package. We were aware that the strong fan base remained. "We feel confident that if the four of us all like an album, it's going to do well. "We don't have one member who is deciding the composition of an album. You should know who I am talking about, but I am not going to name names. We have four guys who write songs here. We have four guys contributing material without someone calling bullshit on it. "You follow me? "There are many bands out there that are led by one guy who does all the writing. He might have some religious epiphany or some psychedelic experience and he will write all this material that can very easily suck. And the rest of his band feels like they have to play it. That is not SOUNDGARDEN. Consequently, we have never made a record that sucked." Corgan's beef with SOUNDGARDEN was reignited in 2012 when he called out Nineties contemporaries, including SOUNDGARDEN, for cashing in with their reunion tours. "There are those bands that are essentially coming back only to make money playing their old albums, and maybe somewhere in the back of their minds they're thinking there might be a future," Corgan said. "I am not in that business, obviously. I condemn anybody who's in that business but doesn't admit [he's] in that business. "When SOUNDGARDEN came back and they just played their old songs, great. I was a fan of SOUNDGARDEN, but call it for what it is. They're just out there to have one more round at the till; same with PAVEMENT and these other bands." Corgan later appeared on the Channel 93.3 radio station in Denver, Colorado and explained his beef with SOUNDGARDEN. He said, in part, "[SOUNGARDEN singer] Chris Cornell was somebody I considered a friend, and would never have said a harsh word about. "When [SMASHING PUMPKINS] came back in 2007, [Cornell] was quoted in an interview saying, basically, he didn't consider our reunion, in quotations, to be 'legitimate.' So that's something that's
I kind of have an elephant's memory when it comes to somebody punching me in the face." He continued, "Cornell's one of those people who is extremely talented. I was a fan from literally, I think, their second EP. I met them in 1991 and still believe in what was great about the band. But when we're sitting there having conversations about who is doing what, I am no longer gonna shield somebody. If they wanna punch me in the face, I'm happy to punch them back in the face. "My point is don't lump us in with people who are sort of just doing the reunion lap. Now, of course, fans are lighting up my Twitter saying, 'Do you realize SOUNDGARDEN is doing a new album?' OK, well, if they are, great. That's what they should be doing. [They are] great musicians, [and] they should make new music, and hopefully they'll make great albums, because we need artists to make great albums and great music in this day and age of the robots and the posers and, you know, the 'faux hawk' bands."
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