Things seem to be getting a little more amicable on the Soundgarden-Vicky Cornell front.
As of Wednesday, surviving Soundgarden members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd revealed that as of that morning, they, along with their managers Red Light Management, reached an agreement with late frontman Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky to temporarily regain control of the band’s social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter) and website.
Said the band in a statement,
“The agreement marks a productive first step towards healing and open dialogue, and the parties wish for the social media accounts to celebrate the Band’s accomplishments and music, while continuing to honor Chris’ legacy.”
Vicky Cornell provided a similar sentiment, saying in her own statement (as reported by Blabbermouth),
“Through our joint social media efforts and our temporary agreement, my family, along with the surviving members of Soundgarden, hope to celebrate Chris and his music out of mutual respect and love. We all recognize the profound pain caused by Chris’s tragic loss and the path it has taken us down.”
The news comes just a couple months after Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd sued Vicky Cornell to gain access to the accounts. According to the lawsuit, once their management deal with Patriot Management ended, only Vicky was given the passwords to the band’s social media and website. She then changed those passwords, completely locking the band out. The suit also claimed that Vicky used the sites to defame the band and let the website fall into disrepair.
Back in June 2020, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd seemingly tried to get around the social media block by creating new accounts under the name Nude.Dragons, an anagram of Soundgarden that the band sometimes performed under.
Blabbermouth reports that the band asked a judge to have Vicky either hand over the passwords or to write a final post saying that “Soundgarden has temporarily suspended its official social media accounts due to pending litigation.”
In their first post back at the helm, the band laid out some expectations and ground rules for conduct on their socials, saying,
“Hey Soundgarden friends, fans and family! Our site is intended to celebrate the music, achievements, career and legacy of the band along with news and information about any current and future plans, including relevant solo work. We encourage our fans to share their comments, praise and criticism, but we do expect these to be appropriate, courteous and respectful to each other and to the band. We are super stoked to have our socials return to discussions and posts about being in a f***ing great ROCK BAND!! Remember the guitars, drums, vocals and volume?!!! No more comments about wives, children, exes, significant others, siblings, parents, great aunts, 2nd cousins… etc. of any of the current or former band members… get it?!! It should go without saying, to the adults in the room, that there won’t be any threats, bullying or mocking of any kind, directed at anyone. Furthermore, don’t post discussions or inane conspiracy theories casting blame for harm to Chris Cornell. If anybody’s comments are inappropriate in these ways, they will be removed. If anybody’s comments are threatening, bullying or abusive, OR if we have to remove more than one of anybody’s comments, they will lose the opportunity to continue commenting on our site. We admire the character and caliber of all the fans who’ve supported and grown with us over the years, geez…decades!!
“Keep us proud! Peace and love to our brothers and sisters!!
“XO SOUNDGARDEN”
This is the first agreement between the surviving members of Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell in a couple of years, as the two parties have been in a constant back-and-forth since Cornell first sued the band in December 2019. That suit claimed that she was owed unpaid royalties and was looking to maintain control of seven recordings found on her late husband’s laptop. The band countersued, claiming that those recordings were property of the band going back to 2014 and were for an album they were working on together. They then sued Vicky in May 2020 for questionable use of funds raised during the ‘I Am The Highway’ Chris Cornell tribute show, which they would later drop. Then in February 2021, Vicky sued the band again, this time for a buyout price for her husband’s stake in the band that she felt was too low.
