TALKING ABOUT REVOLUTIONS

Kerrang! magazine 1994


The Stones made him go "Wow", the Beatles made him high and he gives away his favorite records as gifts. Soundgarden's crazy bassist, Ben Shepherd, revolutionizes.

IGGY POP "The Idiot"
I've been playing this a lot lately, reminds me of old times. That was the time when I really started to get into music professionally. This is the same reason why I still listen to some of the old Johnny Cash albums. Both are still as vital as back then, they still kick ass. Iggy has been through different phases but always says the things he feels. He’s still amazing.

THE RAMONES "The Ramones", "Rock and Roll High School"
The "Rock and Roll High School" title song introduced me to rock and roll music. I still like their first record, they impress me in the same way. I love the production on these two records, it's incredible. I never pogoed in my room to The Ramones, I just listened. I don't listen to my favorite records all the time, or take them with me when I travel, that way I don't get tired of them. I still feel the same way about The Ramones.

JIMMY HENDRIX "Band of Gypsies"
This album taught me and my friends to relax and jam. I was a guitar player at the time and to me the most important thing was the music, over the lyrics. I don't think he was a genius, he was probably just a normal guy.

MARK LANEGAN "The Winding Sheet", "Whiskey for the Holy Ghost"
We listened to his first record all the time when we opened for Guns n' Roses in Europe in 92. I love Mark's voice, both records have a great tempo. They remind me of Johnny Cash.

THE ROLLING STONES "Beggars Banquet"
They influenced me more than the Beatles. They’re the first rock group that made me think, "wow, fuck, I wanna do that." I love the production on "Sticky Fingers", you can really feel that album, but I've always been a Brian Jones fan, "Beggars Banquet" is very Brian Jones. That's an album with balls. When I first joined the band [Soundgarden] we were talking about doing covers and I suggested "Stray Cat Blues". We loved doing it.

THE BEATLES "Revolver"
This album is one of my lifetime favorites, more because of the title than anything! The songs? well, "She Said She Said", "Tomorrow Never Knows". An album to get stoned to. The cover is really good too but I think Rubber Soul's is better.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART "Clear Spot", "Ice Cream for Crow"
I really like Captain Beefheart, "Ice Cream for Crow" is very special to me but "Clear Spot" is probably my favorite record by them because it's easier to listen to. That's the kind of music I lend people for them to listen to.

IMIJ Demos
They're from Seattle, they gave us their tapes and we're going to ask them to tour with us in the US. They're fucking radical. They've been kicked out by two record companies because there's no way to sell their records. I don't know how to describe them. They are everything in one band. If you can stand their songs then you can stand anything. They put your ears to the test. It's like swimming among rocks.

THE MINUTEMEN "Double Nickles on the Dime"
It's a classic. I think everyone should hear it, specially if you're starting to play music or you're feeling down. Stuff like this makes me want to play and listen to music again. Sometimes I regret being in a band because you tend to listen to stuff like it’s all a cliche.

MASTERS OF REALITY "Sunrise on the Sufferbus"
This is the most recent record I've bought (April, 94). I gave their first record, "Masters of Reality", to a friend because I loved it and wanted him to have it! There is really good stuff on both albums but I think I prefer the presence of the 3 musicians on the second. Jason Corsaro -the engineer on Superunknown- helped them on "Sunrise on the Sufferbus". It was great to work with him on our record.

THE STOOGES "Raw Power", "Metallic K.O."
"Raw Power" was the record that made me realize I was destined to be into hard rock. "Metallic KO" was the first Stooges record I listened to. I was sleeping and my brother came home -we shared a room and that’s where the stereo was- he put that record on and revolutionized everything. When I heard that it sounded so amazing I got up and looked for the cover to see what the fuck it was. At the time I was in a band with a couple of other guys and I used to tape "Metallic KO" and tell people that that was my band.


[extra special thanks to Enrique Olavarria and Pablo Campoy for their translations. If anyone has this article in its original English, or knows what issue it’s in, please email me!]

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