Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil is telling his life story in a memoir titled A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond. The autobiography is being published by Harper Collins, and is set for release on May 19th, 2026.
The book (pre-order here), which Thayil co-authored with music journalist Adem Tepedelen, is described as follows on the official Harper Collins website:
“From Soundgarden’s humble beginnings manifesting grunge in Seattle’s beer-soaked punk clubs to their revered status today as rock icons, the band’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. In A Screaming Life, founding member and guitar god Kim Thayil goes backstage to introduce the band that fearlessly pushed the boundaries of rock, invented a new genre, and amassed fervent fans from every corner of the world.”
On Soundgarden’s Instagram page, Thayil also offered a synopsis of the book, writing:
“Hey, all you friends of Soundgarden! Kim Thayil here to tell you that I’ve been working on a book during the past few years! It’s called A Screaming Life, and it tells my story as an American son of immigrants growing up in Chicago. Then, along with another immigrant’s American son, Hiro Yamamoto, we travel to Seattle as idealistic youths, involve ourselves with underground and independent subcultures, and connect with Chris Cornell to form Soundgarden. It follows my experiences, journeys and growth with the band and the building of the Seattle music scene; ultimately, to partner with Matt Cameron and later Ben Shepherd as we worked and played towards our worldwide successes. I explore the heights, depths and insights gained from my experiences within the unique and special brotherhood we built.”
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The book announcement comes just a couple weeks before Soundgarden are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a November 8th ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, airing live on Disney+.
See the cover artwork for A Screaming Life below, and pre-order the book via Amazon.
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